The FC Shakhtar Donetsk junior squads and academy is a football academy and the club's junior squads of Ukrainian professional football club Shakhtar Donetsk.

Shakhtar Donetsk has two junior teams (squads) that participate in the junior championships of the Ukrainian Premier League. There also were some additional reserve teams that competed in lower leagues (Shakhtar-2 and Shakhtar-3). Four more teams from the club's academy participate in the Ukrainian Youth Football League which is a separate national football league not associated with the Ukrainian Premier League designed for football academy and sports schools.

Brief history FC Shakhtar Donetsk has been fielding its reserve (junior) team since 1949 when the club returned to the Soviet top league (Pervaya Gruppa). In 1953 the club established its own training center in Kirsha. Since discontinuation of the Soviet Top League in 1991, Shakhtar reserve team was discontinued as well.

In 1992 based on reserve team there was created FC Shakhtar-2 Donetsk which was based in Kostiantynivka and entered competitions among professional teams the 1992 Ukrainian First League.

At the end of 1990s there were more discussions about revival of junior competitions. In 1998 there was created All-Ukrainian youth football championship among senior and junior youth teams and which in 2000 Shakhtar junior youth team won. In 2001 there was established the DYuFL (Youth Football League) and teams of Vyshcha Liha (Higher League) were mandated to field four teams in each age group competition (U-14, U-15, U-16, U-17). In 2002 there also was established provisional competitions among under-19 teams.

Honours UEFA Youth League (Under-19) Runners-up (1): 2014–15 Soviet Top League (reserves) Winners (2): 1967, 1969 Runners-up (3): 1968, 1976, 1977 Ukrainian Under-21 Championship Winners (4): 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2017–18 Runners-up (5): 2006–07, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17 Ukrainian Under-19 Championship Winners (2): 2014–15, 2020–21 Runners-up (2): 2013–14, 2017–18 Ukrainian Under-17 Championship Winners (7): 2002–03, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2017–18 Runners-up (2): 2004–05, 2009–10

Current squad .https://upl.ua/ua/clubs/view/28 Шахтар

International competitions Since 2013, Shakhtar's junior team competed at the UEFA Youth League. Shakhtar became the first Ukrainian team to enter the competition. The first game was played on 17 September 2013 at the Zubieta Facilities against Real Sociedad Juvenil. The first goal for Shakhtar in the competition was scored by Ukrainian international footballer Artur Miranyan, who later switched to play for Armenia.

In 2015, Shakhtar's juniors reached the UEFA Youth League finals, but lost it.

UEFA Youth League

Season Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate2013–14 Real Sociedad0–02–3 Second place Manchester United2–11–1 Bayer Leverkusen2–22–1 Arsenal 1–3 1–3 2014–15 Athletic Bilbao6–02–0 First place Porto1–11–1 BATE Borisov1–04–1 Olympiacos1–1 (aet) 1–1 (aet) Benfica 1–1 (aet) 1–1 (aet) Anderlecht3–1 3–1 Chelsea2–3 2–3 2015–16GS Real Madrid2–60–4 Forth place Paris Saint-Germain1–42–5 Malmö FF3–15–52017–18GS Napoli1–21–2 Third place Manchester City2–11–3 Feyenoord1–10–42018–19GS TSG Hoffenheim1–21–1 Forth place Lyon1–10–2 Manchester City1–11–42019–20GS Manchester City1–30–5 Forth place Atalanta1–42–2 Dinamo Zagreb1–10–1 2020–21Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe2021–22GS Sheriff Tiraspol6–05–0 Third place Inter Milan0–10–1 Real Madrid3–20–12022–23GS RB Leipzig1–12–0 Second place Celtic2–11–0 Real Madrid0–31–6 Hajduk Split 0–1 0–1 2023–24 Porto1–40–2 Third place Antwerp3–12–1 Barcelona0–30–22024–25 Bologna 4–3 14th place Atalanta0–3 Arsenal 1–0 Young Boys1–0 PSV Eindhoven 1–1 Bayern Munich0–2 TSG Hoffenheim 1–5 1–5

League and cup history Shakhtar U-21 / doubles Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P CupEurope Notes2004–051st133094173358312005–06163054214278192006–0723020557437652007–0843018487640582008–0913023527018742009–1023018757434612010–1113022356630692011–1213021817829712012–1333016596738532013–1422616737031552014–1542614576331472015–1622619345325602016–1723224447415762017–181321976682164

Shakhtar U-19 Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P CupEurope Notes2012–131st (East)214725261723to Champ1st (Champ)3147343015242013–141st (East)114131054940to Champ1st (Champ)2127322610242014–151st (Donbas)112912311428to Champ1st (Champ)11411213914352015–161st33019566730622016–1732615565628502017–1822618267426562018–19

Notable players Vladyslav Kulach Artur Miranyan Artur Zahorulko

See also Kirsha Training Centre FC Shakhtar-2 Donetsk

References