Lehenda-ShVSM Chernihiv () was a Ukrainian professional women's football club from Chernihiv, Ukraine. In 2018, it merged with Yednist Plysky as Yednist-ShVSM Plysky. In 2010–2014, the club was a leader in Ukrainian club football, holding the most national titles (6) at the time.

The ShVSM abbreviation stands for School of Higher Sports Mastery ().

History Origin during the Soviet era Initially, the team was named SC Polissia Chernihiv. In October 1987, Mychailo Yushchenko decided to establish a women's football team at the "Polissia" gymnasium, which gave its name to the SC Polissia team. The creation of the team was supported by the local Cheksil "Worsted and Cloth Factory Combine". That's why the team used also the name Lehenda-Cheksil. The club was formed by the factory workers, as well as pupils from the city's schools No. 11 and 14, vocational school No. 13 and students from the Chernihiv Pedagogical Institute (Chernihiv Pedagogical University). At the beginning of April 1988, the team played its first match, in which it tied 2:2 with students of the Moscow Pedagogical Institute.

From SK Polissya Chernihiv to Lehenda Chernihiv In the first days of June 1988, the club was renamed Lehenda Chernihiv, taking part in amateur championships. The first significant success of the "Lehenda" was the 3rd place in the Ukrainian Trade Unions Sports Association championship in November 1989. At the same time, the female football players made their debut in the USSR championship among Trade Union sports associations and placed 16th among 30 teams. In 1990 and 1991, there was the official Soviet women's football championship where Lehenda competed in the Higher League (top tier). In 1990 they placed 7th in their group and in 1991 6th.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992, the first league championship of Ukraine was the Ukrainian Women's League. The Lehenda football players won their first medals: bronze medals. In 1997, Lehenda's tenth anniversary was marked with its first "silver" in the national competitions. Based on the Chernihiv team, the Ukrainian youth team was established. In 1998–1999, "Lehenda" finished second, yielding the championship title to "Donchanka" Donetsk.

Champion of Ukrainian Women's League and Women's Cup

In 2000, they won their first Ukrainian Women's League title and in 2001 playing under the name Lehenda-Cheksil Chernihiv they won the Women's Cup. In 2002 they won the double, the Ukrainian Women's League and the Women's Cup and also in 2005 and 2009 they won the double in 2007 they won the Italy Women's Cup. At the European level, they came second in the group again, this time behind the Swedish club Malmö FF. The association founded a youth academy for girls aged 9 through 15 to encourage young talent. In 2009, they won both the Ukrainian Women's League and the Women's Cup, and in 2010 they won the Ukrainian Women's League. The offensive rock "Legend" has a different kind of "golden take". The team was also in UEFA Women's Champions League in the season 2011–12.

Recent time In May 2020 Lehenda defeated Yatran-Basis from Uman in a difficult match, in the 2nd round of the Ukrainian Football Championship among women's teams at the Stadium Tekstylnyk. In the season 2017-18, the team arrived 3 in the Ukrainian Women's League behind Zhytlobud-1 Kharkiv and Zhytlobud-2 Kharkiv. After this season the team withdrew. In 2018 due to poor financing, Lehenda-ShVSM Chernihiv was merged with the recently formed Yednist Plysky women's club, therefore Ivan Bubys who previously was coaching Desna Chernihiv invited Kulyk to coach at the Skala Stryi youth academy as its under-15 boys team coach.

Stadium and facilities The matches are initially played at the Tekstylschyk StadiumВозвращение «Легенды». В Чернигове стартовал новый сезон украинского футбола. ФОТОрепортаж. Vysokyi Val. 22 April 2017 in Lokomotiv Stadium and in Khimik Sport Complex. Afterwards, the team played also in the new modern Chernihiv Arena in Chernihiv, which belongs to FC Chernihiv.

Notable players

Former players Daryna Apanaschenko Vera Dyatel Alla Lyshafay Lyudmyla Pekur Svetlana Petko Iryna Zvarych Oksana Yakovyshyn Tetyana Fedosova Tetyana Chorna Nadiya Baranova Anastasia Ilyina Masha Vintonyak Lyudmyla Lemeshko Yulia Vashchenko Darya Kravets Natalya Zinchenko

Managers Manager started ended Mykhailo Yushchenko 1987 1996 Mykola Lytvyn 1996 1997 Mykhailo Yushchenko 1998 1998 Anatoliy Piskovets 1998 1999 Serhiy Umen 1999 2002 Mykola Lytvyn 2002 2005 Serhiy Umen 2004 2006 Anatoliy Piskovets 2006 2007 Volodymyr Zhylin 2007 2007 Valery Tretyakov 2007 2007 Serhiy Sapronov 2008 2012 Yuriy Hruznov 2012 2012 Volodymyr Kulyk 2012 2013 Serhiy Sapronov 2014 2014 Yuriy Hruznov 2014 2014 Volodymyr Kulyk 2015 2018

Honours Ukrainian Women's League Winners (6): 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010 Runners-up (10): 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015 Third place (6):: 1992, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2017–18

Women's Cup Winners (4): 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009 Runners-up (14): 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017–18

Winter Championship Winners (1): 2013 Runners-up (2): 2008, 2018

Italy Women's Cup: Winners (1): 2006 Third place (1):: 2005

European history Lehenda became the first women's club from Ukraine to enter the European competitions in 2001. They made their debut during the 2001–02 UEFA Women's Cup when they met the French side Toulouse FC at Dam Park in Ayr, Scotland. They lost the match 0:1 when Lyudmyla Lemeshko scored an own goal in the second half. Overall, they competed in 5 seasons of the UEFA Women's Champions League (formerly the UEFA Women's Cup), reaching the post-league stage in the 2010-11 season when they were defeated by the Russian side Rossiyanka.

Season Competition Stage Result Opponent 2001-02 UEFA Women's Cup Group Stage 0-1 Toulouse FC 1-1 Ayr United 3-2 ZNK Osijek 2003-04 UEFA Women's Cup Group Stage 4-0 Maccabi Holon 2-0 United Jakobstad 0-3 Malmö FF 2006-07 UEFA Women's Cup Qualifying Stage 4-0 AEK Kokkinochovion 5-0 PAOK Thessaloniki 3-0 Maccabi Holon Group Stage 0-2 Umeå IK 1-2 Kolbotn Fotball 0-5 RCD Espanyol 2010-11 Champions League Round of 32 1-3 0-4 Rossiyanka 2011-12 Champions League Qualifying Stage 2-0 Swansea City 8-0 Progrès Niedercorn 1-2 Apollon Limassol

Performance statistics

Soviet Union (1990–1991) Performance in Soviet championship:

See also List of Chernihiv Sport Teams FC Desna Chernihiv FC Desna-2 Chernihiv FC Desna-3 Chernihiv SDYuShOR Desna FC Chernihiv Yunist Chernihiv FC Yednist' Plysky Spartak Chernihiv

References

External links Club webpage at the Chernihiv Regional Football Federation website. Legenda-ShVSM Chernigiv from Uefa.com Легенда-ШВСМ (Чернигов) Lehenda Chernihiv: from a worsted cloth production association to the legend ("Легенда" (Чернігів): від камвольно-суконного комбінату — до легенди ). Footboom. 11 December 2013.