FC Shakhtar Donetsk

FC Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian football club based in the city of Donestsk. They currently feature in the Ukrainian Premier League and are the defending champions of Ukraine.

FC Shakhtar Donetsk were established in May 1936 as Stakhanovets after the legendary coal-miner Oleksiy Stakhanov. They were rechristened as Shakhtyor in 1946 and played under that name until 1992. In 1951, they won the USSR Championship for the first ever time in their history.

FC Shakhtar Donetsk won the USSR Cup twice in the 1960s and came to be renowned as “The Cup Team for their exploits in the domestic Cup competitions.

The club continued to be a major force in Soviet football in the 1970s and after the Ukrainian Premier League was formed in the 1990s, along with Dynamo Kyiv they established themselves as a major force in Ukrainian domestic club football.

In 1999 an FC Shakhtar Football academy was opened and now the coaching centre is home to around 3000 children. In 1999, a Sports Training Complex named “Kirsha” was opened too. It is now one of the best of it kind in entire Europe.

FC Shakhtar Donetsk play their home matches at the RSK Olimpiyskyi that can accommodate 25,813 spectators. They bear the nicknames Miners and Moles.

Some of the major achievements of the club include: -4 Ukrainian Championship -4 USSR Cup -4 Ukrainian Cup