Football Cup of the Ukrainian SSR (Ukrainian: Кубок УРСР з футболу, romanized: Kubok URSR z futbolu, Russian: Кубок УССР по футболу, romanized: Kubok USSR po futbolu) was a playoff republican competitions in association football that were taken place in Ukrainian SSR in 1936–1991 and were predecessors of the Ukrainian Cup.[1] The competition was originally called as a Football championship of UkrSSR among the best teams of sports societies in 1936 and 1937.[1] The first cup was awarded in 1937 and starting since 1938, the competition was renamed as Football cup competitions of the Ukrainian SSR[1] as it was commemorated on the Soviet envelope.
The participation was allowed to everybody whether it was a team of the Soviet Top League or a team of some education institution as long as none of the players competed in the Soviet Cup simultaneously. Early seasons of the cup tournament were called as a spring challenge, which allowed to consider them as a championship title competition rather than cup competition. However, older documents of the Ministry of Youth and Sports show that the spring challenge competitions were indeed considered as a football cup competition[citation needed].
In 1938, the Ukrainian Cup qualification stage was included into the 1938 Soviet Cup qualification for the first time, while in both later stages of the 1938 tournaments were conducted parallel to each other. It also was the first time when the Ukrainian Spring Championship was referred to as the Ukrainian Cup. Following that season, participation of the better Ukrainian teams in the Ukrainian Cup was disrupted and the 1939 season of the Ukrainian Cup did not include teams of masters that competed only in the Soviet Cup. In 1940 season had a similar organization as the previous 1939, but the 1940 Soviet Cup failed to take place due to scheduling issues and no Ukrainian teams of masters participated in any cup competition that season. The competition was interrupted in 1941–1943 due to the World War II.
In 1944 the Ukrainian Cup was renewed and played after the 1944 Soviet Cup. It also included all three better Ukrainian teams (Kyiv, Kharkiv, Stalino) that competed in the Soviet Cup. In 1945 both the 1945 Ukrainian Cup and the 1945 Soviet Cup included better Ukrainian teams such as Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk (Stakhanovets Stalino at that time) and others. The both tournaments were conducted in the same timeframe during the autumn of 1945. The 1946 Soviet Cup was shortened and only two (2) teams from Ukraine competed in it (Dynamo Kyiv and Spartak Uzhhorod), while the 1946 Ukrainian Cup was conducted in full. In 1947, the 1947 Soviet Cup was conducted in the summer and included only teams from Pervaya Grouppa and Vtoraya Grouppa involving all Ukrainian teams of those "Grouppas", while the 1947 Ukrainian Cup was conducted in the fall and also included all Ukrainian teams of those "Grouppas" as well as other teams. The 1948 Soviet Cup was once again shortened and only two (2) Ukrainian teams (Dynamo Kyiv and Lokomotyv Kharkiv) competed in it, while the 1948 Ukrainian Cup involved participation of most of the Ukrainian teams.
In 1949, there was a big reform of the Soviet Cup, all participants of the Soviet Pervaya and Vtoraya "Grouppas" were excused from participation in their republican cup tournaments and had to competed only in the Soviet Cup, while winners of the republican cup tournaments were awarded a guaranteed place in the 1949 Soviet Cup. It revived the tournament organization of the 1939 Soviet Cup. Since then, the Ukrainian Cup was completely degraded as a regional level qualification stage of the Soviet Cup.
In 1957 all republican level cup competitions were removed from qualification for the Soviet Cup and winners (later better teams) of them were qualifying for the Soviet Amateur Cup, while the Soviet Cup was made exclusive predominantly for the league teams. Since then, the Ukrainian Cup was officially regarded as the competition of the collective of physical culture (KFK), a Soviet term for the amateur sports.
In 1972, for the next five seasons, there was established Ukrainian Cup for the Ukrainian teams of the Pervaya and Vtoraya leagues as the award of the "Radianska Ukrayina" newspaper. It was revived once more in 1990. The last winner FC Temp Shepetivka of the Soviet Ukrainian Cup among the Second League teams was allowed to join the Ukrainian Premier League in 1991.
Following dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian Cup was re-established as a normal competition which involves participation of all professional football clubs. Later in 1996, the Football Federation of Ukraine reorganized the Ukrainian Cup by introducing the Ukrainian Amateur Cup and limiting participation of the non-League clubs in the national cup competition.
During the World War II, the crystal trophy, cup of the Ukrainian SSR, was not evacuated and was stolen by one of employees of the All-Ukrainian Council of Physical Culture.[1] During the Nazi occupation of Kiev, the trophy appeared in a store of random things at Velyka Vasylkivska street and was spotted by Kiev footballers who stayed behind and played for a local team Rukh Kyiv.[1] The athletes informed the municipal department of education and culture which in turn on 19 May 1942 wrote a letter to the administration of the antique store with a request to return them the Cup and inform the name of individual who pawned it in the store.[1] It is unknown if the person who stole the trophy was ever found, but the Cup was returned.[1] In such way the athletes who later labeled as "traitors" by the Soviet regime saved the trophy for Ukrainian football of post war period.[1]
Parallel to the championship of cities there also existed separate tournament that was played among teams of Dynamo society (Proletarian Sports Society (PST) Dynamo) located throughout the Ukrainian SSR. The first tournament was conducted as part of the All-Ukrainian Dynamo Festival which was organized on the orders of the top OGPU official in Ukraine Vsevolod Balitsky.
The number of participants per season and comprehensive list per region.