Grassroots 8•E 7.11.2008 15:37 Page 1
GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL NEWSLETTER
Editorial: Giving Something Back • • • The Red Square Show • • • Grassroots Activities at EURO 2008 • • • Charter Hits More Targets • • • High-Quality Finnish • • • The Share Market • • • Summer of Grassroots Growth
PUBLISHED BY UEFA’S FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT DIVISION N O 8 DECEMBER 2008 Grassroots 8•E 7.11.2008 15:37 Page 2 Karel Navarro/AP/Keystone
After helping Spain to victory at EURO 2008, Iker Casillas headed for Peru as part of a humanitarian project. STR/AFP/Getty Images
IMPRESSUM
EDITORIAL GROUP Andy Roxburgh Graham Turner Frits Ahlstrøm ADMINISTRATION Frank Ludolph Hélène Fors Evelyn Ternes UEFA Language Services PRODUCTION André Vieli Dominique Maurer Atema Communication SA Printed by Artgraphic Cavin SA COVER An unfamiliar sight: football on the Red Square in Moscow. The Champions Festival took centre stage as the city hosted the UEFA Champions League final. Photo: Getty Images/T.E.A.M. Karel Navarro/AP/Keystone
2 Grassroots 8•E 7.11.2008 15:37 Page 3 GIVING SOMETHING BACK
EDITORIAL assisted the United Nations with national coach, Fatih Terim, and former humanitarian projects which target the national team players have provided BY ANDY ROXBURGH, needs of children. But social respon- the star quality and raised the profile UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR sibility is only part of the equation – of the programme. Many in football are there is also an engagement in grass- active in the grassroots field, but much roots events, and the former Real more needs to be done. Madrid maestro was in great form prior to the EURO 2008 final in Vienna At UEFA’s recent National Coaches when he took part in a small-sided Conference, the chairman of the Devel- Former Portuguese internationalist game with starry-eyed youngsters opment Committee, Per Ravn Omdal, Paulo Sousa, who won the UEFA Cham- at an adidas fan park. Meanwhile, used the opportunity to seek help for pions League with two different clubs across town, a former team-mate was grassroots football. “I am convinced (Juventus and BV Borussia Dortmund), preparing for European glory and a that future generations of footballers has been a UEFA grassroots ambassa- grassroots trip to Peru. would improve their skills substantially dor for many years. Paulo and fellow if small-sided games were used more professionals, such as Sergei Aleinikov Iker Casillas, the captain of Spain’s frequently. If you share that opinion, from Belarus, Hansi Müller from Ger- championship winners in 2008, was it would be a wonderful message many, Zvonimir Boban from Croatia, on his way to play football with disad- from you, the national team coaches, Dariusz Dziekanowski from Poland and vantaged children in the remote moun- and a way of inspiring grassroots pro- Gabriel Calderón from Argentina, have tain region of Patabamba, Peru, just grammes and player development helped to promote UEFA’s grassroots ten days after his EURO triumph at the schemes in your respective countries,” programme by attending courses, con- Ernst Happel Stadium. In the company said the UEFA Executive Committee ferences and events around our major of former Real goalscoring great Emilio member from Norway in his closing finals. For these elite former players, Butragueño, the humble Spanish goal- speech. Coaches and players have yg investing in the foundation level of keeper presented 100 signed footballs a major role to play in fostering the the game has been a genuine com- to the local youngsters and offered his game and motivating young players. mitment, and Paulo speaks on behalf backing to much-needed community In referring to the top level of profes- of other stars when he says: “It is all projects. The importance of using sional football, Walter Smith, the about responsibility – top players have grassroots football as a vehicle for both head coach of Glasgow Rangers, said a responsibility to give something back sporting and social causes cannot be at a recent coaches’ forum: “Today to the game, because the game gave overestimated, and clubs and associa- the head coach takes all the responsi- everything to us.” There is no doubt tions, not just individuals such as Iker bility – we need to get players more that professional players, former and Casillas, must accept that they have an involved.” This also applies to the stars current, have the power to energise the obligation to “water the grassroots”. and their willingness to give something footballing dreams of the next genera- back to the game; a game which, in tion and to influence the development Bundesliga club Werder Bremen pro- the view of the exceptionally talented of young people. With the involvement vides an excellent example of club- Paulo Sousa, “gave him everything”. of legendary players (eg Pelé, Platini, initiated community work. “Professional Beckenbauer), or even local heroes, football is unimaginable without grass- the impact can be even greater. roots football” and “if we help grass- roots football we help ourselves” are Zinédine Zidane comes into this special just two of the statements which the category and his willingness to use his side from northern Germany proclaim name and reputation to support worthy in support of their philosophy. The causes and to appear at grassroots Bremen players and coaching staff events is admirable. As an ambassador regularly visit schools and local clubs for the European Leukodystrophy (100 of each) in order to promote Association, the former FIFA World the game and to contribute to social Player of the Year was in Monaco a few and educational studies. months ago to collect a cheque from UEFA for CHF 1 million (€619,000) Meanwhile, the Turkish FA, through its
for a children’s charity which he has village grassroots festival (500 children Kubani/AFP represented for the last eight years. from 81 cities), has mixed social inte- Zinédine Zidane in action during a grassroots In addition, the French playmaker has gration with football development. The football demonstration in Vienna.
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THREE-A-SIDE FOOTBALL IN MANCHESTER BEFORE THE
UEFA-pjwoods.ch UEFA CUP FINAL. THE RED SQUARE SHOW ON THE MONDAY BEFORE THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL, THE ATTENDANCE FIGURE AT THE LUZHNIKI STADIUM IN MOSCOW BARELY REACHED THREE FIGURES. BUT IT WAS A HIVE OF ACTIVITY AS THE PERIMETER BOARDS WERE INSTALLED, THE GROUND STAFF TENDED THE NEWLY LAID TURF AND THE STANDS WERE DRESSED IN THEIR UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LIVERY. LIKE THE CAST OF A THEATRE SHOW PREPARING FOR A MAJOR PREMIERE, THE STRESS AND TENSIONS WERE BUILDING UP BACKSTAGE. BUT, DURING A COFFEE BREAK, NEWS FROM THE RED SQUARE HELPED TO CALM THE NERVES AND SPREAD A SENSE OF WELLBEING. FANS, APPARENTLY, WERE WILLING TO QUEUE FOR AS MUCH AS THREE AND A HALF HOURS TO GET INTO THE CHAMPIONS FESTIVAL.
The sense of wellbeing, of course, can be illustrated by the €43,635,000 series of three-a-side grassroots foot- didn’t stem from the queuing – which of UEFA Champions League income ball tournaments for local youngsters, isn’t everybody’s favourite pastime. distributed among all 53 member known as the UEFA Cup Final 2008 It stemmed from the fact that the associations and leagues as part of the Manchester 3v3s, around 600 girls magnetism of the UEFA Champions solidarity scheme for youth develop- and boys played in four categories League was being effectively used to ment at clubs. But, although levels (boys Under-16, disability, primary pull the fans into a grassroots event. of resources are undoubtedly relevant, schoolboys and primary schoolgirls). It fitted nicely into UEFA’s philosophy there’s more to the subject than With the UEFA president, Michel of making sure that the tree tops money. Moscow was one of the Platini, making a special appearance are securely anchored by strong roots. major events to be staged during the and Paulo Sousa, UEFA grassroots In financial terms, the relationship spring and summer of 2008 which ambassador, on hand to assist, some between the world’s top club competi- demonstrated the potential and the 130 contested the finals on the tion and the broad base of the game social value of pegging grassroots day of the UEFA Cup final, with the events to the most important matches players then invited to the City of and tournaments at the professional Manchester Stadium to watch the cutting edge of the game. Not every- big match, at which 30 girls selected body enjoys the same resources – via a school cheerleading competi- but models can be scaled down. tion carried the UEFA Cup centre- circle emblem on to the pitch prior But first things first. The spectacular to kick-off. The city’s major evening Red Square Show in Moscow had newspaper and radio stations also been preceded by grassroots activities contributed by organising contests. pegged to the UEFA Cup final in Manchester, a city which, hand in During the run-up to the final, Albert hand with Glasgow, had set bench- Square, right outside the City Hall, UEFA-pjwoods.ch marks while hosting UEFA Champions had been the focal point for 3v3 Michel Platini, accompanied by grassroots ambassador Paulo Sousa, presents prizes to League and UEFA Cup finals within games – as it had been for the Star- one of the winning teams in Manchester. a relatively short time span. In the ball Match prior to the 2003 UEFA
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THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TROPHY DREW A
CROWD IN MOSCOW. UEFA-pjwoods.ch
Champions League final. In Moscow, Their presence added pulling power for the first time, joined adidas in the venue was, once again, especially to a Champions Festival that also, promoting activities for the fans. relevant to the success of the grass- in the so-called Champions Gallery, Adidas had helped UEFA to pioneer roots event. featured a 28-minute five-screen cine- the core grassroots features of the matic experience covering the history Champions Festivals and in Moscow We say “once again” because the first of the competition, displays of memo- they were also prime movers in the Champions Festival had been staged rabilia related to its 53-year lifespan skills clinics and, especially, the Young at the Trocadero, in the shadow of and opportunities to be photographed Champions’ tournament for boys the Eiffel Tower, in Paris in 2006 and with the UEFA Champions League and girls in the 10-16 age bracket, at the ancient Kallimarmaro Olympic trophy. In other words, the grassroots which opened at lunchtime on the stadium in Athens in 2007. Moscow’s activities were showcased by high- Saturday and reached its climax with Red Square provided another stun- profile events that attracted whole the finals played on the day of the ning, emblematic venue – and much families over a long, five-day period big match. Rinat Dassaev, Graeme credit goes to the city authorities, during which the doors were open Le Saux and UEFA’s technical director, led by the lord mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, for between nine and eleven hours. Andy Roxburgh, presented the prizes for giving the green light to the It offered UEFA a golden opportunity at lunchtime and, after the legends’ Red Square show. He regretted the to transmit social messages – the match, visitors were invited to take prior commitment which prevented Respect and Unite Against Racism part in the spontaneous football ses- him from raising the curtain on the campaigns were highlighted – and sions on mini-pitches which brought Saturday before the final, leaving his also created a virtuous circle, within down the final curtain on the Red deputy, Valery Vinogradov, to join which the large numbers of fans and Square show just a couple of hours Vitaly Mutko, president of the Football the presence of superstars attracted before the reds and the blues kicked Union of Russia, to kick off the event TV cameras – and the consequent off the final at the Luzhniki stadium. along with legendary Russian goal- news bulletin coverage on television It was a classic and highly successful keeper Rinat Dassaev, who, during encouraged even more people to example of how grassroots football the run-up to the final, had operated attend. can be married to a high-profile event as ‘ambassador’ for the final and all at the very peak of the professional the events pegged to it. This also made the event a great pyramid and how thousands and success for the UEFA Champions thousands can be invited into the The role is important in attracting League’s commercial partners who, footballing family. people to grassroots events. In Man- chester, Denis Law had performed it and Rinat Dassaev’s presence in Red Square was made all the more pertinent by the educational side of his current life as patron and coach of the Rinat Dassaev academy for young talents. He was by no means the only footballing legend to appear ‘on stage’ during the Red Square show. Once the superstars of Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC had flown into town, Bryan Robson and Graeme Le Saux conducted autograph ses- sions and, on the afternoon of the final, players such as Michael Laudrup, Davor Suker, Dmitri Alenitchev, Viktor Onopko and Aleksandr Mostovoy
took part in a legends’ match between UEFA-pjwoods.ch Russia and the rest of Europe. Moscou’s Red Square was transformed into a giant hub of football activities.
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FIVE-A-SIDE FOOTBALL
Action Images/John Sibley AT THE FAN ZONE IN VIENNA. GRASSROOTS ACTIVITIES AT EURO 2008 MONTHS HAVE PASSED SINCE SPAIN LIFTED THE HENRI DELAUNAY TROPHY AT THE ERNST HAPPEL STADIUM IN VIENNA. BUT EURO 2008 MADE A LONG-TERM IMPACT – AND NOT ONLY ON ACCOUNT OF THE HIGH-QUALITY FOOTBALL THAT WAS PLAYED. THE TOURNAMENT IN AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND UNDERLINED THAT THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS AMOUNT TO MUCH MORE THAN 31 GAMES OF FOOTBALL AND THE SUPPORTERS WHO WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET TICKETS FOR THEM.
The 4.2 million people who flocked mous fan zone in Vienna, for instance, and some good, cosmopolitan com- into fan zones highlighted a new social started at 09.00. Four sessions between pany. But the fan zones were also the phenomenon – and it was a signifi- 10.00 and closing time at midnight focal points for intensive grassroots cant fact that, on the few days when offered visitors the chance to play 5v5 activities similar to those provided there were no matches to watch spontaneous football on mini-pitches; at the Champions Festival built for on the giant screens, the population there were continuous skills, shooting the UEFA Champions League final in in the fan zones still averaged more and goalkeeping competitions and all Moscow and similarly supported by than 200,000. sorts of contests. OK, some supporters the event’s commercial partners. went to the fan zones to enjoy the It’s easy to understand why. A typical entertainment, soak up the atmosphere The tremendous success of the fan day at the adidas village in the enor- and watch games with a beer or two zones and the festive atmospheres they created were a surprise to the Austrian and Swiss hosts who, before the tournament, had feared a luke- warm response from the home public. Their predictions could hardly have been wider of the mark. What’s more, the grassroots activities pegged to EURO 2008 also proved to be highly successful.
In 2007, the Swiss Football Associa- tion (SFV) had, for example, launched three projects intended to get clubs and schools in the mood for EURO 2008. The smallest – but by no means the least – was a Clubs Find Coaches scheme aimed at boosting medium and long-term support for clubs by helping them to recruit and
Euroschools2008.org train managers, coaches, assistants EUROSCHOOLS focused on fair play. and coordinators. The other two
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VICTORY IS
ALWAYS SWEET. Euroschools2008.org
as footballs, prizes and medals, posters along with a podium and PA system for the ‘meet and greet’ sessions involving national team players Martina Moser and Tranquillo Barnetta, who acted as ambassadors for the project.
The school elements featured data- packs for the teachers, free didactic material for sports classes and a range of inter-disciplinary middle and secondary school workshop material produced in conjunction with a specialised publishing house.
The synergies between football and schools were also crucial ingredients
Euroschools2008.org in the recipe for one of the other EUROSCHOOLS tournament in Zurich. great EURO 2008 success stories – EUROSCHOOLS 2008. projects were specifically related to that covered 10 football-days per grassroots activities. school and required an entire event It was a far-reaching project sup- village to make it tick. The footballing ported by UEFA in conjunction with Between April 2007 and the tourna- ‘main square’ of the village comprised a group of other stakeholders includ- ment kick-off, 40 one-day tournaments two or three inflatable 20x13m mini- ing the national associations of were played in a kids festival project pitches for 3v3 or 4v4 games and Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, aimed at the 6 to 10 age group, a 30x30m skills circuit. These were with the streetfootballworld organisa- split into Under-8 and Under-10 com- accompanied by equipment such tion playing a coordinating role. petitions. Clubs interested in organising a kids festival applied directly to the SFV. They received financial support for the event along with 20 children’s footballs per team and a complete team kit of shirts, shorts and socks. A kids festival mascot was created, pro players acted as ambassadors, and the result was a great experience for 12,800 children.
Another 16,000 – including children with disabilities – benefited from the Fussball macht Schule project which was carried out during the same period of time. When it was launched, more than 200 schools applied to be part of it. The list was whittled down to 40 for logistical reasons – and the
following data explain why. Almost 500 Euroschools2008.org teachers were involved in a project A pre-match discussion in St. Pölten as part of the EUROSCHOOLS project.
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Euroschools2008.org EUROSCHOOLS ACTION IN ZURICH.
The scheme was launched during the and Swiss FA presidents, Friedrich team proposed three fair play ideas One Year to Go event in Innsbruck, Stickler and Ralph Zloczower, empha- (to add to those already written into carried on right the way through to sised the project’s importance to the competition menu). After the September 2008 and, it is hoped, will grassroots development. Star players game, the teams returned to the live on via long-lasting international such as Andreas Herzog, Stéphane dialogue zone and awarded points school partnerships established during Chapuisat, Alexander Frei, Philipp and according to how well the fair play a project which fell nicely into the David Deggen, Sebastián Martínez concepts had been respected. European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. and Johan Djourou were on hand, while the patrons included former The result of the qualifying campaign The prime objective was to use international referee Urs Meier and was a 53-team line-up (one team EURO 2008 as a motivation to learn. TV presenter Mirjam Weichselbraun. representing each of UEFA’s member Thousands of children from 200 Their presence helped to give the associations) at a tournament played schools in Austria, Liechtenstein and project a sense of occasion. in Austria while EURO 2008 was Switzerland took part in the project by in full flight in June and, while Spain adopting one of UEFA’s 53 member There was also football, of course. were winning the Henri Delaunay nations and focusing not only on its During the run-up to EURO 2008, trophy in Vienna, it was RG Salzburg footballing traditions but also its history, eight-team local and regional tourna- who, playing under the banner of society, economy, politics, language ments were organised – and they were Latvia, who emerged as the winner and culture. One of the obligations was no ordinary tournaments. Teams com- of the final six-team tournament to organise project days, when parents, prised three boys and three girls from played in Innsbruck. local authorities and media were invited the 12 to 15 age bracket and matches to join forces with students and teach- were 4v4 on 15x10m pitches with But that was not the end of the story. ers in ‘discovering’ the adopted nation. neither goalkeepers nor referees. In September, there was another Two girls had to be on the pitch at international get-together for a festival Once again, ambassadors played a all times and the goals scored by the in Liechtenstein, where UEFA vice- major role in pushing the event into boys were only declared valid when president Senes Erzik was among the limelight. Alfred Gusenbauer, the one had been scored by a girl. The the crowd to watch the matches and Austrian chancellor, raised the political other unusual feature was the pre- to tell the students at the closing profile of the event, while the Austrian match dialogue zone in which each ceremony “participating is more important than winning and goals are the most beautiful thing in football – not trophies or money.”
UEFA’s president, Michel Platini, summed up the success of EURO- SCHOOLS 2008 by saying “UEFA is proud to have been a funding partner of a project that has underlined that Europe is a culturally diverse entity in which football is the common language.” The Austrian chancellor, Alfred Gusenbauer, also highlighted “a crucial contribution to curbing dis- crimination and encouraging better cultural understanding in the world.” EUROSCHOOLS 2008 may have been an enormous project, but some Euroschools2008.org Bosch/AFP/Getty Images of its elements and concepts will Former Swiss international Stéphane Chapuisat with the winners surely provide inspiration for grass- of the EUROSCHOOLS tournament in Berne. roots activities far beyond EURO 2008.
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UEFA President Michel Platini and David Taylor, General Secretary, signed
the Charter in October with UEFA-pjwoods.ch the federations of Armenia,
UEFA-pjwoods.ch Azerbaijan and Cyprus. Armen Minasyan, general secretary of the Armenian Football Federation, signs the charter CHARTER HITS MORE TARGETS OTHER PAGES IN THIS PUBLICATION OUTLINE SOME OF THE MAJOR GRASSROOTS PROJECTS WHICH HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT DURING 2008. THEY REFLECT A GROWING AWARENESS IN MANY WALKS OF PUBLIC LIFE THAT SPORT IN GENERAL, AND GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL IN PARTICULAR, HAVE GREAT SOCIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL. AND, IN TURN, THIS HELPS TO EXPLAIN THE GROWTH OF THE UEFA GRASSROOTS CHARTER, WHICH CAN JUSTIFIABLY BE DESCRIBED AS EXPLOSIVE.
It is only four years since UEFA’s Execu- mittee approval during its meeting provision; Wales became a four-star tive Committee asked for the proposed on the eve of the UEFA Champions member; and Russia, with its efforts in grassroots charter to be converted into League final in Moscow. social and disability football, has now reality as rapidly as possible. At that put an extra star on the badge to bring time, they would hardly have believed It means that another target has the number of associations with more how rapidly the project has gained been hit. The figure of 30 signatories than one star into double figures. An momentum after a carefully controlled had been pencilled on to the 2008 enormous amount has been achieved start. It was barely over three years calendar and this has now been in the last two years – but such rapid ago that England, Germany, the Nether- surpassed. It means that, within two growth has created a healthy appetite lands, Norway and Scotland put their calendar years, the pioneering group for further progress in the grassroots signatures to the charter in Rome, of six associations has grown to 33. structures at national association level. with Denmark making it six in Nyon In statistical terms, 62% of UEFA’s just over four months later. In fact, the national associations are now signato- Danes were the only newcomers in ries to the grassroots charter.
2006, a year dedicated to a series of UEFA-pjwoods.ch regional workshops where the philos- This is no excuse for resting on lau- ophy, requirements and application rels. In fact, it creates clear targets for processes were set out. At that stage, development in the near future. The the target of 20 signatories by the obvious one is to give full encourage- end of 2007 was ambitious enough ment to the remaining 20 national to provide large doses of motivation. associations. But there is a lot of
A year ago, we reported that the scope for building on the foundations Elkhan Mammadov, target had been achieved. which have so rapidly been laid. general secretary of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan. That momentum has been maintained At the time of writing, 23 of the signa- during 2008. The year came fast out tory associations have one-star status of the blocks when Andorra, Austria, – which means that a grassroots phi- UEFA-pjwoods.ch Belarus, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, losophy, basic structures and training Latvia, Liechtenstein, Moldova and Swe- programmes for players and coaches den were ratified as parties to the char- are in place. During 2008, Finland and ter at the UEFA Executive Committee the Ukraine added four more stars, meeting in Zagreb in January, with the joining England, Germany, the Nether- applications from Armenia, Azerbaijan lands, Norway, Scotland and Denmark and Cyprus receiving Executive Com- at the advanced level of grassroots Phivos Vakis, general secretary of the Cyprus Football Association. 9 Grassroots 8•E 7.11.2008 15:37 Page 10
HIGH-QUALITY FINNISH IN 2008, FINLAND HAS BECOME ONE OF THE FIVE-STAR MEMBERS OF UEFA’S GRASSROOTS CHARTER, A YEAR AFTER BECOMING A ONE-STAR MEMBER AND ONLY 18 MONTHS AFTER DECIDING TO APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP. WHAT’S MORE, THE ‘NEWCOMERS’ HAVE ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES AS A BENCHMARK REFERENCE FOR OTHER ASSOCIATIONS, MANY OF WHOM MIGHT RAISE AN ADMIRING OR ENVIOUS EYEBROW AT THE EUR 11.2M INVESTED ANNUALLY IN GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AND THE 12 DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS, WHO HAVE AROUND 50 PEOPLE WORKING FULL-TIME ON GRASSROOTS PROJECTS.
Summarising Finnish grassroots football coaches, volunteers and the parents who is tantamount to reducing an encyclopaedia play a big role in encouraging the children to a couple of pages. A great deal of thought to enjoy their hobby. has gone into the elaboration of a clear In terms of club football, the national philosophy and even more thought has association organises from the top been invested in plotting all the details to division 2; the district associa- related to its implementation. The tions take care of divisions 3 to 5 and thinking goes right through to social also, in conjunction with the clubs, all the responsibilities (including, for instance, football played from division 6 right down a project run in conjunction with the to small-sided games. Clubs are encouraged Ministry of Labour to help the unem- to apply for the All Stars seal of approval ployed) and even the environmental aimed at strengthening club development. impact of grassroots activities. Assessments cover coaching, education, fair play, economy and communications Finnish grassroots football is played under and those who attain “quality club” status the umbrella of the All Stars programme, (46 at the moment and increasing by whose objective is to give everybody in the 6 to 8 per year) receive financial support. country a fair chance to play football at his or her level. Easier said than done. And if Work starts with events such as kindergarten you’re catering for age groups from 7 to 20, festivals for the Under-7s and, right through
you need to find the right ways and the When is the right the children’s programme, the emphasis right time to separate the talents with pro time to separate is on enjoyment, interaction within a unified potential from the recreational players. players with football family, behavioural patterns on and The whole structure evidently needs real potential from off the pitch, and fair play concepts. In all the grassroots support, so the national and regional game? Under-12 football, the only card carried by associations take on referees is the green card, a concept intro- board courses duced many years ago to illustrate the for club per- importance of fair play (there are sonnel, for green card awards for volunteers, monitors, for instance). In Under-16 teams, leaders, one of the obligations is an annual
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meeting involving leaders, parents the same prizes. The only special is on guidance rather than football, in and players, during which the agenda awards are made on the basis of fair the sense that the key elements tend includes the budget for the following play or social behaviour rather than to be codes of conduct, fair play prin- season, policy on activities, the exact results. Whole families are encouraged ciples, the organisation of children’s roles to be played and any modifica- to attend, meaning that a carousel activities, parent cooperation and, in tions to the team’s code of conduct. is a social event at which football is general, how best to support the chil- the central feature. dren in their hobby. The next step is At the same time, players are nurtured a move towards more pitch-related through technique schools during the The same concept has applied to topics – a D-level grassroots diploma 6 to 12 age bracket, skill schools from Finland’s disability programmes since based on teaching technique to children 12 to 15 and, maybe, talent academies 2004, along with the national cham- (15 hours), teaching tactics to children from 16 to 19 – which are organised pionships for disabled players and the (15 hours), teaching motor skills and by the technical department rather football schools especially designed coordination to children (8 hours), and than the grassroots specialists. Skills for them. teaching goalkeeping skills to children are also developed during grassroots (8 hours). The grassroots C-licence futsal tournaments played indoors However, much of the Finnish asso- then takes things further with another during the long Nordic winter – and ciation’s grassroots activities focus on 77 hours plus specific first aid tuition. Finland currently has some 20,000 schools. The number of school foot- futsal players in 1,361 teams. ball festivals organised by the FA has It adds up to a lot of work for the quadrupled in the last four years. The director of grassroots, Timo Huttunen, But, while talent development for motto is that everybody is good enough and his team. But the recompense is the national teams is an obvious priority, to take part. Boys and girls are kept that youngsters in Finland are being the Finns also work hard on keeping apart in team selection but the perform- offered unprecedented opportunities to youngsters in the game and making ances of both teams are put together use football as a source of enjoyment sure that football equals pleasure. to produce a result for the class as a and social integration. whole. While the pupils are playing, One of their key weapons in the battle a teachers’ corner is set up, where the against teenage dropouts from football staff can have a coffee, get informative has been the concept of friend leagues, football material and enjoy a chat. festivals and street football events Another useful tool in strengthening designed for the once-a-week player school football is the All Stars football who enjoys a kick-around but isn’t regis- week in which some 2,000 of the tered with a club. Emphasis is placed country’s 3,000 comprehensive schools on giving the youngsters what they participate every year. 70% of the want. Music, for example, often forms participants are from school grades an integral part of girls’ football carnivals 1 to 4, where two-thirds of the teachers and the All Stars football carousels rated are women. The national association “most valuable grassroots event” in produces material and a full schedule 2004 and highly successful ever since. for a whole week of football, but it is then at the teachers’ discretion whether The carousel concept is based on low- they prefer to have a week or a day cost events which children can take part of footballing activities. in very close to their homes. The idea is to squeeze as many matches as pos- It goes without saying that such large- sible into a single day, while making scale grassroots activities entail coach sure that all teams play the same num- education needs for a large number of ber of games and are matched against leaders. The association organises lead- opponents of a similar level. Different ers’ courses for volunteers which entail
types of skill tests are usually built into 13 to 16 hours of tuition and which Photos: Jussi Eskola the event and all the players receive are free of charge. The emphasis here Girls football is important in UEFA grassroots activities.
11 Grassroots 8•E 7.11.2008 15:37 Page 12 FFF SPL SGS WORKSHOP IN SCOTLAND. THE SHARE MARKET TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE IS THE PRIMORDIAL AIM OF UEFA’S STUDY GROUP SCHEME, WHICH HAS TAKEN OFF IN A BIG WAY SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN JULY. AND THE SHARING OF GRASSROOTS EXPERTISE HAS BEEN ON THE AGENDA AT THREE OF THE EVENTS STAGED DURING THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THE PROJECT.
The grassroots component has evident The four-year project kicked off in the Specific grassroots visits started in importance in a UEFA Study Group Austrian city of Linz where, although the the Netherlands, where the KNVB wel- Scheme designed to support football event was not grassroots-specific, the comed teams from the Faroe Islands, development throughout Europe by emphasis was on the related topic of Northern Ireland and Sweden. Latvia, helping national associations to visit talent development. Youth football was Lithuania and Belarus then travelled each other with a view to sharing the theme of the event staged in Croa- to Norway where the home team knowledge and best-practice principles tia, while elite youth football was the was captained by Per Ravn Omdal, in youth, women’s and grassroots foot- topic when the Swiss national associa- chairman of UEFA’s Development ball as well as coach education. The tion acted as host. By the end of Octo- and Technical Assistance Committee. structure is for a national association ber 11 visits had been completed and The Nordic countries’ reputation in to welcome visiting teams – the maxi- the plan is for 52 to be carried out by the grassroots field was further under- mum number is 11 – from three other June 2009, when the scheme will have lined when an event organised by member associations for a four-day run its first full year. By that time, 23 of the Finnish FA attracted a group of 30 event focused on a specific area within UEFA’s member associations will have visitors from Austria, Cyprus and Italy. the guidelines laid down by UEFA. acted as hosts to 149 teams of visitors. The three hosts and the nine visiting associations add up to an interesting blend of footballing cultures and pro- vided fertile ground for ideas to be sown. This diversity made for an inter- esting session in Finland where, for example, the provision of all-year facili- ties is a major priority. The hosts, who have been using UEFA HatTrick funds to install some 25 artificial pitches per year, obviously have to contend with more severe winter conditions than their visitors from further south (indeed, the heat is more of a prob- lem than the cold in Cyprus, where natural grass surfaces can be costly to lay and maintain). However, per- tinent points arose from Finland’s
SPL use of indoor sports halls all over the Learning through dialogue. country to implant futsal – which
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THEORY AND PRACTICE IN THE NETHERLANDS. Woldeveste
In other words, the four-day event was an intensive review of the grass- roots scene. Each day was concluded by a de-brief session, where every- body was invited to pinpoint the items which had been of most value and those which had been the least relevant to their particular interests.
However, it didn’t come to an abrupt end when the visiting teams headed home from Helsinki airport. The prin- ciples of the Study Group Scheme Woldeveste insist on the creation of a logbook and the pursuit of follow-up activities, the hosts consider a valuable tool in during the technique-orientated pro- in addition to feedback to UEFA terms of developing technique. gramme for the Under-12s and the by both the host and visiting associa- special skills training for the 12-15 age tions with a view to upgrading the The visitors were also interested in group. At the same time, they were visits as the project goes on. Indeed, Finland’s “quality clubs” system, in given an insight into the relationships the scheme’s mission document which grassroots activities form part between the clubs and the district asso- makes it clear that the idea is for the of the evaluation process. The four ciation – where the Finns feel that maxi- value of the visits to last far beyond days also gave time for player educa- mum cooperation is an essential ingre- the four days. “Upon completion of tion programmes to be discussed in dient for success. Much the same could the visit,” it reads, “the study group depth, including the sort of footballing be said of the plans to recruit a large will act as multipliers by disseminat- curriculum currently being employed squad of tutors for the mums and dads ing information and ideas to as many in Finnish schools and the importance who take on monitoring and/or coach- colleagues as possible.” In other given to social values within the grass- ing roles during grassroots activities. words, the aim is to ensure that the roots football context. The group was This is one area where the internet long-lasting benefits to grassroots interested in the detailed thinking becomes a valuable tool and is currently football endure way beyond the end which had been invested in defining being well exploited by the hosts. of the project in June 2012. concrete targets in each age group and also discussed various options in terms of how and when to separate the promising talents from the young- sters who will always treat football as a hobby rather than a potential profession.
The importance of a grassroots phi- losophy was also discussed in depth. The Finns firmly believe that promoting a positive, happy atmosphere is the crucial factor in all grassroots equa- tions. But the philosophical questions were counter-balanced by practical sessions, including some specific train- ing done at the two Lahti-based clubs
they visited, FC Kuusysi and FC Reipas. SPL They were shown the sort of work Thanking the demonstration group in Finland.
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ANDORRA Children in Andorra experience the tension and drama during a scene they have witnessed so many times on television. With team-mates and spectators anxiously watching, the goalkeeper produces a copybook dive as he tries to keep the ball out of his net. The image is from the ninth edition of the Francesc Vila memorial tournament, held in memory of the founder-president of the Andorran FA, who was tragically killed in a road accident. The two-day event brought together 12 Under-9 and 12 Under-11 teams from Andorra, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Portugal AFF and Spain. SUMMERS OF GRASSROOTS GROWTH WHERE’S THE TRUTH? IN SOME QUARTERS, THERE WAS A FEELING THAT EURO 2008 IN AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND MIGHT PUT A BRAKE ON GRASSROOTS ACTIVITIES ELSEWHERE. OTHERS CLAIMED THAT THE EXCITEMENT AND THE HIGH QUALITY OF THE FOOTBALL PLAYED DURING THE FINAL TOURNAMENT MIGHT HAVE PROVIDED A STIMULANT FOR PEOPLE ALL OVER EUROPE TO GET OUT AND KICK A FOOTBALL AROUND.
The statistics provide overwhelming evidence to support the second theory. The UEFA Summer of Grassroots Foot- ball not only set a record but absolutely pulverised the previous ones by regis- tering a participation level of 4.6 mil- lion. The idea, born in 2004 as one of the means of celebrating UEFA’s golden jubilee, was introduced as a one-off project. But its success has already ex- tended its lifespan to five years – which have been half-a-decade of continuous growth. Year Players 2004 500,000 2005 1,300,000 2006 2,200,000 2007 2,500,000
IRELAND FAI 2008 4,600,000 The joy of the young players is a source of satisfaction for their coach, Oisin Jordan, national coordinator of the Football For All project As the table reveals, the number of in the Republic of Ireland. The children were taking part in a Summer Soccer School in Kiltimagh Knock organised with Down Syndrome Ireland. players has risen nine-fold in five sum- It was one of two highly successful events – the other was staged mers. The Netherlands and Turkey in Dublin – with many participants and families making long journeys had high success rates in terms of get- to take part. The republic’s extensive Summer Soccer Schools ting people involved, along with the attracted 22,000 participants this year.
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ESTONIA The children, each of them sitting on a ball, are all eyes and ears as a training session at the Kadriorg stadium in the Estonian capital Tallinn introduces them to the game of football and adds joy and excitement to their experience at a summer holiday camp. EFA
Ukrainians, who have established a the event attracted 1,500 players grassroots football event, best disabled tradition of involving a high percentage in 135 teams. The Unelma Cup was football event, best veterans football of the population in summer grass- a similar tournament in which over event and best grassroots futsal event. roots activities – in a country where five 1,000 women in 120 teams took million children take part in school part – and this event will be in the Some of these awards have been football programmes, where students calendar for 2009 as Finland gets skilfully used by the winners to further from years 1 to 12 receive 34 soccer ready to host the European Women’s promote the work they are doing. lessons per year, and where 26,000 Championship finals. In England, for example, local media teachers are being re-trained. Not reported on the regional Sheffield & surprisingly, they are now being con- UEFA has offered constant support Hallamshire FA receiving a UEFA Best sidered as role-models by other UEFA for the Summer of Grassroots Football. Grassroots Futsal Event certificate member associations and similar Each national association received 400 for a schools programme in which projects – chips off the Ukrainian adidas grassroots footballs, 50 adidas 42 teams took part. block – are now being introduced in grassroots futsal balls and 150 adidas Albanian and Armenian schools. grassroots T-shirts, along with other But, if we are looking to reflect support material, such as templates for the joy and the value of the 2008 But not all the summer of 2008 suc- the certificates given to participants. Summer of Grassroots Football, the cess stories are based solely on num- And UEFA has sent certificates to the winning pictures from the annual bers. In Moldova, for instance, the Foot- winners selected by each national asso- photo contest are worth more than ball – Ambassador for Peace project ciation in four categories: most valuable a thousand words… made a significant impact. The aim was to stage demonstration training sessions for children in all the regions NORWAY of the country, so the core group Football being played on a gravel pitch laid was converted into a ‘travelling circus’ by volunteers in a camp for refugees in Mae Hong Son which covered over 3,000km waving province in the north of Thailand, as part of the Thai-Burma border football project jointly run the Together We Are A Team banner by the Norwegian national association which became the slogan for a project and Norwegian Church Aid. which attracted local and national media coverage. The results were ses- sions involving some 1,200 children of different origins who played together and made friends. It was such a success that an expanded version is already written into the diary for 2009.
In Helsinki, a new summer competi- tion was launched: the Simo Syrjävaara Cup for teams of friends rather than players registered with clubs. A lot of
20-minute matches were played and NFF
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