Ukrainian betting firm GGBET has emphasised the value working with one of its home nation’s top-flight football clubs brings to its brand.

The company announced a new initiative with FC Polissya Zhytomyr of the Ukrainian Premier League this week, showing off the club’s new kit ahead of the next domestic season.

The 2026/27 season kicks off today, with FC Polissya’s first match against Chornomorets Odesa taking place Sunday afternoon (2 August).

Having first partnered in June 2025, GGBET and FC Polissya have emphasised a shared ambition to “bring sport closer” to fans via a “range of interesting projects”.

A GGBET spokesperson remarked that the club’s active and “steadily growing” audience has created both “qualitative and quantitative value” for the Kyiv company as it continues to strengthen its position in its home market. 

“FC Polissya is one of the country’s most dynamic clubs, both in terms of sporting performance and media presence,” GGBET’s spokesperson told SBC News.

“We value the club’s modern approach to audience engagement, content creation and event organisation. This includes maintaining a connection with fans who are currently living outside Ukraine because of the war.

“The club is also investing in Ukraine’s sporting infrastructure. FC Polissya has built a new training centre and is redeveloping its home stadium in Zhytomyr.”

The power of Ukrainian football

Football is by far the most popular sport in Ukraine, followed by boxing, basketball and tennis, among others. Like other European nations, football clubs are deeply rooted in many Ukrainian communities.

GGBET has recognised this in its approach to brand building and marketing, having partnered not just with FC Polissya but also with Ukraine’s biggest club, FC Dynamo Kyiv, 17-time winners of the national title.

“As football remains the most popular sport in Ukraine, its audience is naturally one of the brand’s key areas of focus,” GGBET tells SBC News, though the firm notes that Ukraine’s diverse sporting interests makes marketing diversification important.

At the same time, GGBET UA does not limit its activities to football,” the firm’s spokesperson added. “The brand continues to invest in different sports and develop our product to meet the needs of fans, regardless of their sporting preferences. 

“That is why we are continuing to expand our portfolio of strategic partnerships. For example, in 2026 GGBET UA became a sponsor of the Ukrainian Basketball Federation and the Ukrainian national 3×3 basketball championship.”

Based in Kyiv, GGBET understandably counts Ukraine as a key market. Continuing to work with football clubs like FC Polissya is central to its ambitions for growth and further brand building in its home nation.

The latest initiative it has launched with the club, christened “The Packs Code”, is a creative project. As outlined above, the purpose of the programme is to promote and showcase the club’s new kit and jerseys, and build up a connection with its fanbase.

Player fashion shots are accompanied by stories about why they chose their specific jersey numbers, their superstitions, and personal facts about their lives and careers.

GGBET also finds itself conducting business in a gaming market which is undergoing some tensions, with the still relatively young national regulator, PlayCity, working to secure control over the regulated market and evict illegal operators from the country.

Then there is of course the shadow of conflict with the Russian invasion of Ukraine now in its fourth year, and continuing to have an indescribable impact on the nation’s people and economy.

“It is difficult to make predictions about the growth of an industry in a country experiencing a full-scale war, as this factor remains highly unpredictable,” GGBET’s spokesperson reflected. 

“Nevertheless, GGBET UA continues to operate and pay taxes in Ukraine, thereby supporting the country’s economy.”