The 2017–18 Ukrainian Second League was the 27th season since its establishment. The competition commenced on 14 July 2017. The league returned to the multiple group competition format after it was abandoned in 2013. Final composition of the league was approved at the PFL Conference on 21 June 2017.
The current season competition is in a triple round robin format for each group.
Group A commenced their winter break after the Round 7 postponed match was played on 12 November 2017. Group B will begin their winter break after the completion of Round 22 on 19 November 2017. Group B competitions resumed the spring session on 30 March 2018 and Group A on 31 March 2018.
Teams On 21 June 2017, it was announced that 25 teams will play in two divisions, but later FC Balkany Zorya was transferred to the 2017–18 Ukrainian First League and FC Cherkaskyi Dnipro-2 withdrew from the competition, leaving 23 teams in the field.
Promoted teams The following six teams were promoted from the 2016–17 Ukrainian Football Amateur League:Four amateur clubs will transfer to the Second League (Чотири аматорських клуби перейдуть до другої ліги). PFL website from Sport Arena. 13 June 2017 Ahrobiznes Volochysk – group 1 winners, amateur champions (debut) Metalist 1925 Kharkiv – group 2 winners (debut) Polissya Zhytomyr – 6th place in group 2 (debut; a club with the same name competed in the 2000–01 season) Nyva Ternopil – 7th place in group 1 (returning after an absence of four seasons) Tavriya Simferopol – 9th place in group 2 (debut) FC Lviv – 10th place in group 1 (debut)
Also, one newly created team was admitted: SC Dnipro-1 – (debut)
Also, one reserve team was admitted: MFC Mykolaiv-2 – (debut)
Relegated teams One team was relegated from the 2016–17 Ukrainian Premier League, according to the FIFA sanctions: FC Dnipro – 11th place (debut)FFU will soon decide who replaces Dnipro in the First League (ФФУ скоро решит, кто займет место Днепра в Первой лиге). Sport Arena. 13 June 2017
The following teams were relegated from the 2016–17 Ukrainian First League. Bukovyna Chernivtsi – 16th place (returning after one season) Skala Stryi – 17th place (returning after one season) FC Ternopil – 18th place (returning after an absence of three seasons)
Renamed teams Teplovyk-Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk – prior to the start of the season the club was renamed to FC Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk.
Withdrawn teams Illichivets-2 Mariupol – before the start of the season, the club chose to compete in the Under-21 league. Cherkaskyi Dnipro-2 – initially, the team passed attestation and was admitted to the PFL, but before the start of the season general director of FC Cherkaskyi Dnipro announced that the club's second team won't take part in professional competitions.Cherkaskyi Dnipro-2 won't take part in the Second League championship (Черкасский Днепр-2 не будет принимать участия в чемпионате Второй лиги). UA-Football. 4 July 2017 The President of the PFL expressed a hope that the league would find a replacement. but no other teams entered the competition. FC Ternopil – After competing in four matches on 15 August 2017 the club informed the PFL that they are withdrawing from the competition. PFL annulled all their matches.
Location map The following map displays the location of teams. Group A teams marked in red. Group B teams marked in green.
Stadiums + Group A Team Stadium Position in2016–17Ahrobiznes Volochysk Yunist StadiumAm1, 1st Sport Complex PodillyaArsenal-Kyivshchyna Bila Tserkva Volodymyr Melnyk Stadium15th Arsenal–Kyiv Training BaseBukovyna Chernivtsi Bukovyna StadiumFL, 16thFC Lviv Skif StadiumAm1, 10th Sokil StadiumNyva Ternopil Vyshnyvets United Community StadiumAm1, 7thNyva-V Vinnytsia Sports Complex Nyva7th Central City StadiumPodillya Khmelnytskyi Sport Complex Podillya14thPolissya Zhytomyr Spartak StadiumAm2, 6th Volodymyr Melnyk Stadium Avanhard StadiumPrykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk MCS Rukh10th Khet-Tryk StadiumSkala Stryi Medyk Stadium FL, 17thSkala Training BaseFC Ternopil Ternopil City StadiumFL, 18th
+ Group B Team Stadium Position in2016–17FC Dnipro Dnipro-ArenaPL, 11thIndoor Arena Dnipro-1 Training BaseMetalurh StadiumSC Dnipro-1 Dnipro-Arena –Indoor Arena at Dnipro-1 Training BaseEnerhiya Nova Kakhovka Enerhiya Stadium8thInhulets-2 Petrove Povoroznyuk Stadium6thMetalist 1925 Kharkiv Metalist StadiumAm2, 1stMetalurh Zaporizhzhia Metalurh Training Base16thMFC Mykolaiv-2 Central City Stadium –Park Peremohy StadiumMyr Hornostayivka Zatys Stadium9th Start Stadium, Novotroitske, Kherson OblastFC Nikopol Elektrometalurh Stadium11thReal Pharma Odesa Ivan Stadium5thSudnobudivnyk Mykolaiv Central City Stadium17thPark Peremohy Stadium Mashynobudivnyk StadiumTavriya Simferopol Mashynobudivnyk StadiumAm2, 9th Enerhiya Stadium
Managers ClubHead coachReplaced coach Ahrobiznes Volochysk Andriy Donets Arsenal-Kyivshchyna Bila Tserkva Oleksandr Akimov Bukovyna Chernivtsi Viktor Mhlynets Yuriy Kraft (caretaker) Vitaliy Kunytsia (caretaker) FC Dnipro Oleksandr Poklonskyi SC Dnipro-1 Dmytro Mykhaylenko Enerhiya Nova Kakhovka Oleh Fedorchuk Inhulets-2 Petrove Mykola Fedorko Eduard Pavlov Serhiy Taran (caretaker) Andriy Kononenko FC Lviv Andriy Khanas Andriy Chikh Metalist 1925 Kharkiv Serhiy Valyayev Oleksandr Pryzetko Vyacheslav Khruslov (caretaker) Oleksandr Ivanov Serhiy Ralyuchenko (caretaker) Metalurh Zaporizhzhia Viktor Zhuk (caretaker) MFC Mykolaiv-2 Vyacheslav Mazarati Myr Hornostayivka Oleksandr Sapelnyak Viktor Bohatyr FC Nikopol Hryhoriy Varzhelenko Nyva Ternopil Vitaliy Shumskyi Vadym Bozhenko (caretaker) Serhiy Zadorozhnyi Nyva-V Vinnytsia Denys Kolchin Volodymyr Horilyi Podillya Khmelnytskyi Vitaliy Kostyshyn Arkadiy Batalov Polissya Zhytomyr Oleksandr Pryzetko Ihor Levytskyi Eduard Khavrov Volodymyr Mazyar Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk Volodymyr Kovalyuk Real Pharma Odesa Andriy Kovalenko (interim) Skala Stryi Roman Hnativ Sudnobudivnyk Mykolaiv Dennis Lukens Viktor Zhurov Tavriya Simferopol Serhiy Shevchenko FC Ternopil Petro Badlo
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing head coachManner of departureDate of vacancyTableIncoming head coachDate of appointmentTable Bukovyna Chernivtsi Oleh Ratiy Resigned 4 June 2017Pre-season Yuriy Kraft Vitaliy Kunytsia 2 July 2017Serhiy Hryniuk is leaving a post of president of FC Bukovyna (Сергей Гринюк покидает пост президента Буковины). Sport Arena. 2 July 2017Serhiy Hryniuk summarized his presidential results in FC Bukovyna (video). Sport Bukovyna portal. 2 July 2017Pre-season FC Dnipro Dmytro Mykhaylenko Resigned 21 June 2017 Oleksandr Poklonskyi 21 June 2017 SC Dnipro-1new club Dmytro Mykhaylenko 21 June 2017 Sudnobudivnyk Mykolaiv Dennis Lukens Change of contract 25 June 2017Dvoinysiuk, O. PFC Sudnobudivnyk: with new head coach and three Nigerian players (ПФК Судостроитель: с новым главным тренером и тремя нигерийскими игроками). UA-Football. 25 June 2017 Viktor Zhurov 25 June 2017 MFC Mykolaiv-2new club Vyacheslav Mazarati 26 June 2017MFC Mykolaiv-2 will be headed by Vyacheslav Mazarati (МФК Николаев-2 возглавит Вячеслав Мазарати). Sport Arena. 26 June 2017 Sudnobudivnyk Mykolaiv Viktor Zhurov Resigned 23 July 2017Sudnobudivnyk is left without a head coach (Судостроитель остался без главного тренера). UA-Football. 23 July 201710th Dennis Lukens 23 July 2017Zhurov resigned from Sudnobudivnyk (Журов ушел в отставку из Судостроителя). Sport Arena. 23 July 201710th Podillya Khmelnytskyi Arkadiy Batalov Released 31 July 2017In Podillya has taken place a change of coach (В Подолье произошла смена тренера). Sport Arena. 31 July 20178th Vitaliy Kostyshyn (interim) 31 July 20178th Polissya Zhytomyr Ihor Levytskyi Resigned 12 August 2017Leadership of Zhytomyrian Polissya reviews three candidates on the position of the club's head coach (Керівництво житомирського «Полісся» розглядає трьох кандидатів на посаду головного тренера клубу). Zhytomyr.info. 12 August 201711th Eduard Khavrov 28 August 201711th Bukovyna Chernivtsi Yuriy Kraft Vitaliy Kunytsia End of interim term 25 August 20178th Viktor Mhlynets 25 August 2017Bukovyna appointed to the position of head coach Viktor Mhlynets (Буковина назначила на должность главного тренера Виктора Мглинца). Sport Arena. 25 August 20178th Myr Hornostayivka Viktor Bohatyr Mutual consent 29 August 2017Myr was left without its head coach (Мир залишився без головного тренера). UA-Football. 29 August 20174th Oleksandr Sapelnyak 29 August 2017Viktor Bohatyr left his post of a coach of Myr Hornostayivka (Віктор Богатир покинув пост тренера горностаївського «Миру»). KhInUa. 29 August 20174th Inhulets-2 Petrove Andriy Kononenko Fired 15 September 201711th Serhiy Taran 25 September 201711th Nyva-V Vinnytsia Volodymyr Horilyi Fired 18 September 20175th Denys Kolchin 22 September 20175thMetalist 1925 Kharkiv Oleksandr Pryzetko Mutual consent 26 September 20171st Vyacheslav Khruslov 26 September 20171st Vyacheslav Khruslov End of interim spell 28 September 2017 Oleksandr Ivanov 28 September 2017 Inhulets-2 Petrove Serhiy Taran Interim 30 September 201711th Eduard Pavlov 30 September 201711th Polissya Zhytomyr Eduard Khavrov Sacked 20 November 2017Manager Khavrov left Polissya along with 11 footballers of the main team (Полесье покинул тренер Хавров и 11 футболистов основной команды). Sport Arena. 20 November 20178th Volodymyr Mazyar 22 November 20178th Inhulets-2 Petrove Eduard Pavlov Undisclosed 15 December 201711th Mykola Fedorko 27 December 2017 11th Polissya Zhytomyr Volodymyr Mazyar Gentlemen's agreement 15 December 20178th Oleksandr Pryzetko 27 December 20178th Nyva Ternopil Serhiy Zadorozhnyi Fired 16 April 20185th Vadym Bozhenko 16 April 20185th Metalist 1925 Kharkiv Oleksandr Ivanov Resigned 3 May 20182nd Serhiy Ralyuchenko 3 May 20182nd FC Lviv Andriy Chikh Sacked 6 May 20184th Andriy Khanas 8 May 20184th Metalist 1925 Kharkiv Serhiy Ralyuchenko End of interim spell 8 May 20182nd Serhiy Valyayev 8 May 20182nd Podillia Khmelnytskyi Vitaliy Kostyshyn Made permanent May 20189th Vitaliy Kostyshyn May 2018«Поділля» – «Полісся». Післяматчева прес-конференція. Podillia Khmelnytskyi. 27 May 2018«Поділля» – «Арсенал-Київщина». Післяматчева прес-конференція. Podillia Khmelnytskyi. 29 April 20189th Nyva Ternopil Vadym Bozhenko Interim 28 May 20186th Vitaliy Shumskyi 28 May 20186th
Group A League table
Results Due to withdrawal of FC Ternopil, after the first full round the season calendar for Group A was redrawn on 7 September.
Position by round
Top goalscorers
RankScorerTeamGoals(Pen.)1 Ihor KhudobyakPrykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk19 Bohdan SemenetsAhrobiznes Volochysk19 (2)3 Vitaliy HrushaAhrobiznes Volochysk15 (3)
Group B
League table
Results
Position by round
Top goalscorers
RankScorerTeamGoals(Pen.)1 Serhiy DavydovMetalist 1925 Kharkiv23 (1)2 Vadym VoronchenkoTavriya Simferopol18 (1)3 Ihor KohutSC Dnipro-115
Championship game On 1 December 2017, at a session of the PFL council of leagues a decision was made to conduct a Championship game between winners of Group A and Group B. The championship game was played as a single game held on a neutral field. Ahrobiznes won the Second League Group A and qualified for the Championship game on 12 May 2018. On the same day, Dnipro-1 secured the Group B champion title after a win over FC Nikopol.
Ahrobiznes Volochysk are crowned Champions of the Ukrainian Second League for the 2017–18 season
Awards Round awards