UKRAINE, KHARKIV, Aug 22 — On August 21, football players of Metalist 1925 visited Kharkiv, where they trained at the Metalist stadium, met with fans, and took a walk around the city, said the press office of the football club.

Football matches haven’t been held in Kharkiv for over three years because of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Metalist club’s teams are based in the Kyiv region.

“To keep the team connected to Kharkiv, Metalist 1925 decided to spend a day in the city,” said the press office of the club.

The players held a training session at the Metalist stadium under the supervision of the coaching staff and club academy students who continue to train in Kharkiv.

Oleh Syneihubov, the governor of the region, also visited the training session. He called Metalist a symbol of the city and noted that football could return to the city as soon as the security situation improved.

“The city is alive, and here the traditions of ‘Metalist 1925’ were born. This is an opportunity to return to the roots, and for the team, it is not superfluous at all,” said Yurii Korotun, vice president of Metalist 1925. 

Original FC Metalist Kharkiv was founded in 1925, but then was refused licence from Ukraine’s football federation. A new club named FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv was founded in 2016 by former player Volodymyr Linke. 

In June 2025, FC Metalist 1925 was promoted to the Ukrainian Premier League after winning a play-off against Livyi Bereh Kyiv.

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