SKA Lviv

SKA Lviv

Full name	SKA Lviv
Founded	1949
Dissolved	1989
Ground	Army Sports Club Stadium (Lviv)
Capacity	23,000
Home colours

SKA Lviv was a Soviet multi-sports club founded in Lviv, Ukrainian SSR. The club was created as part of sport section of the Carpathian Military District in 1949 and existed until 1989.

As SKA Karpaty the club dissolved the main team was reorganized as SFK Drohobych and moved to Drohobych, Lviv Oblast (see FC Halychyna Drohobych), simultaneously FC Karpaty Lviv was reinstated as well. Over most of its history the club was the secondary team in Lviv.

Name change

• 1949 – 1956 ODO Lvov
• 1957 – 1957 OSK Lvov
• 1957 – 1959 SKVO Lvov
• 1960 – 1971 SKA Lvov
• 1972 – 1976 SK Lutsk (reorganization; merged with FC Torpedo Lutsk)
  • 1973 – 1976 SKA Lvov (at amateur competitions)
• 1977 – 1981 SKA Lvov (reinstated as professional team)
• 1982 – 1989 SKA Karpaty Lvov (merged with FC Karpaty Lviv)

History

Poor start and Spartak Lviv oblivion

During its history the club went through several transformations and mergers. It was founded in 1949 as ODO Lviv (in Russian ODO means the Oblast Dome [Club] of Officers) and began its legacy in the Second Group of the Soviet football competitions (Soviet First League). SKA Lviv was part of the Fitness-Sports Union of Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of the Sports Committee of the Armed Forces of USSR. In western Ukraine all organizations of central government were centers of the Russian culture, especially the Soviet Army. The army-men team played along with their city rivals Spartak Lviv which placed second. The performance of the SKA Lviv was under par and the club relegated next year to amateur level as the Second Group was liquidated in 1950. Spartak Lviv was transferred under the jurisdiction of FSC Dynamo which was not able to prepare the team for the next season, therefore Spartak Lviv was successfully dissolved.

This way SKA Lviv became the best club of the city. For the next several years the club participated in the republican championship among the Fitness and Sports clubs (KFK competitions). In 1950 SKA Lviv placed second after Spartak Uzhhorod which became the champion of Ukrainian SSR. Next season the club won its zonal tournament against several other Lviv teams such as Kharchovyk (Tobacco factory), Iskra, Dynamo and eventually became vice-champion winning over ODO Kiev. In 1952 SKA Lviv placed only 4th in its zone and higher than its city rival Kharchovyk Vynnyky.

First League successes

With another reorganization of championship SKA Lviv returned to the Soviet First League under the leadership of Aleksey Grinin. Among notable players that time were Yozhef Betsa, Myroslav Dumansky, Ernest Kesler, and others. In 1956 for SKA Lviv played the future Dynamo Kiev captain, Vasyl Turyanchyk. In 1957 ODO Lviv won the Class B tournament and managed to advance to the 1/8 finals of Soviet Cup where they were facing Spartak Moscow. On June 6, 1957, both teams met at the SKA Stadium. Most of the Spartak players a year ago won the Olympic gold in Melbourne and managed to pull a win in the second half 1:2.

In 1960 it became SKA (Sport Club of Army) for all Army clubs except the Moscow's one, which became CSKA (the Central Sport Club of the Army). In 1982 the SKA Lviv from the Soviet Second League was united with the other club from Lviv, FC Karpaty Lviv, which participated in the Soviet First League. The new team has taken place of FC Karpaty Lviv and was renamed into SKA Karpaty Lviv. In 1990 the team was liquidated and in its place was formed SFC Drohobych in the Soviet Second League. Soon, after few months, the club was renamed again in FC Halychyna Drohobych. Later, there was another club that entered the Ukrainian Second League called as the SKA-Orbita Lviv, and in 2008 FC Halychyna Lviv that won the national amateur cup entered the Ukrainian Cup.

FC Karpaty Lviv split from SKA Karpaty Lviv in 1989 and entered the Soviet Second League. In 1990 both teams competed in the Buffer League, West Zone.

League and Cup history

SKA Lviv

Season	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Domestic Cup	Europe		Notes
1949	2nd	17	34	7	6	21	37	90	20	1/256 finals			Ukrainian SSR Relegated
1950	3rd	2								no participation			Ukrainian SSR Finals
1951		2
1952		4											Ukrainian SSR Zone 4
1953	Death of Joseph Stalin
1954	2nd	7	22	7	6	9	24	32	20	1/8 finals			Zone 3
1955		7	30	13	6	11	47	40	32	1/64 finals			Zone 1
1956		5	34	16	9	9	49	25	41
1957		2	34	21	6	7	51	32	48				Zone 2
1958		1	30	18	7	5	45	26	43	1/8 finals			Zone 3
		5	5	1	1	3	8	13	3				Finals
1959		6	28	14	5	9	48	27	33				Zone 4
1960		6	32	17	6	9	46	29	40	1/32 finals			Ukrainian SSR Zone 1
1961		4	34	17	8	9	42	30	42	1/64 finals			Ukrainian SSR Zone 1
		Playoff	2	1	1	0	2	1	3				vs Metalurh Zaporizhia
1962		4	24	10	6	8	37	25	26	1/256 finals			Ukrainian SSR Zone 1
		1	10	5	5	0	18	6	15				7–17 places tournament
1963	3rd	2	38	26	7	5	82	35	59	1/512 finals			Ukrainian SSR Zone 1
		Playoff	2	0	1	1	0	1	1				vs Azovstal Zhdanov
1964		2	30	14	9	7	47	21	37	1/4 finals			Ukrainian SSR Zone 1
		6	10	2	0	8	12	16	4				1–6 places tournament
1965		1	30	20	6	4	74	20	46	1/256 finals			Ukrainian SSR Zone 2
		1	10	7	2	1	24	9	16				1–6 places tournament
1966	2nd	3	34	15	10	9	44	29	40	1/64 finals			2nd subgroup
1967		3	38	17	14	7	42	27	48	1/128 finals
1968		7	40	16	14	10	40	42	46	1/64 finals			1st subgroup
1969		13	42	14	11	17	40	47	39	1/128 finals			3rd subgroup
1970	3rd	14	42	12	15	15	30	41	39	1/128 finals			1st Zone
1971		23	50	10	17	23	33	55	37
see SC Lutsk (1972–1976)
1977	3rd Vtoraya Liga	10	44	16	16	12	61	43	48				2nd Zone
1978		9	44	16	14	14	52	43	46
1979		3	46	25	11	10	67	33	61
1980		3	44	24	12	8	64	32	60				5th Zone merged w/Karpaty
1981		9	44	16	15	13	49	47	47
see SKA Karpaty Lviv (1982–1989)

SC Lutsk

Season	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Domestic Cup	Europe		Notes
1972	3rd Vtoraya Liga	22	46	8	17	21	30	52	33				1st Zone
1973		19	44	11	11	22	25	50	30				1st Zone (−3)
1974		9	38	14	12	12	33	31	40				6th Zone
1975		3	32	13	12	7	46	26	38				6th Zone
		6	5	0	0	5	2	12	0				League Semifinals
1976		9	38	11	16	11	34	34	38				6th Zone

SKA Karpaty Lviv

Season	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Domestic Cup	Europe		Notes
1982	2nd Pervaya Liga	10	42	16	10	16	44	37	42	Group stage
1983		11	42	15	12	15	43	46	42	1/32 finals
1984		3	42	20	9	13	63	44	49	1/16 finals
1985		2	20	8	7	5	25	18	23	1/64 finals			West
		3	42	21	13	8	66	44	54				Group A
1986		4	46	22	10	14	69	52	54	1/64 finals
1987		5	42	17	12	13	62	46	46	1/4 finals
1988		7	42	18	8	16	51	39	44	1/32 finals
1989		22	42	5	7	30	37	37	17	1/8 finals			Relegated
1990	converted to SFC Drohobych									1/64 finals			Dissolved

See also

• FC Karpaty Lviv
• SKA-Orbita Lviv
• FC Lviv (1992)
• FC Halychyna Drohobych

References

• Team history and records
• Short historical overview of SKA Karpaty Lviv (in Russian)
• Short historical overview of SKA Lviv (in Russian)

External links

• Soviet Archives