Women’s soccer team plays to keep Mariupol in the spotlight KYIV, Ukraine A group of female soccer players dressed in blue and yellow flags are preparing for the day’s match in an empty stadium in the capital of Ukraine.
Every game these days includes a moment of silence for those who lost their lives due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Their uniforms have the logo “Mariupol is Ukraine.”
They are members of the women’s soccer team from Mariupol. After over two months of relentless resistance by outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces, the eastern port city was destroyed and taken by Russian forces last year, making Mariupol a global emblem of Ukrainian defiance.
Due to the Russian president’s illegal annexation of the city in September, it is currently under Russian occupation.
Five original Mariupol players founded a new squad based in Kyiv by enlisting players from around the nation because they were unwilling to quit.
Their objective? Not just to maintain their standing in the league but also to remind everyone that Mariupol is still a Ukrainian city despite the approaching first anniversary of its Russian occupation.
According to coach Karina Kulakovska, the key driving force was for people to realize that the Mariupol team (still) exists by watching the videos of every game posted on social media every week.
It ordered a little moment of everyday life on a soccer field this past week when the squad faced the “Shakhtar” team in a game for the Ukrainian championship. But not exactly.
Due to security concerns, the authorities have prohibited spectators from the game, leaving the stadium empty and silent. The entryway players use to enter the field is blocked off with sandbags that spell out “shelter.”
Alina Kaidalovska, a midfielder, recalls the 60 seconds of stillness that occurred before the start of her first game in Kyiv after leaving Mariupol.
“Everything that happened in Mariupol immediately flashed through my head,” she claimed. She remembers the blasted and burned-out buildings in the besieged city, the horror of fleeing and sheltering from Russian airstrikes, and the sadness of witnessing the deaths of people.
Women’s soccer team plays to keep Mariupol in the spotlight
She and the other players meet for two hours of practice every morning in a modest venue hidden among Kyiv’s tall buildings. They continue training despite knowing they won’t take home the Ukrainian championship this year to keep the squad afloat.
“Margo, it was a good one! Next time, make it stronger, yelled Kulakovska. Along with club president Yana Vynokurova, she began her coaching career in 2015 and co-founded the Mariupol Women’s Soccer Team. It is now the oldest women’s team in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, which the continuing war has largely destroyed.
The Mariupol team was fourth in the top women’s clubs league at the start of 2022. However, the war Russia began in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, not only halted the soccer season but also derailed the Mariupol team’s hopes of climbing the rankings by wreaking havoc on their city and dispersing players around the globe.
As they fought to cope with the trauma of their time spent in besieged Mariupol, the team’s core members—including the club president and the head coach—found sanctuary in Bulgaria.
They had nothing, but when a new soccer season started in August, the thought of returning to Ukraine and establishing their squad from scratch gave them the optimism and bravery to take the chance. Other teams and individuals gave gear, clothing, and even soccer shoes.
The club now has 27 members, ages 16 to 34, after a tumultuous first few months. Their dark blue training outfits proudly sport the Mariupol-related logo, which shows a seagull with a soccer ball in the background—a homage to the city’s position on the north shore of the Sea of Azov—despite the diversity of their home cities.
Despite several issues and a lack of financing, the women are adamant about playing.
“The girls enter the field and battle it until the bitter end. They are insanely committed and eager to play, claims Yana Vynokurova, the club’s president. In addition to keeping the Mariupol club afloat, the players have a bigger goal to pursue.
“That is to leave Mariupol at least on the soccer map of Ukraine so that we remember that the people of Mariupol are the same fighters as Azov, who defended our city to the bitter end.”
Polina Polukhina, the 33-year-old team captain, wishes to visit her hometown of Mariupol and the stadium there.
You secretly wish you could go back there again, she continued. Even in these trying times, she stated it was an honor to be a member of the Mariupol team because she had played soccer since she was 18.
