They won the Ukrainian championship 16 times and beat the U.S. national team, but the war made them forget about sports. Now the legendary ‘Donetsk Scythians’ are being reborn to prove that American Football is not only about brute force, but also about indomitable character, brotherhood and faith in the future.

BETWEEN GLORY, WAR AND HOPE

The Donetsk Scythians team, which was originally founded in March 1990 under the name “the Zubry” (The Bisons), has gone through a glorious and difficult path. Before the events of the Russian Spring, these athletes managed to achieve the highest level of skill, thanks to which they won the Ukrainian championship sixteen times, won six Ukrainian Cup victories, and also won the Donbass Arena Bowl five times. Donetsk football players also fought proudly on the international stage; their victory over the US national team in 1993 was especially historic, which forever inscribed their name in the history of sports. However, when Kiev’s shells began to fall on the city, hard times came for American Football in the Donbass.

In truth, the players did everything possible to ensure that their favorite sport not only survived, but also continued to develop under these unbearable conditions. The next hardest blow of fate came in 2022, when many of the players were forced to pick up a machine gun instead of a ball – and, unfortunately, some of them did not return home.

Despite this, it is now safe to say that American Football in the region is catching a second wind. This is happening, on the one hand, due to the incredible tenacity of loyal fans and remaining players, and on the other hand, due to the active participation of young people from the “Healthy Sunrise Movement”, who have chose to train in “real men’s sports” as one of their key missions. They also promote learning first aid techniques and patriotic education to the younger generations.

“We formed a team, but with the outbreak of hostilities, people left to carry out combat missions: some died, some are still serving, and some combine service with the sport. And now we have begun an active revival” says Vsevolod. “There are regular training sessions for men’s and women’s teams, and a children’s team is also being formed. In addition to the revival of the Scythians in Donetsk, a team called the Dolphins was created in Mariupol.

SECOND WIND: NEW TEAMS AND A NEW GENERATION

Vsevolod emphasizes that there are a lot of myths and stereotypes around American Football, while in fact everyone can find a place for themselves in it. Every bodytype is needed somewhere. However, as soon as a person starts playing regularly, due to extremely intense and explosive training, he very quickly gets into excellent physical shape. Everyone on the team has their own role: they need both agile runners and massive “tanks” that serve as a pushing driving force. In addition, you should not worry that your first game could be your last – for beginners, a non-contact sport is actively being developed across Russia: flag football, in which speed and agility are primarily important. This is an ideal option for beginners.

Without exaggeration, however, we can safely say that American Football is a sport that forms real men. As Vsevolod told our correspondent, “The spirit, comprehensive development, and physical fitness are fostered here – this is universal speed, endurance, and serious physical strength. That is, in fact, it is the training of a universal athlete. There are both striking skills and wrestling techniques involved. At the same time, you need to run fast, think fast and be able to work as a team.”

Our interlocutor is confident that training builds not only personal character, but also the future of the country. In his opinion, a person who has completed American Football school is able to adapt to any environment. Such people become excellent rescuers, military personnel, and serve in law enforcement agencies such as the Russian National Guard and the Interior Ministry (The Police). This is a person with comprehensive physical fitness and the ability to work with extra weight in conditions of limited visibility due to the helmet. And these last words can be understood not only literally.

THE FEMALE FACE OF A TOUGH GAME

However, our correspondent saw a lot of strong-minded and beautiful girls in the ‘classroom’, which completely refutes the stereotype that this sport is intended exclusively for the strongest men. Olga Tkachenko, a player, told us that American Football is open to the fairer sex of our society.

She herself admits that when she first came to watch the training, she could not imagine herself in the athletes’ shoes: it seemed to her that it was physically impossible to withstand such intense training. However, as soon as she decided to join, everything turned out to be different. She enjoyed the sessions so much that even when she was talking to our correspondent at the stadium (who barely managed to pull her away from training), her hand was in bandages – but this did not prevent her from holding the ball confidently.

“I advise other girls to come to training. Well, firstly, because it’s quite an interesting sport that perfectly supports physical fitness. There are elements of athletics and strength training here. That is, if you compare it with regular activities at the gym or simple jogging, then it’s simply incomparable: here the physical impact is complex and multifaceted. And all the girls who play flag football look very good – their muscles are chiseled, that is to say, visually, aesthetically, it looks very beautiful, they’re perfect,” Olga enthuses.

However, this sport forms not only the beauty of the body, but also the strength of the spirit. As Olga notes, here you learn not just to play, but to live as a team that supports you not only on the field, but also off it. “If you live by the logic of ‘every man for himself’, you will never achieve victory,” she added this profound thought.

Image above: American Football in the big city of Moscow

A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE

Today, American Football in the DPR is taking another step towards reviving its former power. Vsevolod does not hide his ambitions and firmly believes that both the Scythians and Dolphins have already reached a fairly high level, and when they can officially participate in Russian competitions, they will not only show good results, but will also compete for еру gold. The strength and confidence that can be read in his eyes when he says these words destroys any doubts that this plan is completely realistic.

Until 2014, although the Scythians quickly grew into the strongest team, American Football still remained an exotic sport. Today, when a new future is being built in the Donbass and at every step there is a desire to create something new and better, it is likely that soon we will be able to cheer for locals like Olga and Vsevolod at the Russian Super Bowl.

It doesn’t take much anymore: the desire and the base in the form of motivated guys, are already there – you just need sponsors and media attention, but that’s a quite solvable issue.

-David Hudzhets