FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Kryvyi Rih.
Until 2013 the club participated in professional competitions. In June 2013 the club went bankrupt and was expelled from the Ukrainian Premier League. There was a failed attempt to revive the club in 2014, until finally the club was reestablished again in 2015. In 2020, it was restructured as Football Club Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih based on Hirnyk Kryvyi Rih, which took on the Football Club Kryvbas's brand. Many people consider the original Football Club Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih and the Football Club Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih of 2020 as one and the same club.
History
The club was founded as a "team of masters" of Kryvyi Rih city in 1959. The club was claiming its heritage to football team of Felix Dzerzhynskiy Quarry that competed at republican level in 1956 and 1957. In 1960 the team of masters of Kryvyi Rih city was admitted to the republican sport society Avanhard and adopted the name of the society, Avanhard Kryvyi Rih. After a couple of years it changed to Hirnyk Kryvyi Rih, before obtaining current its name in 1966. Over the years in the Soviet competitions Kryvbas became a record holder for Ukrainian championship wins tying it at four along with SKA Kiev.Kryvbas debuted in the Ukrainian Premier League in the 1992–1993 season. They have been in the top league since their debut in the second season. Their best finish was in third place in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons which made them the only club out of a provincial city that managed to place among the top three best.
At the end of the UPL 2012–2013 season the team finished in 7th place, however, due to financial difficulties the club declared itself bankrupt in June 2013.
In 2013-14 local authorities created the Sport Club Kryvbas that included teams of several sports including football. FC Kryvbas played several friendlies in the spring of 2014. Due to the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, the project was suspended for undefined period. In the summer of 2015 there was created a public organization "Kryvbas maye buty" that is involved in a revival of sportive symbol of the city.
In August 2015 FC Kryvbas was allowed to start at the mid-season of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Championship where it played 11 games winning four and losing five. At finish, the club ended up at the 10th place among 13 participants. In November 2015 it also was applying for the 2016–17 Ukrainian Second League. In 2016 FC Kryvbas started out in the 2016 Ukrainian Football Amateur League. The new club will start out at the Spartak Stadium that was renovated back in 2013 and holds approximately 4,000 seats.
Hirnyk Kryvyi Rih
After a year of absence, in 2017 Hirnyk Kryvyi Rih was reestablished and entered the Ukrainian Amateur competition following which it regained professional status for the 2018–19 season.Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
On 29 July 2020 the president of Hirnyk Kostiantyn Karamanits confirmed that his team would be renamed into Kryvbas before the start of the 2020–21 Ukrainian Second League season. Later it changed to Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih. The club's rebranding was triggered on petition of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It is the second time the club was renamed as Kryvbas, previously also were known as Kryvbas-Ruda.In interview to Artur Valerko in July 2013 right after the original Kryvbas was declared bankrupt, the football historian Vasyl Hnatiuk has foreseen the transition of Hirnyk to Kryvbas. On 20 August 2020 there took place official presentation of the new Kryvbas. At the presentation the Verkhovna Rada People's Deputy of Ukraine Yurii Koriavchenkov explained that the process started back in 2015 when on efforts of fans there was created a public organization "Kryvbas maie buty" and Serhiy Mazur asked us at that time members of studio "Kvartal-95" with request to help with revival of Kryvbas. The club's president remained the president of former Hirnyk Kostiantyn Karamanits, vice-president on development of youth football became Serhiy Mazur, vice-president on fans cooperation Vadym Ivashchenko, vice-president of communication and public relations Artem Mykhailichenko, head of board of trustees became Yurii Koriavchenkov. It was also announced the history of Hirnyk did not end and its club's academy will continue to work under the brand of Hirnyk and develop young talents for the main squad of the revived Kryvbas.
The new Kryvbas played its first game against FC Cherkashchyna as part of the 2020–21 Ukrainian Cup and won it 4:2. The game had several spectators and was visited by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. During the game some fans spread a banner with a saying "Zelensky three, two, one, shames our Kryvbas".
Presidents and chairmen
- 2013 – Oleksandr Livshyts
- 2015 – Taras Stretovych
Stadiums and training facilities
The club's main stadium is Hirnyk, formerly Zhovtneva Mine Stadium. It is located at Kolonkovska street. The stadium has capacity of 2,500 seats and its field consists of natural grass and has size 105х67 meters. Besides its main field, the club has also a training complex. The club's training complex is based around former Rodina Mine Stadium located at Svitlohorska street.Youth football school Hirnyk
The club's school was founded on 1 June 2003. The school provides its pupils aged 3 to 17 with extracurriculum activities in football.Honours
- Championship of the Ukrainian SSR
- *Winners : 1971, 1975, 1976, 1981
- Ukrainian First League
- *Winners : 1992
- Ukrainian Cup
- *Runners-up: 2000
European record
Football Club Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih made its debut in European tournaments at the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup, being eliminated by Parma F.C. in the first round. Kryvbas also became the first club in the history of Ukrainian football representing other than a regional administrative center.Overall record
UEFA ranking
UEFA coefficient ranking as of 24 August 2025:| Rank | Team | Coefficient | |||||||||||
| 317 |  ResultsRestructured as FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih based on FC Hirnyk Kryvyi Rih
|
