Soviet Second League

The Soviet Second League (Russian: Чемпионат СССР по футболу (вторая лига), Soviet football championship (Second League)) was the third highest division of Soviet football, below the Soviet First League. The league was formed in 1971 in place of the Class A Second Group of the Soviet football championship just a year after the division was downgraded to the third tier. Previously, the third tier competition predecessor Class B was liquidated completely. The Second League remained in force until dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Soviet Second League
Founded1971
Folded1991
after 52 seasons
CountrySoviet Union
Level on pyramidLevel 3
Promotion toSoviet First League
Relegation toSoviet Second League B
or KFK competitions
Last championsKarpaty Lviv
Asmaral Moscow
Okean Nakhodka
Most championships11 clubs (2)

Overview

The Soviet third tier competitions were conducted since the establishment of the Soviet football championship among teams of masters in 1936. At first they were called as the Group V (Cyrillic letter of V) of the Soviet football championship, but was discontinued after the 1937. The experimental edition of the third tier competition was re-introduced in 1946 as the Third Group of the Soviet football championship. But the consistent competitions really took off in 1963 when the Class B of the Soviet football championship was downgraded to the third tier.

The most titles of the League won was two by 11 different teams out of various now independent republics. The last winners of the League were FC Karpaty Lviv, FC Asmaral Moscow, and FC Okean Nakhodka.

Between 1963 and 1970 football competitions in Class B were split by republican principle at first as tier two, then as tier three, and at the end in 1970 it was downgraded to the auxiliary tier four (or lower tier three). Each territorial Class B competition had multiple number of sub-groups that were known as zones. Winners of each territorial (republican) Class B was granted promotion to Class A Second Group (First League). Also on occasions, there were relegation play-offs to allow rotation for the collective of physical culture (KFK).

  • Class B of the Russian SFSR (1959-1970)
  • Class B of the Ukrainian SSR (1960-1970)
  • Class B of Union republics (1960-1967)
  • Class B of Central Asia (1966-1970)
  • Class B of the Kazakh SSR (1968-1970)
  • Class B of Caucasus (1969)

In 1970-1971 the Soviet league system was restructured for lower leagues and Class B competitions were discontinued. Republican competitions were conducted with the Soviet Second League which consisted of multiple groups (zones). There was no explicit designation of zones as they were simply numerated. Initially the league consisted of six groups, but for the next couple of season was increased to seven before reducing back to six again. Normally winners of group were getting promoted to the First League.

In 1980 the league was expanded to 9 groups, winners of which qualified for a mini-tournament that consisted of three groups with three teams. The three winners of that mini-tournament received promotion to the First League. This format remained in place until 1989.

Republican competitions continued to be conducted among collective of physical culture and were considered as amateur.

In 1990 the league again went through another transformation reducing the number of groups from 9 to 3, winners of which would have been promoted to the First League. Due to withdrawal of teams, promotion and relegation was disrupted and the 1991 season became the last.

Third tier competition names
  • 1936–1937 Group V (third letter in the Russian alphabet)
    • 1936–1937 Group G
    • 1936–1937 Group D and Group of Cities of the Far East
  • 1946–1946 Third Group
  • 1963–1969 Class B
  • 1970–1970 Second Group (Class A)
    • 1970–1970 Class B
  • 1971–1989 Second League
  • 1990–1991 Buffer League
    • 1990–1991 Second League B

Winners

Group V
SeasonWinnerRunners-upThirdNotes
1936 (spring) FC Dinamo Rostov/Don Stroiteli Baku Dynamo Odessa
1936 (autumn) Dinamo Kazan Spartak Kharkiv Dynamo Dnipropetrovsk
1937 Dynamo Odessa Lokomotyv Kyiv Stakhanovets Staline

Third Group
SeasonZoneWinnerRunners-upThirdNotes
1946 1 Spartak Uzhhorod Krylya Sovetov Tbilisi five groups winners and runners-up of which qualified for the two final groups
2 Dinamo Riga Zenit Kaliningrad

Class B
SeasonZoneWinnerRunners-upThirdNotes
1963 Russia Volga Kalinin Dinamo Kirov Zvezda Serpukhov three zones
Ukraine SKA Odessa Lokomotyv Vinnytsia Azovstal Zhdanov
Republics Lokomotivi Tbilisi Dinamo Batumi
1964 Russia Rostselmash Rostov/Don Terek Grozny Tekstilshchik Ivanovo three zones
Ukraine Lokomotyv Vinnytsia SKA Kiev Polissya Zhytomyr
Republics Granitas Klaipėda Vostok Ust-Kamenogorsk Politodel Tashkent Oblast
1965 Russia Spartak Nalchik Rubin Kazan Sokol Saratov three zones
Ukraine SKA Lviv SKA Kiev Avanhard Zhovti Vody
Republics Dynamo Kirovobad Dynamo Baku Pamir Leninabad
1966 Russia Lokomotiv Kaluga Spartak Ordzhonikidze Metallurg Tula four zones
Ukraine Avanhard Zhovti Vody Dynamo Khmelnytskyi Lokomotyv Kherson
Central Asia Pamir Leninabad Metallurg Chimkent Dynamo Tselinograd
Republics Meshakhte Tkibuli Polad Sumgayit Neman Grodno
1967 Russia Dinamo Makhachkala Volga Ulyanovsk Volgar Astrakhan four zones
Ukraine Avtomobilist Zhytomyr Khimik Severodonetsk Dnipro Kremenchuk
Central Asia Zarafshon Nawoyi Sverdlovets Tashkent Oblast Metallurg Temirtau
Republics Neman Grodno Polad Sumgait
1968 Russia Mashuk Pyatigorsk Kalinenets Sverdlovsk Spartak Belgorod four zones
Ukraine Avanhard Ternopil Bukovyna Chernivtsi Shakhtar Kadiivka
Central Asia Sverdlovets Tashkent Oblast Ak Altyn Andizhan Oblast Samarqand
Kazakhstan Enbek Djezkazghan ADK Alma‑Ata Metallurg Temirtau
1969 Russia Druzhba Maykop Saturn Rybinsk Iskra Smolensk five zones
Ukraine Spartak Ivano-Frankivsk Shakhtar Horlivka Spartak Sumy
Central Asia Tashavtomash Tashkent Samarkand Yangiyer
Kazakhstan Traktor Pavlodar Tsementnik Semipalatinsk Enbek Djezkazghan
Caucasus Dila Gori Guria Lanchkhuti Avtomobilist Yerevan

Second Group (Class A)
SeasonZoneWinnerRunners-upThirdNotes
1970 Ukraine Metalurh Zaporizhia Tavriya Simferopol Avtomobilist Zhytomyr three zones; top two teams of second and third groups played in final Russian group
Russia Avtomobilist Nalchik Spartak Yoshkar‑Ola Kuzbass Kemerevo

Second League
SeasonWinnerRunners-upNotes
1971 Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih Iskra Smolensk six groups
1972 Spartak Ivano-Frankivsk Dinamo Riga seven groups
1973 Uralmash Sverdlovsk Tavriya Simferopol
Kuban Krasnodar		 winners of seven groups play in final
1974 Alga Frunze Rubin Kazan
Metalist Kharkiv		 six groups
1975 Terek Grozny Dinamo Riga
Stroitel Asgabat		 six groups
1976 Dinamo Leningrad Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
Uralmash Sverdlovsk		 six groups
1977 Kuban Krasnodar Žalgiris Vilnius
SCA Odessa		 six groups
1978 FC Zvezda Perm Spartak Nalchik
Metalist Kharkiv		 six groups
1979 Iskra Smolensk
Kolos Nikopol
Dinamo Stavropol
Guria Lanchkhuti
Sugdiyona Jizzakh
SKA Khabarovsk		 Textilschik Ivanovo
SKA Kyiv
Rotor Volgograd
Lokomotivi Samtredia
Shakhrikhonchi Shakhrikhan
FC Shakhter		 six groups, no final, six winners
1980 Spartak Kostroma
Traktor Pavlodar
CSKA Kyiv		 Rotor Volgograd
Dynamo Samarqand
Khimik Grodno		 nine groups, three final groups
1981 Daugava Riga
Dinamo Kirov
Rotor Volgograd		 Kotayk Abovyan
Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
Textilschik Ivanovo		 nine groups, three final groups
1982 Textilschik Ivanovo
Dnepr Mogilev
Kuzbass Kemerevo		 Spartak Orjonikidze
Dynamo Samarqand
Shakhter		 nine groups, three final groups
1983 Irtysh Omsk
Spartak Orjonikidze
Dinamo Batumi		 Metallurg Lipetsk
Znamya Truda Orekhovo-Zuevo
Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev		 nine groups, three final groups
1984 Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev
Kotayk Abovyan
Dinamo Stavropol		 Nyva Vinnytsia
Geolog Tumen
Dynamo Samarqand		 nine groups, three final groups
1985 Rostselmash Rostov/Don
Atlantas Klaipėda
Iskra Smolensk		 Tavriya Simferopol
FC Zvezda Perm
Meliorator Chimkent		 nine groups, three final groups
1986 Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev
Geolog Tumen
Zoria Voroshilovgrad		 Kapaz Kirovobad
Metallurg Lipetsk
Sokhibkor Khalkabad		 nine groups, three final groups
1987 Tavriya Simferopol
FC Zvezda Perm
Kuban Krasnodar		 Iskra Smolensk
Meliorator Chimkent
Nistru Chisinau		 nine groups, three final groups
1988 Nistru Chisinau
Torpedo Kutaisi
Fakel Voronezh		 Neftchi Fergona
Tsement Novorossiysk
Bukovyna Chernivtsi		 nine groups, three final groups
1989 Lokomotiv Gorkiy
Textilschik Tiraspol
Dinamo Sukhumi		 Irtysh Omsk
Volyn Lutsk
Neftchi Fergona		 nine groups, three final groups
1990 Bukovyna Chernivtsi
Uralmash Sverdlovsk
Neftchi Fergona		 Daugava Riga
Textilschik Kamyshyn
Novbakhor Namangan		 three groups
1991 Karpaty Lviv
Asmaral Moscow
Okean Nakhodka		 Zorya Luhansk
Krylya Sovetov Samara
Kopetdag Asgabat		 three groups

All-time table (top 20)

There were over 520 teams that played in the third tier competitions.[1]

TeamRepublicSeasonsFirst
season		Last
season		PlayedWonDrawnLostGoals
for		Goals
against		Points11st2nd3rd
Bukovina ChernovtsyUkraine26196319891175508318349146611151842
Polesie ZhitomirUkraine2419631988108645531032112949861675
Druzhba MaikopRussia28196319901085470243372137411231653
Tselinnik TselinogradKazakhstan261964199097447621528313609681643
Neftyanik FerganaUzbekistan231963198990847917825115068701615
Metallurg LipetskRussia241963199094844824225812818551586
Khimik DzhambulKazakhstan27196319901013446242325143911271580
Krivbass Krivoi RogUkraine2219631988100342829528012679671579
Sudostroitel Nikolaev Ukraine23196319891043425295323125710031570
Zakarpatie UzhgorodUkraine26196319891155426291438123512881569
Niva Vinnitsa Ukraine2219631990100242728628912308851567
Podolie KhmelnitskiyUkraine24196319881084404286394119111671498
Mashuk PiatigorskRussia241936 (f)198991643120228312249531495
Volyn LutskUkraine27196319901206386332488114814161490
Avangard RovnoUkraine25196319881113388309416109711521473
Sokol SaratovRussia2419631990923421209293141610651472
Zenit IzhevskRussia261963199097240725131412799881472
Spartak KostromaRussia231963198889139926023212258851457
Meliorator ChimkentKazakhstan2419631990918418202298135210181456
Kristall KhersonUkraine24196319881076387289400123312701450

1Three points for a win. In 1973, a point for a draw was awarded only to a team that won the subsequent penalty shootout. In 1978–1988, the number of draws for which points were awarded was limited.

See also
  • Ukrainian Zone - the Ukrainian Republican competitions of the Soviet Second League only, not including the interzonal tournaments.

References
  1. "Чемпионат СССР, вторая лига, Все матчи".
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