Today is a special day not only for FC Epitsentr. After a break of more than 31 years, Khmelnytskyi Region is once again hosting a match in the top flight of the Ukrainian Championship. The Epitsentr vs Obolon fixture opens a new chapter in the region’s football history, bringing elite-level football back to Khmelnytskyi Region.

The last match of this level to be played in Khmelnytskyi Region took place on 23 June 1995, when Temp (Shepetivka) defeated Nyva (Ternopil) 1–0 at home in the final round of the 1994/95 Ukrainian Championship. At the end of that season, Temp were relegated from the top division and later ceased to exist. No top-flight matches have been played at stadiums in Khmelnytskyi Region since then.

Now, that history continues in Kamianets-Podilskyi.

In just six years, FC Epitsentr have progressed from the amateur ranks to the Ukrainian Premier League. During that period, the club became First League champions, made their top-flight debut, successfully retained their place among Ukraine’s leading teams and are now returning home to the renovated Hryhorii Tonkocheiev City Stadium.

To mark this historic occasion, Ukrainian Premier League President Yevhen Dykyi personally congratulated FC Epitsentr, the club’s management, team and supporters on the return of top-flight football to Khmelnytskyi Region. He also joined UPL.TV’s pre-match studio ahead of the game.

Hosting UPL Championship matches in Kamianets-Podilskyi is an important milestone for FC Epitsentr and their supporters, as well as another step towards expanding the geographical footprint of Ukraine’s top-flight football. For the League, it is particularly important to see modern club infrastructure creating new opportunities for the development of football across the country.

Photo by FC Epitsentr.