FC Vorskla Poltava

History

Kolos Poltava

The club draws its history from 1955, when on the initiative of the first secretary of the regional party cell Mikhail Stakhursky in the city of Poltava was established a football club Kolhospnyk within the republican trade union sports society Kolhospnyk. The same year it entered the Football Championship of the Ukrainian SSR, where it was already played by one of the older clubs from Poltava, Lokomotyv Poltava. Besides Kolhospnyk and Lokomotyv, at the republican level, Poltava was represented by some other sports societies before the 1950s.

Rumors about the appearance of the new club in Poltava, based at the VSS "Kolhospnyk", started to circulate in the fall of 1954. Besides Mikhail Stakhursky, one of the others who initiated the creation of the club was a chairman of the regional committee of physical culture and sport Oleksandr Kobushko who until 1953 played for various Poltava teams including Dynamo and Spartak. On 21 December 1954 the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine and the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR published a resolution, according to which, in each region there must be created regional councils of the VSS "Kolhospnyk". Thus, the Kolhospnyk football team was created in the regional center. According to the decision of the party bodies, the future team was supposed to already have famous football players in its ranks. For this purpose, Kobushko traveled almost the entire USSR in search of players. In late autumn 1954, the newly formed team began training. The selection policy of the Kolhospnyk management was aimed at inviting football players from Moscow and Transcarpathia. The first coach was Konstantin Skrypchenko, well known to Poltava residents. It was with his name that the successes of Poltava Lokomotyv, which he then headed, were associated. The "nachalnik" of the team became Oleksandr Kobushko. When naming all those who contributed to the creation of the team, one cannot help but recall Petro Beznosenko, by that time deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Council of the Kolhospnyk VSS. Thanks to him, at the beginning of 1955, Anatoliy Zubrytsky came to Poltava, who, together with Skrypchenko, continued to “sculpt” the arriving players into the team. It’s not for nothing that Beznosenko is called the “godfather” of “Kolhospnyk”.

In the early days of 1955, the regional council of the Kolhospnyk VSS was finally officially formed. On January 5, by order No. 4, the executive committee of the Poltava Regional Council of Workers' Deputies formed the regional council of the voluntary rural sports society "Kolhospnyk". This document was signed by Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee Snihurenko. This order, in essence, is the birthday of “Kolhospnyk”.

Vorskla Poltava

In 1984, the club was reanimated based on the Kolos academy (sports school) as Vorskla after the river Vorskla, which flows through Poltava. In 1986, Vorskla entered the Soviet professional ranks of the third division, where it participated until the collapse of the Soviet system.

Upon the establishment of the Ukrainian football competitions in 1992, the club was admitted to the Ukrainian First League (the second tier of Ukrainian football), which it won in 1996. At that time, Vorskla was sponsored by "Poltavagasprom". The team debuted in the Ukrainian Premier League in the 1996–97 season, finishing that season in 3rd place. Vorskla have remained in the Premier League since, and participated twice in the UEFA Cup.

In 2003–2005, the club was named Vorskla-Naftogaz due to sponsorship reasons.

Soon after, Vorskla lost its financial support from Naftogaz, and the club found a new sponsor locally, Ferrexpo.

In 2009, Vorskla met Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2009 Ukrainian Cup Final. Mykola Pavlov's men won the match 1–0 after Vasyl Sachko's goal in the 49th minute. As a Domestic Cup winner, Vorskla participated in the annual opening game of the season Ukrainian Super Cup, meeting the champions Dynamo Kyiv. After a 0–0 draw at full-time, Vorskla lost the cup to Dynamo on penalties.

One of the biggest successes of Vorskla in European competition was their qualification to the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group phase.

On 26 July 2014, the club's president Oleh Babayev was shot dead, while police has opened a criminal cases under Article “premeditated murder".

In the 2017–18 season, the club finished third in the top division for the first time since the 1996–97 season.

On 1 June 2025, Vorskla were relegated to First League after drawing 2-2 against FC Kudrivka on aggregate and losing 4-3 on penalties, ending 29 years in the top flight.

Club's infrastructure and departments

Stadiums and training facilities

The first team plays its home matches at Butovsky Memorial Vorskla Stadium, which is named after one of the founders of the modern Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee in 1894, Oleksiy Butovskiy. Vorskla plays its games at Oleksiy Butovskyi Vorskla Stadium (Ukrainian: Стадіон «Ворскла» імені Олексія Бутовського). Vorskla has been playing there since 1955. The stadium underwent significant reconstruction between 1968 and 1975, and again between 1995 and 2000.

In 2021, on the northern outskirts of Poltava, a smaller stadium with an artificial turf "Molodizhnyi" was built. It was built in place of a smaller sports field belonging to the local bankrupt factory. Vorskla uses the stadium for its reserve teams.

Reserve teams, women teams, and farm-clubs

Vorskla has several reserve teams, among which are Vorskla U-19 and Vorskla U-21 that are playing in the Ukrainian Premier Reserve League.

There was also FC Vorskla-2 Poltava.

In 2021, Vorskla adopted WFC Zhytlobud-2 Kharkiv, which was gaining momentum. The team was integrated into the club, becoming Vorskla Poltava.

Supporters & Rivalries

Fans and supporters

Due to censorship in the Soviet Union, development of fan movement in Poltava could be traced as far as 1985. Then on the stadium began to appear first green-white scarves and fan chants. In the 1990s, fans began to actively go abroad. In particular Vorskla fans were present at the legendary match between Ukraine and Russia October 9, 1999 in Moscow. European competition games with FC Daugava from Latvia and Anderlecht from Brussels in 1997 allowed fans try their hand on the European stage.

The largest fan club is known as the Crew of Golden Eagle.

Vorskla maintains friendly relations with Shakhtar Donetsk and Chornomorets Odesa fans. Strained relations with: Metalist Kharkiv, Karpaty Lviv, Dynamo Kyiv, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Zorya Luhansk and Obolon Kyiv. Now all fans have declared a truce because of the war in Eastern Ukraine.

Rivalries

The club participates in regional rivalry with the main Kremenchuk city club Kremin at least since the Soviet period in the third tier (Second League).

Honours

Ukrainian Premier League

Third place (2): 1996–97, 2017–18

Ukrainian Cup

Winner (1): 2008–09

Runners-up (1): 2019–20, 2023–24

Ukrainian Persha Liha

Winner (1): 1995–96

Football championship of the Ukrainian SSR (part of the Soviet Second League)

Runners-up (1): 1988

Football Cup of the Ukrainian SSR

Winner (1): 1956

Ukrainian KFK competitions (amateur competitions)

Winners (1): 1986

Players

Current squad

As of 1 March 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Notable players

Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Vorskla Poltava.

Presidents and owners

Owners

1955–1968 Agricultural trade unions, Kolos (Kolhospnyk) sports society

1969–1972 Poltava Oblast department of agricultural construction

1973–1982 Agricultural trade unions, Kolos sports society

2000–2004 Naftogaz

2005– Finance and Credit holding company

Presidents

2000–2004 Valentyn Ulyanov

2005–2014 Oleh Babayev (Kremenchukmyaso)

2016– Roman Chernyak (AvtoKrAZ)

Notes:

Kremenchukmyaso, Finance and Credit bank, Ferrexpo, and AvtoKrAZ are part of a holding company Finance and Credit owned by Kostiantyn Zhevaho, who, since 2005, has been appointed as the "honorary" president.

League and Cup history

European record

Its first European competition participation occurred in 1997–98 season in UEFA Cup. Vorskla played its first game at this level away at Daugava Stadium in Riga on July 23, 1997, against the Latvian club Daugava Rīga.

Vorskla did not achieve any noticeable feats yet managed to qualify on couple of occasions to the Europe League group stage. Reaching the group stage of the UEFA Europe League in 2011, it has been the highest achievement in European competitions to this date.