On January 22, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine held a joint online meeting dedicated to the preparation and conduct of physical culture and health events and competitions "Side by Side: All-Ukrainian Student Leagues" among students of higher education institutions in the 2025/2026 academic year.
The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine – Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine Oleksiy Kuleba, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Matviy Bidny, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Andriy Vitrenko, Head of the NGO "Union of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine" Petro Kulikov, and Director of the State Agency "Mass Sports Agency of Ukraine" Andriy Rebryna. The meeting was attended by regional and Kyiv city military (state) administrations and was moderated by Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Serhiy Tymofeyev.
Representatives of the State Agency "Mass Sports Agency of Ukraine," the All-Ukrainian Public Organization "Sports Student Union of Ukraine," the NGO "Union of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine," structural units on physical culture and sports, education and science of regional and Kyiv city military (state) administrations, regional centers for physical health of the population, higher education institutions, as well as all-Ukrainian sports federations, in particular cheerleading, football, basketball, and volleyball.
The Donetsk region was represented at the meeting by Igor Boiko, Deputy Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, Vladimir Mytsyk, Head of the Physical Culture and Sports Department of the Regional State Administration, Sergey Golovchenko, Director of the Donetsk Regional Center for Physical Health of the Population "Sport for All," Igor Anushkevich, Director of the Donetsk Regional Specialized Professional College of Sports named after S. Bubka, as well as representatives of higher education institutions in the region.
The participants focused on practical issues related to the implementation of the project "Side by Side: All-Ukrainian Student Leagues." During the meeting, further organizational steps were agreed upon, in particular, facilitating the registration of higher education institutions for participation in competitions, holding information briefings in the regions to promote student leagues, and ensuring adequate financial support for the implementation of the project in accordance with current legislation.
Separately, the participants took note of information on the organizational aspects of the development of student sports within the framework of the Unified Calendar Plan of Physical Culture, Health, and Sports Events and Sports Competitions for 2026 and agreed on further coordination of joint actions.
The first season of the modern sports competition "Side by Side: All-Ukrainian Student Leagues" will cover four sports: futsal, volleyball, basketball (separately for boys' and girls' teams), and cheerleading (mixed teams). In the 2025/2026 season, students can look forward to five months of exciting competitions at the student, regional, interregional, and national levels. Registration will last until March 15, and detailed conditions for participation are available on the website stl.gov.ua.