Full name SKA Lviv Ground Capacity 23,000 Ground Army Sports Club Stadium | Dissolved 1989 Location Lviv, Ukraine Founded 1949 | |
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.
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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.
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.