Anastasiia Klipachenko: Ukraine WNT lack of sponsor, training during war and ‘priceless’ women’s football | OneFootball

In this exclusive interview with Her Football Hub, Anastasiia Klipachenko, dwells upon her vision of the development of women’s football in Ukraine during wartime, the unique ‘Way of Champions’ sports project, and sports diplomacy.

Klipachenko is Head of the UAF Women’s and Girls’ Football Committee, a world beach soccer champion, international master of sports, and player for the Ukraine national futsal and beach soccer teams.

Ms Anastasiia, you have a rich sporting experience. What has been crucial for you along this path and who has played a role in this?

I have been playing futsal for 24 years, a bit less beach football. A children’s coach is an important hero in my life and in the life of every girl who takes up football. This is the main criterion. And the second criterion is the desire to be special, to stand out among other girls. I wanted to build a strong character, and this is only possible through sport. I am from a small town called Hrebinka in the Poltava region and, at that time, girls’ football was just in its bud. I went to handball and athletics, but it was football that took me over. Because it was about a team, unity, one goal that united for the sake of victory. I was more impressed by this than by an individual sport.

You have been appointed to the position of Head of the UAF Women’s and Girls’ Football Committee. What are your emotions and expectations?

It was my big dream to be involved in the development of women’s football in Ukraine. It is a great honour for me to be at the heart of women’s football, to communicate with our players, coaches, representatives of women’s football, and to improve its level. As a player in the middle of it, I am concerned about many things that I would like to change.

Thanks to the support of the management, my experience and all my friends, I think it will be a rapid development. It will take time, and we won’t be able to see the results in one year, but we are on the right track.  The main thing is relationships with people, coaches, officials, club representatives and players. It should not be a monologue but a dialogue and feedback. This is crucial to me.

How is the training camp of the Ukrainian national women’s team organised in the face of the full-scale invasion?

Organisational aspects are more difficult to implement. We are constantly on the road, we have lots of trips. There are organisational issues regarding equipment, inventory, matters of the departure of coaches abroad. I came to the Euro 2025 qualifying match in Belgium and spoke to the representatives of Belgian women’s football. They simply admire us and do not understand how we can still compete for top positions in football, win medals, when we have a war going on. We are moving, planning, forming a calendar, working on the strategy for football development that we would like to see. In Belgium, we gathered 6-7 thousand fans who love women’s football. This is what we should strive for. In war times, it is even harder to implement when fans don’t even have a possibility to attend matches. We are true heroes for other countries. We dream of improving conditions, although we are realistic.

Despite martial law and numerous challenges, are there any chances of holding the training camp in Ukraine?

Unfortunately, this is unrealistic in the near future. But it’s great that our neighbours, who are our true friends, offer very good conditions and meet us halfway. With all due respect to our UAF President Andriy Shevchenko, there are even discounts, and somewhere they just meet us and help. It is so inspiring, it helps us to believe — to do what we love and love what we do.

The last training camp in Turkey and the final matches of the year were very emotional. Our national team stopped one step short of qualifying for Euro 2025, having lost to Belgium. In your opinion, what was missing to win? How do you assess the training camp in general?

The matches were very emotional and at the highest level. For everyone, it would be the first time they’ve ever been to the Euros. We were very close, judging by the game. We are not hosting with our own stands, not in our own conditions. As one says ‘in his own home and walls help’. Unfortunately, we do not have this aspect. We start from what we have. We must admit that we have a gap with European countries. Although we can play on a par with some of them, we are a bit behind. It not only depends on the girls’ desire, but also on the tactical preparation of the coaching staff. They did their best for this, and I saw it.

We lacked in attack. We have a very good central zone, and the defence worked well. It was difficult to resist the Belgian attack. If we take the level of our championship, we don’t combine like that, and they really build a strong combined game in attack. They have an advantage in some ways.

Tell us about the meeting with the Ukrainian diaspora and children in Istanbul who were forced to leave Ukraine because of the war.

This programme lasted two years, and it turned out that they had to return to Kryvyi Rih. And we were an intermediary between their return to Ukraine. They were delighted, looking at our girls as football stars. We offered them trust games together with a colleague to show care and attention, because these children lack it. The children watched the whole training session and cheered with chants. Then the girls gave them symbolic gifts.

About the Nations League, your expectations and predictions — do you have any hopes of getting promoted into the elite division?

We all aim for it. We have more equal rivals. The management has already been invited to the Nations League matches. Our first vice-president, Pavlo Boichuk, is very active in supporting women’s football. And we are very grateful to him for his support. Andriy Shevchenko is constantly interested in women’s football. The entire management supports the girls. If earlier, perhaps, there was a certain separation between men’s and women’s football, now we are all very united and understand that we are one big mechanism of Ukrainian football. And we cannot exist without each other. We have opened a competition to fill coaching vacancies for women’s and girls’ national teams. And any coach will set a goal to participate in the Nations League and win matches.

What should be the football philosophy and vision of the future coach of the national women’s team? What do you plan to achieve with these changes for future tournaments?

We do not aim to recognise anyone as a weak coach. This is not a dismissal of coaches, it’s just an opportunity to see their desire to continue working and investing in our women’s football future after the end of their contracts. This is a slightly new format, and basic English is a prerequisite. Presentation of work and vision for the development of women’s football is very welcome. This is my vision, together with the management. It was not a spontaneous decision. We need to see a base of coaches who want to become national team coaches.

The main goal is to create a field of motivation for them so that they understand that anyone can become a national team coach. We want to see people who have experience. We respect all the coaches who have worked up to this point, all those who have a lot of experience, regardless of age, level of coaching or the clubs where they work. We want these coaches to keep going so that everyone understands that everything is transparent and fair. Perhaps for some, this is a chance to move forward because, in small towns, coaches work in their comfort zone and think that their dream will never come true. For example, they think that the coach will be appointed beyond the closed doors. This platform of opportunities should give an impetus to move, study, get licences, visit training courses whenever possible during the war. And to understand that now is the time for change.

What challenges do the younger generation of Ukrainian female footballers face now to get into elite football? Is the situation improving or deteriorating as you look back on your journey to international sport?

There are a lot of opportunities for a girl to go abroad, for example, to a club. The dream of any player who starts her football career is to get a call-up to the national team and, possibly, the top clubs in Europe. Everyone wants to be a legionnaire there, to see a different level and bring the level of European football to the national team. This is the formula for development. We have some agents with whom I have worked to go abroad. Now, our girls play in France, Turkey, England, and America. We want to have a strong championship and all the players to play for us. If there was no war, there would be different conversations. We have to promote their development so that the best ones get a call-up to represent national teams of different age groups. All girls can go abroad but come back and play for the national team. We are honoured and proud to have such players. Players who play in Ukraine can also become stronger and compete with those players. This is what gives the result.

For example, Inna Glushchenko plays in France and has already changed three French clubs. She is 21 years old and will always have time to return. We think about our healthy nation and respect the interests of each player as an individual, first and foremost.

Tell us more about the comprehensive player development project that you have presented at the Ukrainian Football House. How will Ukrainian women’s football clubs and players participate in this project? For example, the captain of the women’s national team, Daria Apanashchenko, has joined the newly created UAF Women’s and Girls’ Football Committee.

This is the first step, when previously there were representatives of higher authorities on the committee. Now the committee is more active as we have engaged a player who has been the captain, the face of women’s football for many years. She is a thought leader. The comprehensive player development project is one of the steps towards showing that your possibilities are endless. We are all women. We have to think about who we will be, how we will realise ourselves in the future if we get injured or end our career.

We understand that, compared to men’s football, girls cannot afford to provide themselves with housing, a car, a business. These are different levels. Therefore, the mental health of each player is at the heart of this comprehensive development. The strategy provides for trainings and team-building activities. We will cooperate with the teams with the support of the WAF Foundation. We have won a six-month project for girls aged 12 to 18, which will be the foundation of their mental health knowledge.

Are you satisfied with the investment in Ukrainian women’s football in times of war? Are there any chances to get more?

It’s a mystery to me that the women’s national team has no sponsorship yet. We are working very actively in this direction. Collaboration with artists, brands, products is an additional attention to women’s football. Many people still don’t know about women’s football, how sincere the game is and how emotionally strong the girls are. I am sure that with all our resources and talents, every second person should know what women’s football is and watch a match at least once.

Charity matches during war

From February 3-7, the Winter Cup was held at the Dynamo training complex. We are currently working with partners, and I want to show this product in a very cool way. Perhaps this concept has not been used in women’s football before me, but I look at it comprehensively. Football is creativity, it is a religion. I want women’s football to be treated as art, and I want female footballers to be treated with respect. Not according to the stereotype that if they go to football, they will have their legs beaten, they will be rude or unintelligent. My comprehensive development is about respect for women’s football, breaking down stereotypes and gender inequality.

What are the activities and plans of the ‘Way of Champions‘ project? Do you plan to expand your activities throughout and beyond Ukraine?

Our organisation, the ‘Way of Champions’, has been officially established for three years. Before that, we cooperated with international leadership schools, for example, in Moldova and Azerbaijan. A little bit in South Africa, where my colleague studied at a leadership school. This is a very relevant topic around the world. It is not so much covered in our sport. We are the only organisation that works with professional athletes and deals with mental health. We conduct our trainings for Ukraine and plan to launch trainings across the country in girls’ teams and then in clubs. We will develop our own identity, and this project will be the driving force for the further development and mental health of our players.

Cooperation with international partners

We applied for this grant, and this is already in cooperation with international organisations. We have already organised two meetings with the coaches of the Premier League and the First League, where I talked about football as a women’s art. There are like-minded people, our leading clubs: Polissya, Metalist 1925, SeaSters, Kolos, who are working for the future. They are interested in developing girls’ academies.

About UEFA initiatives. Unstoppable strategy. UEFA plans to invest €1 billion in the development of women’s football. Your expectations from UEFA’s new initiatives. How will the new model of allocating funds affect Ukrainian women’s football?

It depends on what strategy we have for the development of women’s football in Ukraine for the next five years. We want this strategy to be a branch of information from UEFA. I am very impressed with the UEFA strategy. It is a driving force for the whole of Europe and should be for Ukraine as well. We have to break down the stereotypes that only men’s football is the leader in terms of viewing time. A lot of work needs to be done with the regions. Everyone should know that there is the ‘UEFA Unstoppable’ strategy. It is about developing the leadership skills of a football player, about training female coaches, which we have already launched.

Training courses for female coaches and players to boost motivation and skills

We have an agreement with Bucharest on the Romanian-Norwegian system of training coaches. When I headed the committee, we launched this training. We cooperated with 20 coaches who were sent in two groups for training. The first were the current coaches, and then the players went. I have already broken this stereotype that not only the coach goes to study, but also the players. We have to prepare this foundation for their transition so that they don’t have a pit after their career is over but a path.

This year we are planning many such programmes abroad. For example, we have cooperation with England, so we will exchange experiences there as well. There are no bad coaches. There are coaches who don’t want to develop. I would like to provide a platform of opportunities for girls for the development of women’s and girls’ football.

Before the start of the second round of the Ukrainian Women’s Championship, which is scheduled for March 19th, how do you assess the development of Ukrainian clubs at the moment compared to European ones? Provision of players, logistics, quality of the football pitch, broadcasts.

Right now, we are dealing with the issue of unified broadcasting for teams. At least for half of the clubs to start with. This way, we can find partners who will be interested in covering women’s football.

Now, all the Premier League clubs have kicked off their training camps. Metalist 1925 will go to Turkey after their first training camp. Kolos is planning to go to Turkey as well. We see that with the support of men’s clubs, our women’s teams are growing a lot: infrastructure, pitches, stadium. For example, men’s clubs provide their own stadium, and the club’s management shares the first team’s pitch with the women’s club. This is respect and improved conditions. We’ll show a new level, but one thing at a time.

Do you plan to organise friendly charity matches in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, despite the tight schedule?

If we develop a partnership with TV channels, we will be able to hold these friendly matches and combine them with charity in support of the Armed Forces. We will place QR codes to which donations can be sent. At the Winter Cup 2025, we plan to play against the women’s amputees.

Ukraine is now actively developing adaptive sports for veterans to help them reintegrate into civilian life. For example, Shakhtar FC offers a rehabilitation programme for the wounded. Given your plans, do you plan to actively support women’s amputee football?

The women’s amputee football team travelled to the World Cup in Colombia in November for the first time in its history. It was the first time in our history that we had such a women’s team. Unfortunately, this is the reality now that more people like this appear. We recently held the first ever League of the Strong championship among amputees. And we are planning to make an open match with a mix on the final day of matches at the Winter Cup — our girls will walk, and girls on crutches will play. And we will show our support for these people, that they are an example of invincibility.

Do you believe in the power of women’s football as an effective tool of sports diplomacy? What successful story can you share when women’s football played a positive role in your life and the life of our country?

Women’s football is like a base for the development of an athlete as a person. In futsal, you can’t feel secure. There was a period when I didn’t even work, I just played, because there were many trips for the national team. I was interested in many things and studied in different fields at the same time. Recently, I was a presenter at the cultural and ethical exhibition Nezlamni.UA. There were ambassadors and diplomats from different countries, and I was there as a representative, invited guest and host. There was a painting that had the following subtext — Eleonora Maltseva, a football player of the Ukrainian national futsal team, died in the war two years ago, and our organisation, the ‘Way of Champions’, has been holding a tournament in the summer for two years. This is a one-day marathon tournament where teams gather to pay tribute to the memory on Independence Day.

This was my wish on my birthday. I realised that I didn’t want to just celebrate my birthday for myself; I wanted to do something for people. We called the tournament “Invincible”. Our friend organised an exhibition of paintings by Ukrainian artists called Nezlamni.UA (Invincible.UA). There was a picture-photograph of Eleonora by a Ukrainian artist, standing in a military uniform against the backdrop of ruins. She personifies this invincibility.

I believe very strongly that God guides us where we need to go. I know that God is always ahead of me.

I really believe in our gifted youth. I lived abroad for three years, worked as a coach at the PSG Academy, and as a Ukrainian model for brands. I also played football, but at some point, I realised that my country is Ukraine. I want to develop my own, not give my talents to another country. I also returned to the national team for the World Cup qualifiers last year and got this position as Head of the UAF Women’s and Girls’ Football Committee.

At the end of last year, an international forum ‘The Power of Sports Diplomacy’ was held, where Andriy Yermak noted that Ukraine needs a ‘Fergie Time’, where ‘each of the athletes is a diplomat, an ambassador of Ukraine, representing our culture, our will to win and our dream of peace’. And our female football players are no exception. Do you agree with this statement?

I agree completely. I played for the national beach soccer team when we became world champions during the war, which was the first time in history. We won the final against Brazil. I want to tell you about my feelings as a player who stands with the flag and goes to the game. The whole stadium understands your anthem, and everyone is inspired by our people. We are the embodiment of this freedom that cannot be broken; we are truly sports diplomats. We carry this flag; we have to carry it with pride, and we have to talk about our country. Football is such a powerful diplomatic tool. Who better to talk about this than athletes? We train, play here and go to the international arena to represent the country.

Our players in Turkey and Belgium stood with flags, with children, and sang the national anthem. There is no stronger motivation to play, show better results and strive to get a call-up to the national team than in times of war. We are constantly thankful to our Armed Forces for keeping us alive. And thanks to them, we can play on the international stage, hold the Ukrainian championship and continue to use football as a strong tool to unite the nation.

What inspires you most about your work in such a challenging time? How do you take care of your mental health?

My organisation, the ‘Way of Champions,’ helps me because it takes care of mental health. For some time, I worked with a psychologist. Now, I work more because there are so many challenges and stereotypes that need to be broken. Many starting points have to be moved. I’m not going to give up, I’m looking for like-minded people, support from those who live for football. I am inspired by people because I know that Ukrainians are the most talented. As long as I have this passion, I want to keep it and not let any obstacles stop me.

Do you agree that women should train women?

I like it. Most of my coaches were men, and I respect their firmness, because men are still somewhat stronger in football. I like the methodology of some Spanish clubs with female coaches. There is a top club in futsal, Atletico Madrid, which has had a female coach for many years and they have been successful. They have a system that has been developed over the years. It is not the system that adapts to the players, but the players themselves that adapt to it. You have one chance at the training camp, and if you don’t learn something and use this opportunity, you won’t go to the second training camp. I want such a competitive environment to be created here as well.

I would like to see a coach who looks positively and prospectively two and four years ahead, who has a development programme. We all understand that a coach cannot change anything dramatically in a year. I would like to see a development programme and coaching methodology that will last for years. We have requirements, and a commission of honoured coaches will be formed to evaluate candidates for a coaching position. These are big changes in women’s football.

What are your wishes to the fans of women’s football?

Every fan is part of the history of women’s football because, without fans, there would be no football. If there were no fans, there would be no art. I am grateful to everyone who supports me, and I want more fans to join in, to take an interest in our game and see this sincerity that is not present in men’s football: the kind of dedication and selflessness that is present in women’s football. I don’t want to say that in men’s football one plays for money, but at a level where there are different values.

The way a woman plays is simply priceless. I would like to thank the fans once again and also draw attention to the fact that they should follow and experience the emotions that women’s football gives.

The material was prepared by Christine Karelska, an alumna of the College of Europe, the European Academy of Diplomacy in Warsaw and the Estonian School of Diplomacy.

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