Premier League salutes: Polissya (Zhytomyr)

In the season before last, which was not completed due to the war, Polissya was in the middle of the First League. However, many even then predicted the championship title for the team, given the strengthening of such players as Kudryk, Yanakov, Vakula, Budkovsky. Only some of those whom Kalitvintsev played at the beginning of 2022 never played a single official match for Zhytomyr – like the future star of Zorya and the Ukrainian youth team Batagov, for example.

But in general, Polesye used the forced pause perfectly: so in the 2022/23 season, they simply did not leave any chances for their competitors, having won the first stage, the championship round, and the tournament as a whole ahead of schedule. Gold medals and the first advance to the top division in the history of the region are the club’s reward for its rapid (and comprehensive) progress.

Which team advances to the Premier League? Who are the key – known and unknown – creators of this historic victory of Polissya (Zhytomyr)? Let’s figure it out together at the Sport Arena.

Who are they, basically?

Polissya (Zhytomyr) is the reincarnation of the former illustrious club that played under such names as Avangard, Polissya, Avtomobilist, Spartak and Khimik, and in 2016 was relaunched as MFK Zhytomyr. The initiators of the revival of the ancient brand were primarily the city council, as well as the regional football federation and the regional state administration.

How did they reach these heights?

To the credit of the club, he did not pass a single step. First they played in the Ukrainian Championship among amateurs (without sports success), then two years later they overcame the Second League (first third, then second place in Group A under Anatoly Bessmertny). They spent three seasons in the First League: under the leadership of Sergey Shishchenko, they became 11th, Yuri Kalitvintsev wintered ninth in the debut championship (the competition was not completed due to the start of the full-scale phase of the war), and in the second he became the champion.

Who supported and financed all this?

Mayor of Zhytomyr Sergey Sukhomlin initiated the creation of the IFC Zhytomyr, its renaming into Polissya and reaching a professional level. At first, the football club used funds from the city and regional budgets. In 2020, BGV Group became the new sponsor of the club, and a year later, its founder Gennady Butkevich became the president of FC Polesia (Zhytomyr).

Butkevich significantly increased the material side of the matter – Polissya was able to afford all the best and best football players, and began to regularly hold foreign training camps. BGV Group became the sponsor of the Winter Cup (first with Yaroslavsky’s DCH, then as an exclusive, title sponsor). Polissya, by the way, is a regular participant of this winter tournament.

In the meantime, with the assistance of the city authorities, the reconstruction of the Central City Stadium and the Spartak Arena was carried out. At the same time, Butkevich’s plans are so ambitious that he has planned the construction of a new stadium for 12-15 thousand seats, which will meet (attention!) international requirements. If Gennady really builds a purely football arena of this level and Zhytomyr will host European cups and matches of the Ukrainian national team, we know for sure who in this city will become the next honorary citizen.

And that’s not all – the club base is already there, it is constantly being improved and completed. And in the plans – a separate base for the academy. By the way, a thorough review of all the young personnel of the Zhytomyr region systematically takes place at all levels – scouts follow both fellow countrymen playing in the youth teams of the UPL clubs and local – completely unknown – talents.

Who develops the football side?

The General Director of FC Polesya LLC is Vladimir Zagursky. He is a local, has been working at the club since the days of the lower leagues, has made a great contribution to the restoration of the management and management system. Yuri Maksimov was appointed sports director of the club, but the other day he headed the second-league PFC Zvyagel (this is not a problem – former head coach Sergei Shishchenko successfully oversees the direction of work with young football players). The long-term head of TK Football 1/2/3 Alexander Denisov took the position of director of media, marketing and sponsorship at the club. This is the result of successful cooperation with FC Polissya and BGV Group during the organization of broadcasts of the First League and the Winter Cup.

The coaching staff of Polissya is thus distributed according to positions and areas of work:

• ex-midfielder of Dynamo and the national team, ex-coach of the national and youth teams of Ukraine Yuriy Kalitvintsev – head coach
• ex-midfielder of Dnipro, Dynamo and the national team, ex-coach of Kryvbas, Metallist and long-term coach of national teams Gennady Litovchenko – assistant coach
• former head coach of Neftyanik (Akhtyrka), Skala (Stryi), coach of VPK-Agro Vladimir Knysh – coach
• former goalkeeper of Shakhtar (Makiivka) and Metallurg (Mariupol), ex-goalkeeper coach of Ilyichevets-2, Podolia and the Left Bank Mikhail Fedunov – goalkeeper coach (replaced Rustam Khudzhamov in this post)
• Sergey Pinchuk – trainer-analyst

Who are the stars of today’s Polissya?

26-year-old goalkeeper Oleg Kudrik once showed promise at Shakhtar, passed the youth Champions League. Played for Karpaty and Mariupol. Played the season is not flawless, but overall very strong.

38-year-old center back Andrei Gitchenko had a great season. Despite all the trials that fell to the lot of the defense (Nesterov’s injury, the scandal with pushing referee Chervak, by the end of the season there was a real epidemic of injuries among defenders and defensive midfielders), he played smoothly and convincingly.

33-year-old defensive midfielder Vladislav Ogirya – System player. How important he is for Polissya became clear when he got injured at the very beginning of the Championship round. Without him and with him are different teams.

35-year-old attacking midfielder Vasily Gritsuk – a real “fantasist” of this team. He has a high football intellect, hence the penetrating pass, vision of the field, the ability to move cool to the flanks and move the ball. An unmistakable penalty taker to all his virtues.

31-year-old striker Philip Budkovsky is the top scorer of the season (14 goals) and was recently voted Player of the Season in the First League by the clubs. This is really a top buy for Polissya – and we are talking not only about the actual goals scored. Phil is unbeatable in the fight for the ball, he is very difficult to patronize, he knows how to play along with the team. In general, this is a permanent trump card of the Zhytomyr team in the opponent’s half of the field. In secret, let’s say that everyone who wants to play in the Premier League now is already starting to look for a similar striker’s plan. And there are so few of them in Ukraine that there won’t be enough for everyone.

Who else? Many. How not to appreciate Kozak, which, despite the injury, gave 10 effective actions (4 + 6). Or the same Shastala, which gives the coaching staff as many as three options to modify the attack. Or, for example, Kushnirenko, who scored seven goals from the position of the central midfielder (we are not talking about the fact that he can theoretically close four positions on the field). Or young wingers Yanakov and Vakula – are the players so gifted that we expect a breakthrough from them next season?

What are their prospects?

In fact, there is a lot that Butkevich and Polesie are doing very well. This, for example, is the development of infrastructure and the academy – modern “rich men” gather 25 good players around the sign, and that’s enough for them, but the Zhytomyr club develops everything with an eye to great achievements, to a higher level, to European cups.

This is also the saturation of the club with strong advisers, experts in each area of ​​activity. Butkevich has already changed head coaches, the line-up has been rapidly updated several times, but the strategic course has not changed. There is a vision of how the team should play and what it should achieve. Personnel are selected for this, and not for personalities, the tactical scheme or style of play is rigged. Sign of a club with great potential.

This is a pre-started selection work – the Africans from the U-20 World Cup were signed back in the first league times, we have known about the interest in Chobotenko and a number of other players who should now be represented in Polesie for a year already. That is, there are no more random players here, everyone is “led” for a long time and studied carefully. Oddly enough, another sign of a serious approach is that the club will not renew the squad very much. Because bulldozing a team every year is a game that directly contradicts the systematic development of the players and the club.

Therefore, I like how Butkevich himself formulated the team’s task: “The goal for the season is to try to get into the top 5. And also not to lose at the home stadium in front of the Zhytomyr fans. We must please the people of Zhytomyr and especially the guys who are now at the forefront.” As a forecast, I’ll express a cautious maxim: if Polesie not only patches up potentially problematic positions (the center of defense, the support zone, the flanks of the defense), but also signs up players to secure and compete with the age leaders, then it will be possible to seriously impose a struggle for a place in the top five and European cups. Further it will be seen.