FC Rukh Lviv and its youth academy dominated the Young Talent of NLM awards ceremony at the House of Football in Kyiv, taking home more than half of the honours presented for the 2025/26 season.
The ceremony, organized around Ukraine's Independence Day, recognized the top youth players and coaches across the NLM Pro League. Out of 20 total awards handed out across four age categories, representatives of the Lviv-based academy claimed 11 individual trophies.
The ceremony took place at the House of Football, the headquarters of the Ukrainian Association of Football in the national capital of Kyiv. High-profile figures presented the awards to the young athletes, including former national team striker and Ballon d'Or winner Andriy Shevchenko, who currently serves as UAF president. Presenting alongside Shevchenko were Ukraine national team head coach Andrea Maldera and youth national team head coach Dmytro Mykhaylenko.
Individual award winners for Rukh Academy
Rukh Academy trainees and coaches swept key positions across the U-14, U-15, U-16, and U-17 divisions in the NLM Pro League, which serves as a major competitive platform for youth football in Ukraine. In the U-14 category, Vladyslav Soroka was named best goalkeeper, Arseniy Kornelyuk took best defender, Danylo Oliyarnyk won best forward, and Andriy Dankiv received the award for best coach.
In the U-15 division, Oleksandr Ivasyshyn was named best defender, Shain Kochura claimed best midfielder, and Borys Baranets earned best coach. For the U-16 age group, Kostyantyn Kyslyanka won best defender, Oleh Dziurynets took best forward, and Nazar Savytskyi was named best coach. Maksym Uhrik secured the best forward award in the U-17 category.
Seven additional academy trainees were highlighted for their contributions to the team during the campaign despite missing out on individual trophies: Daniil Huchenko, Nazar Berun, Oleksandr Chmelyov, Ivan Hrytsiuk, Denys Hordeyev, Bohdan Voznyuk, and Yehor Bakhmach.
Club founder on academy development
Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi, the founder of FC Rukh and its academy, said that having their trainees and coaches win more than half of the awards was no coincidence. He stated that the outcome reflects the daily systematic work of the entire organization and confirms that the academy is on the right path.
Kozlovskyi expressed pride in both the players and the coaching staff, adding that the results show a new generation is developing in Lviv that fans can support at the highest competitive level without hesitation.
Triumphant 2025/26 season in NLM Pro League
The recognition at the House of Football capped a successful 2025/26 season for Rukh Academy in the NLM Pro League. The club secured three league championships in the U-14, U-15, and U-16 divisions, alongside bronze medals in the U-17 category.
Rukh also claimed three NLM Supercups across the U-15, U-16, and U-17 age groups during the campaign. Earlier in May 2026, the Rukh U-15 team wrapped up the NLM Pro League title ahead of schedule, a milestone that Kozlovskyi previously noted was proof of the academy's structured development model and the potential of its young talent pool.
Background on Kozlovskyi and Rukh Lviv
Kozlovskyi is a Ukrainian businessman, benefactor, and the founder of FC Rukh, a professional football club based in Lviv, western Ukraine, which competes in the top tier of Ukrainian football. Through the club's academy, he has invested heavily in youth sports infrastructure, grassroots development, and athlete training programs.
Beyond sports administration, Kozlovskyi is recognized as one of the major private supporters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He has directed over 100 million hryvnias in personal and business funding toward technical equipment, vehicles, and drones for Ukrainian military units.
His contributions to national defense earned him the Badge of Honour from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, as well as an official recognition award presented by former Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.
