Sports school "ECHO"

Children and Youth Sports School “ECHO” - Kharkov children and youth sports school , the first mini-football school in Ukraine .

Boys born in 1983 ECHO - Winner of the Youth Championship of Ukraine, 2000

In 1996, Yuri Kobzar , head coach of the ECHO Kharkiv mini-soccer team, and Vasily Simonov , team leader, decided on the need to create a school for training young mini-football players for his team. Enlisted the support of the representative of the regional council Lyubov Zadorozhnaya (FSO "Ukraine"), the issue is resolved fairly quickly. On February 3, 1997, on the basis of a team supported by the Kharkov electrical equipment factory, known for the production of Kharkov-ECHO electric shavers, the youth sports school of the same name was opened. Futsal is becoming the only sport in the school, and the number of teachers includes nine trainers. The director of the school becomes Vasily Simonov.

A team of pupils of the ECHO youth and invited stars before the charity match against Kharkiv Lokomotiv, 2016

Sports school "ECHO" became the first officially registered specialized futsal school in Ukraine and neighboring countries. Football equipment was purchased in Moscow . Zippers made in Kharkov were handed over to shoe workshops, and balls and a futsal uniform were bought with the proceeds. At the Sport factory, in the same way, they used to get fencing and handball shoes Adidas . In addition, they cooperated with the KSM-24 mini-football club, which was also involved in the manufacture of sports bags and mini-football uniforms, as well as with Dnepropetrovsk manufacturers of scarce uniforms.

The first boys to be recruited were boys born in 1981, among whom the Ukrainian mini-footballers Artyom Kovalev and Aleksandr Khursov who later became famous. It was followed by several more sets: born in 1982 (Evgeny Yunakov and Sergey Shevelev), born in 1983 (Alexander Kondratyuk, Dmitry Bondar and Vitaly Kiselev), b. 1984 (Denis Ovsyannikov and Sergey Yakunin) ^[1] . Most players came to futsal from big football. Only three professional mini-football players went through all stages of development at the Echo Sports School: Dmitry Fedorchenko (Lokomotiv), Dmitry Dolgov and Alexander Pedyash (Monolith).

The leaders of the ECHO youth sports school are initiating the creation of the Ukrainian Children and Youth Football League (UDUFL) , which was created in Kharkov in 2005 by delegates from leading Ukrainian mini-soccer schools.

Over the 13 years of its existence, the Children's Sports School "ECHO" has become one of the best futsal schools in Ukraine. Her teams repeatedly become champions and prize-winners of the Ukrainian championship in their categories. More than 20 pupils of the school are in favor of professional mini-football clubs in Ukraine and other countries. Twelve mini-football players defend the colors of the national team: Alexander Khursov, Artem Kovalev, Evgeny Yunakov, Alexander Kondratyuk, Dmitry Bondar, Sergey Yakunin, Denis Ovsyannikov, Dmitry Fedorchenko, Evgeny Lanko, Evgeny Sery, Dmitry Shamli and Alexander Pedyash .

The coaches of the Youth Sports School include Yuri Kobzar, Alexander Bespoorochny, Alexander Sery, Roman Pavlov, Pavel Pikalov, Yuri Volozhenko, Sergey Ustenko, Andrey Zimonin, Alexander Kuzmenko ^[2] .

April 1, 2010 announced the liquidation of the school. The last groups born in 1992 and 1993 given to Kharkov Lokomotiv , a group born in 1994 - Kharkov " Monolith " ^[3] . The 1996 team performs in the Kharkiv FC Univer Cup tournament under the name Four Rooms, and the 1997 young men are transferred to the Monolith structure.