FC Nyva Ternopil (Ukrainian: Футбольний клуб «Нива» Тернопіль) is a Ukrainian football club from the city of Ternopil, the administrative center of Ternopil Oblast. As of the 2020–21 season, it played in the Ukrainian First League, the second tier of Ukrainian football, following promotion from the 2019–20 Ukrainian Second League. Originally the club was formed as Nyva Pidhaitsi in the small town Pidhaitsi in 1978, then moved to a district centre Berezhany changing its name to Nyva Berezhany in 1982, and finally moved to Ternopil becoming Nyva Ternopil in 1985. In 2016 the club withdrew from the professional competitions and was reestablished as PFC Nyva Ternopil.
Their home ground is the small stadium of former bird farm in village of Velyki Hayi near Ternopil, but all the major home league and cup matches they have played before in 15,150 seat Central City Stadium named after Roman Shukhevych, which belongs to Community of the City of Ternopil.
In the fifties of the 20th century in Soviet Union, the strongest team in Ternopil was Dynamo. Taking part in competitions of collectives of physical culture, Dynamo several times got their way to the finals, but they were unsuccessful.
In 1958, a new team had been created – FC Avanhard Ternopil. The first success came in 1965 when they finished second in zonal tournament. Three years later, Avanhard won the champion title in the Class B.[1] The team began to perform in the Second Group (Class A) and was renamed to Budivelnyk. The results were as follows:
Two consecutive years of failure led to the fact that the team was disbanded.
The new club was created in 1978 at the collective farm "Shlyakh do komunizmu" (Road to the Communism) in Pidhaitsi by Ivan Potupa, the head of farm's council. Nyva played its first official match on 23 July 1978 in regional cup competition. On 16 October 1982 the team wins physical culture collectives' championship of Ukrainian SSR and moves to the biggest city in the district – Berezhany. This success gives the right to the first team from Ternopil region after 1974 to partycipate in the Soviet Second League. Three years later the team moves to Ternopil. In their first year in Soviet Second League 13th place was achieved. The next year Nyva finished on the same place. In 1985, they were 7th, 1986 – 4, 1987 – 2, 1988 – 12, 1989 – 3, 1990 – 4, 1991 – 4.
Valeriy Dushkov became new head coach for the 1994–95 Vyshcha Liha,[7] but because of bad results he was replaced by Ihor Yavorskyi, one of the best players in club's history and who will become the most successful head coach of Nyva Ternopil. The team finished 12th in a table,[8] but reached cup Quarter-finals again. Yavir Krasnopillya (2L) were beaten in 1/16 (0–0, 4–0), then Nyva came back with a brilliant 4–0 home win after Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih defeated them heavy in the first match in Kryvyi Rih with a 3–0 score, but in Quarter-finals future cup winner Shakhtar Donetsk won 2–0 in a second leg match after 1–1 in Ternopil and went through to Semi-finals.
Current player and new playing manager Ihor Yavorskyi started to build a new team in the next season. Young talented midfielder Serhiy Shyshchenko was loaned from Shakhtar Donetsk, another young players Andriy Parkhomenko, Oleg Yashchuk and two Georgian twins – Avtandil Kapanadze and Tariel Kapanadze came to create a good collective with players who already were in a team in the last seasons – Biskup, Demyanchuk, Romanchuk,[9] but only 13th place in the end of the season[10] and Quarter-final again in a cup. Format had been changed and now teams played only one match. Nyva Ternopil started from Round of 32 again and defeated second league FC Khutrovyk Tysmenytsia by the only goal of Mykhailo Demyanchuk, then home win 3–1 against league competitors Volyn Lutsk and finally away defeat in Vinnytsia in the very tough match with team with a same name – Nyva Vinnytsia (0–1), which will get to the finals and lose there to Dynamo Kyiv. Oleg Yashchuk scored 10 goals in a league.[11] Also he scored a hat-trick against Shakhtar Donetsk,[12][13] which inspired Belgian scouts from R.S.C. Anderlecht. As a result, young starlet was transferred to Belgian giants during the season.[14]
The next season was the last for young head coach.[17]Zhovto-zeleni repeated the success they had under Buryak as a head coach in 1994. Almost until the last match they held 6th place but lost it to Metalurh Donetsk which played only first year in Vyshcha Liha.[18] Quarter-finals already became a tradition for the team from Ternopil, as they reached this round for the fourth time in 7 competitions since start in 1992. The 1997–98 Ukrainian Cup was real metallurgical competition for Nyva as they played only with teams called Metalurh: Round of 32 – Metalurh Nikopol (1–1, 4–1), Round of 16 – Metalurh Zaporizhia (1–2, 3–1), QF – Metalurh Donetsk (2–1, 0–1). The new promoted team from Donetsk became a real threat for that year. Ihor Yavorskyi resigned after the 29th match in league, so the last match of the season was played under Leonid Ishchuk as a head coach. Avtandil Kapanadze became top goalscorer 15 times finding the net.[19] Such players like goalkeepers Yuriy Chumak and Yuriy Nikitenko, field players Andriy Kyrlyk, Ihor Biskup, Oleh Mishenin, Mykola Lapa, Vitaliy Kut, Vitaliy Pervak, Tariel Kapanadze, Yuriy Fokin, Mykola Zakotyuk, Bohdan Samardak, Serhiy Turyanskyi and Andriy Shpak also played a huge role[20] in the last successful season in Vyshcha Liha in the 20th century.
Georgian colony and relegation
Inspired by good results of Kapanadze brothers, team president of that time – Avtandil Mdinaradze, who is Georgian too began to sign players of same nationality. As a result, five new players from Georgia including Giorgi Davitnidze, Avtandil Gvianidze, Shalva Khujadze, Kakhaber Dgebuadze and Aleksandr Kaidarashvili became new players in 1997.[21] Together with two Kapanadze brothers and Avtandil Sikharulidze who came last year new head coach Ihor Yurchenko registered 8 Georgian players for 1998–99 Vyshcha Liha. Two wins at the start of the season[22][23] but only 13th place on the finish.[24]
Financial problems began to be a main problem for the 1999–2000 season. Ihor Yurchenko left and Valeriy Bohuslavskyi was called to make things better. But now the team from Ternopil was an outsider and everyone saw Zhovto-Zeleni in the relegation zone in the end of season. Talented Georgians couldn't play well every match because the lack of discipline. Shalva Khujadze and Giorgi Davitnidze went back home and signed to FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi and FC Kolkheti-1913 Poti respectively and they were changed by their countrymen Shota Chomakhidze from FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi and Konstantin Metreveli. Muslim Agaýew and Yuri Magdiýew became first Turkmen legioners.[25] Squad consisted of a lot of new names, because lack of money caused the departure of best players of the last years. Thirty-three years old goalkeeper Hennadiy Losev played 22 matches in 1999–2000 Vyshcha Liha, Ukrainian players Pavlo Filipenko, Oleksandr Boytsan, Mykola Lapa, Dmytro Mazur, Serhiy Kryvyi[26] and all the foreign players played most matches of the club and struggled to avoid the relegation. Positive result came in the last match of the season. Nyva Ternopil had to play in Lviv in Halychyna Derby with Karpaty Lviv. Team from Ternopil won 1–0 with an own goal scored by Karpaty defender.[27]Nyva finished in 12th place out of 16 teams and stayed in Vyshcha Liha for one season more.[28]1999-2000 Ukrainian Cup was lost in Round of 16 to Karpaty Lviv with 1–2 score in overtime.
Bohuslavskyi started to prepare team for the next season. Financial crisis hadn't been solved so the club couldn't hold their best players and sign new ones of high quality. Matviy Nykolaychuk came back to his old club after he left in 1995 for Chornomorets Odesa. Nyva Ternopil earned 6 points in the first 8 weeks of 2000-2001 Vyshcha Liha and Valeriy Bohuslavskyi had been sacked by club bosses after record scoring lose to current title holders Dynamo Kyiv 3–7.[29] New old head coach Ihor Yavorskyi had been appointed in September 2000 after 2 years of departure. Players played remaining 5 matches of the first half of a season and earned 3 more points in the Halychyna Derby 5–2 win against Karpaty Lviv, where team veterans Avtandil Kapanadze scored twice and Matviy Nykolaychuk one time found the net.[30] The winter break was the hardest time in club's history. Players didn't get their salaries and most of them left for more successful teams. Two new Georgian 19 years old youngsters Tengiz Ugrekhelidze and Irakli Shengelia signed contracts and many young players from the farm club FC Ternopil-Nyva-2 had been called to play for the main team for the second half of the season. In addition three Bulgarian players – defender Stanimir Stalev, midfielder Vasil Kolev from Botev Plovdiv and forward Yulian Neychev from PFC Svetkavitsa had been signed to help Nyva Ternopil to stay in Vyshcha Liha for the next season.[31] Starting with two defeats in second half[32][33]Yavorskyi resigned and new appointed head coach became club's legend Ihor Biskup, who started a season as a player and played in 4 matches in league. Zhovto-Zeleni lost in all remaining matches of the season, finished in the last 14th place and relegated to 2002–03 Ukrainian First League.[34] As a result of bad financial situation 37 players played in the last season and 3 head coaches managed the club.[35]
Lower leagues and new owners
All foreign players left after relegation except 38 year old Tariel Kapanadze and Stanimir Stalev. The squad consisted of young and experienced players. Head coach Ihor Biskup, who almost turned 41, renewed his football career because the lack of players for the first team and became the oldest player ever played for Nyva. He started to build the team from young players from Ternopil, like 17 years old Taras Duray, 18 years old Vasyl Rybak, 19 years old Oleksandr Zhdakha, 20 years old goalkeeper Roman Hurin, Anatoliy Ptashnyk, Taras Litynskyi and experienced Pavlo Syrotin, Serhiy Laktionov, Stanislav Kozakov, Viktor Bohatyr, who couldn't struggle against relegation and dropped down to 2002-03 Ukrainian Second League from the bottom of 2001-02 Ukrainian First League.[36]
Since the 2002–03 season, the club was taking part in the Druha Liha A and results were as follows:
The most notable players of that time were Roman Hurin, Serhiy Shymanskyi, who also managed the club in 2005, Ivan Papazov, Serhiy Sernetskyi, Andriy Hrinchenko, Oleksandr Zhdakha, Taras Duray, Denys Adleyba, Kostyantyn Lemishko, Andriy Nikanovych and veteran Lyubomyr Vovchuk.
^"PFL Disciplinary committee decision № 13"(PDF) (in Ukrainian). PFL. 2 October 2009. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2009. Deducted 3 points for failure of payment of license fees. (2 October 2009)
^"PFL Disciplinary committee decision № 40"(PDF) (in Ukrainian). PFL. 9 June 2010. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2010. Deducted another 3 points were for non payment to players. (9 June 2010)
^Note 6: Originally Nyva was drawn away to Desna Chernihiv but since they had not completed attestation for the season the club withdrew. Кубке Украины тернопольская "Нива" не сыграет [Nyva Ternopil will not compete in the Ukrainian Kubok] (in Russian). football.ua. 15 July 2011.
^Note 7: Deducted a total of 15 points by the PFL. Three points were deducted due to failure of payment to former team players that played between 2007–10. ПРОТОКОЛ № 7 (28 вересня 2011 року) [PFL Disciplinary committee decision- Meeting minutes № 7] (PDF) (in Ukrainian). PFL. 28 September 2011. Archived from the original(PDF) on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2011.(28 September 2011) An additional 6 points were deducted for continuing not to resolve the first issue by 15 November 2011.(27 October 2011)Офіційно: з ФК "Нива" та ФК "Прикарпаття" знято шість та три очки відповідно [Official: Nyva and Prykarpattya deducted six and three points] (in Ukrainian). PFL. 6 December 2011. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2011. An additional 6 points were deducted for not resovling this issue by the Disciplinary Committee of the Ukrainian Football Federation. З "Ниви" знято в сезоні 2011/12 рр. знято аж 15 очок! [Nyva has 15 points deducted for the 2011–12 season)]. gazeta.com (in Ukrainian). Nomer odyn (Number one). 7 April 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012.[permanent dead link](15 December 2011)
^Note 10: The Control Disciplinary Committee of the Football Federation of Ukraine deducted three points and fined the club for match fixing during the 2014–15 season. (2 September 2015) Апеляція Миколаєва, Ниви і Тернополя щодо зняття очок відхилена [Mykolaiv, Ternopil, Nyva points deducted appeal rejected]. ua-football.com (in Ukrainian). 22 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
^Note 11: The club announced that it will not play the first games of the spring half of the competition thus withdrawing from the competition. Офіційно: Нива не вийде на гру з ФК Тернопіль [Official: Nyva will not appear for the match against FC Ternopil]. ua-football.com (in Ukrainian). 24 March 2016.
