14.04.2025
Registration is underway for participants in the charity football tournament among teams from Ukrainian energy companies, ENERGY CUP – Spring 2025, which will take place on June 7, 2025, in Kyiv.
For the sixth time, the ENERGY CUP brings together professionals from the energy industry for a noble goal – to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ivan Grygoruk, Vice President of the Energy Club and one of the event organizers, spoke about how it all began, how the competitions are held, what the teams and players receive, and how prestigious participation in the tournament is for leading Ukrainian energy enterprises and companies:
– The idea to hold football competitions arose during a joint discussion at one of the Energy Club forums. Friendly football matches between teams from energy companies were held even before the full-scale invasion – to improve communication quality and unite the professional community. Matches took place once a month between combined teams, which included players from different enterprises.
The ENERGY CUP charity football tournaments were initiated in 2022. The first professional competitions took place on October 29, 2022, with 11 teams participating. Everyone really liked the goal, organization, and format of the tournament. Despite bad weather and strong winds, everyone played with great enthusiasm until dusk. At the end of the event, the best players from the teams competed against veterans of “Dynamo” (Kyiv). Since then, the ENERGY CUP charity competitions have been held twice a year. The maximum number of participants is 14 teams.
– With the funds raised in previous tournaments, you have already managed to significantly help our defenders. Is there a specific goal for this year’s spring ENERGY CUP?
– Our goal is singular – everything for victory! Targeted assistance based on the requests of specific units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and defense forces, which is necessary for carrying out combat tasks, is more effective. Each of us also helps the front individually, but together we can support our defenders much better.
– Who is on the referee panel for the ENERGY CUP football tournaments?
– All ENERGY CUP tournaments are conducted at a high professional level, according to the rules of the Ukrainian Association of Football (known as the Football Federation of Ukraine until May 2019), whose members also include the competition referees.
– What do the competition winners receive?
– The winning teams receive cups for first, second, and third place from the Energy Club. Players receive awards in the categories of best forward, best goalkeeper, and best player – the one who scored the most goals. Usually, these are different individuals who win through fierce competition, but, for example, an employee of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant has been recognized as the best forward several times.
– How important and prestigious are the tournaments for the participating teams?
– Every company has its own corporate culture, part of which includes social work and sporting events. Teams come to the capital from different cities across Ukraine. Even a team from the Zaporizhzhia NPP has participated. The tournaments take place in professionally prepared sports stadiums with fans who travel to support their teams. Local residents – football enthusiasts – also come to watch the matches and enjoy the game. Admission to the competitions is free.
– Your wishes for the participants of ENERGY CUP – Spring 2025.
– Honest sporting competition – which we always have, adhering to the requirements and rules of the Ukrainian Association of Football and norms of etiquette. We also expect the traditional joint participation in collecting aid for the AFU. I want to wish the energy sector workers pleasant communication between tournaments. After all, another goal of the competitions is personal acquaintance, informal networking among representatives of energy companies, and uniting for further cooperation and interaction.
