Ukraine further postpones; still hopeful for play in 2020

The Ukrainian League of American Football, ULAF, announced Thursday, April 16 that it has further postponed the 2020 season but holds out hope the season can be salvaged.

The regular season would have normally been scheduled to start in April in the Ukraine, but the league has also had seasons that have started later.

Statement issued by ULAF President, Iurii Gundych:

Friends, we are going through a difficult time for each of us, our families, the country and the whole world.

As the President of ULAF, I want to thank our doctors and support staff for their courageous fight against the Covid-19 virus. You are our heroes! And we support you!

I understand that the social and economic components of our lives have undergone significant changes. It will take some time to recover and return to growth.

Having consulted with the clubs, we decided that the best solution would be to postpone the main competitions (Super League and League One) of ULAF in the fall of 2020. I am gratefully thankful to the managers, coaches and other main staff of the clubs for understanding and supporting such vital decisions. I believe that we will find time for all other equally important competitions under ULAF.

I want to assure you that we are not crossing out 2020! Our main message is health preservation, economic feasibility and organizational support for ULAF-sponsored tournaments. They will be, be assured!

Finally, I want to ask you the most important thing. Please take care of yourself and your families. Take care of everyone who is important to you and who you care about. The quarantine is sure to end and we will see you again on the field. But please, let’s go out on the sport fields where we were planning to go out in the spring!

Bless you!
Yours sincerely, President of ULAF
Iurii Gundych

Coronavirus situation in Ukraine

So far a total of 4,161 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Ukraine with 116 deaths attributed to the virus. With a population of 42 million, this works out to three deaths per million people, a relatively low figure.