First seasons

The third division of the Ukrainian championship originally was organized as the Transitional League due to numerous amateur clubs competing in it 15 out of 18. Out of the 1992 Transitional League the top clubs qualified for the 1992-93 Second League, while the bottom - the 1992-93 Transitional League, thus, creating an extra tier. Basically in the first seasons there was no promotion.

For the second season (1992-93) the league was officially organized as the Second League, while the name of transitional league was passed to the newly formed fourth division. Between seasons 1993 and 1995, there existed an auxiliary level (the Third League in 1994-95) of the football championship in Ukraine, lower than the Second League. From 1993 season to 1995 the Second League had a single group competition of over 20 clubs. During the 1996 reorganization, the auxiliary league was merged back to the Second League.

Creation of PFL

In 1996 Ukrainian football witnessed major changes in its organization as the Professional Football League of Ukraine was established. The new organization took control of the competition of former non-amateur clubs that were given attestation of professional clubs and included all the leagues of the Ukrainian championship. Concurrently with this the Third League was disbanded and all clubs that were not in the "relegation zone" were invited to join the Second League. The Second League in its turn was split into two groups. Only in the very first season the teams in this league were divided somewhat randomly, while later becoming more of regional sub-leagues. From 1997 the league was divided into three groups (Druha Liha A (west), B (south), and C (east)).

Further developments

In 1998 unlike other seasons the winners of the groups were not promoted automatically; instead a promotion-relegation tournament was organized involving four teams, three group winners and one of the weaker clubs of the First League. In 2006, the Ukrainian Professional Football League consolidated the Druha Liha due to a shortage of teams, and now the third level of professional football is divided into two groups once again (A - West and B - East).

Throughout its history the Second League has had some supplementary tournaments which include the Second League Cup as well as the Ukrainian Cup qualification tournament called the 2009–10 Ukrainian League Cup.

In summer of 2017 it was announced that the Second League is planned to be discontinued after the 2017-18 season.^[1][2]

Team withdrawals / critical situation

The league has suffered from chronic club withdrawals since its reorganization when the Ukrainian Third League was liquidated in 1995. The first club that withdrew in the middle of a season from Ukrainian championship was FC Elektron Romny which on 5 May 1994 withdrew from the Transitional League (Third League).

The reorganization of the competition in 1995 (merging Third and Second leagues) saw a number of clubs that discontinued their participation. At the start of season withdrew Temp Shepetivka which prior to that merged with Advis as well as Kosmos Pavlohrad, and five more clubs withdrew at winter break. Withdrawal of Temp led to a major disruption in competitions when Football Federation of Ukraine allowed to enter a quickly assembled team of amateur players for the First League to replace withdrawn Shepetivka club.

For a couple of years after that, there was relative stabilization, but not perfect with at least one club being withdrawn in a middle of ongoing season. In the 1998-99 season 10 teams quit the league before the season started. During the 2002-03 season Ukrainian football saw the withdrawal of a Top League club for the first time (Polihraftekhnika Oleksandriya). Due to those withdrawals the Second League suspended relegation of clubs since 2006-07, while there were some talks for the league to be discontinued.^[3] An idea surfaced during the 2009-10 season to merge the league with the First League breaking the last into several groups, but it was abandoned. During the same season a new tournament was organized to add some games to the calendar of the Second League clubs which had thinned away substantially, this was called the 2009–10 Ukrainian League Cup.

Location map and stadiums

Chaika

Druzhba

Kremin-2

Kudrivka

Lokomotyv

Lviv

Lviv teams :
Karpaty-2
Rukh-2

Nyva

Metalurh-2

Real Pharma

Skala 1911

Trostianets

UCSA

Vast

Zviahel

Home venues of teams in the 2023–24 Ukrainian Second League

Championship game

Third-place play-offs

Relegation play-offs

Promotion play-offs

All group winners in the League by region

In bold are shown still active professional clubs

More information Region, CoA ...

Region	CoA	Wins	Winners
Kyiv Oblast		7	FC Boryspil (CKSA-Borysfen), FC Borysfen Boryspil, FC Systema-Boreks Borodyanka (Inter Boyarka), FC Nafkom Irpin, FC Knyazha Schaslyve, FC Kolos Kovalivka, FC Nyva Buzova
Donetsk Oblast		4	FC Bazhanovets Makiivka, FC Metalurh Mariupol, FC Shakhtar-2 Donetsk, FC Olimpik Donetsk
Sumy Oblast		4	FC Sumy (Spartak) (twice), FC Naftovyk Okhtyrka, FC Sumy
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast		4	FC Dnipro-2 Dnipropetrovsk, FC Stal Dniprodzerzhynsk, SC Dnipro-1, FC VPK-Ahro Shevchenkivka
Khmelnytskyi Oblast		4	FC Podillya Khmelnytskyi (twice), FC Krasyliv, FC Ahrobiznes Volochysk
Chernihiv Oblast		3	FC Desna Chernihiv (thrice)
Cherkasy Oblast		3	FC Dnipro Cherkasy (twice), FC Cherkaskyi Dnipro
Luhansk Oblast		3	FC Zorya Luhansk, FC Avanhard-Industria Rovenky, FC Komunalnyk Luhansk
Crimea		3	FC Tytan Armyansk, FC Dynamo-Ihroservice Simferopol, FC Krymteplitsia Molodizhne
Kyiv		3	FC Obolon Kyiv (twice), FC CSKA Kyiv
Odesa Oblast		3	SC Odesa, FC Zhemchuzhyna Odesa, FC Dnister Ovidiopol (FC Odesa)
Poltava Oblast		3	FC Poltava, FC Hirnyk-Sport Komsomolsk, FC Kremin Kremenchuk
Ternopil Oblast		3	FC Nyva Ternopil (twice), FC Dnister Zalishchyky
Chernivtsi Oblast		2	FC Bukovyna Chernivtsi (twice)
Mykolaiv Oblast		2	MFC Mykolaiv (twice)
Lviv Oblast		2	FC Hazovyk-Skala Stryi, FC Rava Rava-Ruska, (FC Karpaty Lviv)
Kirovohrad Oblast		2	FC Zirka Kirovohrad, FC UkrAhroKom Holovkivka
Zakarpattia Oblast		2	FC Zakarpattia Uzhhorod, FC Mynai
Kharkiv Oblast		2	FC Helios Kharkiv, FC Metal Kharkiv
Kherson Oblast		1	FC Krystal Kherson
Zhytomyr Oblast		1	FC Polissya Zhytomyr
Sevastopol		1	PFC Sevastopol
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast		1	FC LUKOR Kalush
Zaporizhzhia Oblast		0	(FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia)

Close

Conflict of succession

1. In 1993–94 FC Boryspil won the title and was promoted, next season in the 1994–95 Ukrainian First League FC Boryspil changed its name to Borysfen Boryspil and in mid-season again to CSKA-Borysfen. As CSKA-Borysfen it won title again of the First League and was promoted again to the Premier League (Top League) for the 1995–96. At the same time in 1994–95 the original FC CSKA Kyiv won title of the Third League and after being promoted in 1995–96 title of the Second League. Upon conclusion of the 1995–96 in the Top League CSKA-Borysfen was swapped with the third tier CSKA Kyiv, while Borysfen Boryspil restarted from the Second League.
2. Similar situation took place in 2018 when People's Club Veres from Premier League was swapped with FC Lviv that previously played at amateur level. FC Lviv never in its club history gained promotion to the Ukrainian First League, yet spent two stints in the Ukrainian Premier League (first time as a successor of Hazovyk-Skala, second – after the swap with Veres).

All-time table

Top-20. All figures are correct through the 2022–23 season.^[4] Club status is current of the 2023–24 season:

Most attended games

Most of the most attended games in the league since 1992 recorded at Zirka Stadium (Kropyvnytskyi), and since 1993–94 season FC Zirka Kropyvnytskyi all time attendance record on a single game until 2017–18 season, when Metalist Kharkiv phoenix club Metalist 1925 participated in the Druha Liha together with their original club rivals FC Dnipro and SC Dnipro-1. The record was set on in a Metalist 1925–Dnipro-1 match, which was attended by 14,521 people.^[6]

The most attended seasons were in the beginning of 1990s and the beginning of 2000s.^[6]