Football in ... Donetsk

Football was introduced to the Donbass region by the British employees of Donetsk's founding father, Welsh coal and steel magnate John Hughes.

The process of formalising ad hoc games began in 1911 with the creation of a side representing the metal works in Yuzivka (the former name for Donetsk, derived from Hughes). Two years later they became the first holders of the Donbass Cup and the game continued to grow until 1936 when the city's main footballing force, FC Shakhtar Donetsk, was founded.

They started life as Stakhanovets in honour of Oleksiy Stakhanov, a local coal miner whose productivity was legendary. They were firmly established as Shakhtar by the time they began challenging for honours, winning back-to-back USSR Cups in 1961 and 1962. FC Spartak Moskva denied them a unique treble, and after twice finishing Soviet Top League runners-up in the 1970s the Pitmen added to their silverware with further cup triumphs in 1980 and 1983.

Contenders during the Soviet era, Shakhtar have eaten into FC Dynamo Kyiv's monopoly since independence, the Donetsk outfit winning six titles and seven cups. They claimed the UEFA Cup in 2009 and reached the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, achievements that leave FC Metalurh Donetsk – the city's other top-flight team, founded only in 1995 – in the shade. FC Olimpik Donetsk are in the second division.

Yet Shakhtar dominate the city's footballing landscape and their away games are often screened live on vulytsya Artyoma, by the Lenin statue. The supporters gather in their hundreds to create a sea of orange, many wearing miners' hats.

Notable names
Shakhtar's players have always been drawn from outside the city, near and far, but there have been a few homegrown stars. The Pitmen's all-time top scorer, Andriy Vorobey, hails from the city, as do fellow former internationals Oleksiy Byelik, Valeriy Kriventsov, Serhiy Scherbakov and Dmytro Shutkov. Oleg Oshenkov guided Shakhtar to USSR Cup wins in 1961 and 1962, while Yuriy Degterev and Viktor Zvyagintsev starred for the side in the 1970s.

Other sports
Donetsk has been home to Serhiy Bubka, the six-time world pole vault champion who broke the world record no fewer than 35 times during his glittering career, since he was 15. Bubka's powerful frame is captured on a statue near RSC Olimpiyskyi in familiar, start-of-run-up pose. Matches in tennis's Davis Cup also frequently take place in the city, home to the men's and women's teams in the national leagues for basketball, handball and volleyball. MFC Shakhtar are five-time Ukraine futsal champions.

Did you know?
When Shakhtar became the last winners of the UEFA Cup in 2008/09, defeating SV Werder Bremen 2-1 in the final, three Ukrainian sides reached the last 16. Dynamo beat FC Metalist Kharkiv but succumbed to Shakhtar in the semi-finals.