Premier League 2022/23

The Premier League is a professional football competition in Crimea, organized by the Crimean Football Union (KFS). Founded in 2015, it operates on a spring-autumn calendar from March to November, differing from the autumn-spring schedule of the Ukrainian Premier League. The league consists of eight teams, including Ocean Kerch, ŠKCHF Sevastopol, Alushta, Yevpatoriya, FC Sevastopol, and Rubin Yalta.

The competition functions within a complex geopolitical context. It is de facto integrated into the Russian football pyramid as Level 5, positioned below the Russian Premier League, First League, and Second League. However, it remains unrecognized by FIFA and UEFA, which consider Crimea part of Ukraine, and the league is not a member of either body. The format utilizes a double round-robin system where every team plays each other twice. The champion is determined solely by the final league table, with no playoffs involved.

Internal hierarchy governs movement between levels. The last-place team faces relegation to the Open Championship of Crimea, an amateur competition. Promotion from the amateur level to the Premier League may involve playoff matches against the second-to-last team if licensing criteria are not met. Furthermore, the Premier League champion can achieve promotion to the Russian Second League (Division B) by meeting the Russian Football Union's standards, a path followed by FC Kyzyltash in 2026.

Historical success is concentrated among specific clubs. FC Sevastopol holds five titles, including the inaugural promotional tournament, while TSK-Tavria Simferopol has secured four. Yevpatoriya has won twice and FC Kyzyltash claimed the title in 2025. This structure emerged after Crimean clubs were expelled from the Ukrainian Premier League in 2014.