PUBLISHED BY UEFA’S FOOTBALL

DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

N O 9J U N E 2009

Editorial : The Real World

of Football• • •

Hamburg Highlights• • •

Child’s Play• • •

Abilitiesand Disabilities

• • •Football for Life

• • •The Professional

Approach• • •

Stars in their Eyes

GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL NEWSLETTER

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GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL

IS A VEHICLE FOR HEALTH,

EDUCATION

AND INTEGRATION.

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I M P R E S S U MEDITORIAL GROUPAndy RoxburghGraham Turner

ADMINISTRATIONFrank LudolphHélène Fors, Evelyn TernesUEFA Language Services

PRODUCTIONAndré VieliDominique MaurerAtema Communication SA Printed by Artgraphic Cavin SA

COVERThe workshop in Hamburgwas a mix of practical sessions, presentations anddiscussions.Photo: Sportsfile

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Every top footballer was once a grass-roots player. Each one progressedthrough the development stages of freeplay, organised activity and, when theirtalent was identified, into serious, delib-erate practice in a club environment.

FC Barcelona’s homegrown talents XaviHernández, Andrés Iniesta and CarlesPuyol went through this process, devel-oping their technical skills and the qual-ities which would define them as peo-ple and sportsmen, such as hard work,cooperation and humility. Their youthcoaches emphasised the differencebetween the life of a performer andthat of an individual, and they maturedinto modest, dedicated professionalswith their feet firmly on the ground.

In contrast to many of today’s youngpeople, the Barça trio did not live in the virtual reality world of computergames and internet sites. For them itwas the real world of football, with allthe life issues which go with it – learn-ing about themselves and relating toothers. All youngsters have faced thesame challenges: developing self-con-trol, confidence, courage, adaptability,and commitment, and improving theirability to engage with those aroundthem – all human qualities which forthe last decade psychologists havelabelled as emotional intelligence.

For those engaged in grassroots foot-ball there is a message here: improvingyoung players technically is one chal-lenge, but contributing to the young-sters’ personal development is also afundamental goal. Through football,grassroots coaches can have a majorimpact on their players’ emotional

E D I T O R I A LBY ANDY ROXBURGH,UEFA TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

THE REAL WORLDOF FOOTBALL

behaviour, helping them to be opti-mistic, in control, able to handle con-flict, focused, cooperative, competitiveand socially integrated. Grassroots foot-ball’s potential role as an educational,social vehicle cannot be underestimated,and needs to be promoted vigorouslyfor the benefit of young people, societyand the game itself. And a number of top professional players can help byproviding a reference point for humanqualities which make a difference in the game and in life itself.

Think of loyalty, and Manchester United FC’s Ryan Giggs and AC Milan’sPaolo Maldini immediately come tomind. The Welshman and the Italianhave remained faithful to their first club,their first love, and are shining exam-ples of devotion and dependability. Forbravery, look at Petr Cech of Chelsea FCor Eduardo da Silva of Arsenal FC. Bothhave recovered from serious injury (theformer from a fractured skull and thelatter from a horrific broken ankle) andwith praiseworthy courage continue toface frontline dangers. Two goalkeeperswith a social conscience are Spain’s Iker Casillas and England’s David James.Real Madrid CF’s No. 1 went to Peru to help disadvantaged children in the days following his triumph in EURO 2008, while the Portsmouth FCkeeper, apart from being an ambassa-dor for the Special Olympics, has createda foundation in Malawi to help localfarmers and needy teenagers. And if it’s work ethic, then look no further than Steven Gerrard of Liverpool FC orWayne Rooney of Manchester UnitedFC; or if it’s quiet confidence thenAlessandro Del Piero of Juventus andAndrei Arshavin of Arsenal FC will fit the bill. The ability to be both competi-tive and cooperative has immensevalue, and FC Internazionale Milano’sJavier Zanetti is a role model in thisrespect. The quiet-spoken Argentinian is also well-known for his charity work,and his message to grassroots leadersis unequivocal: ”There must always bevalues at the heart of sport, and this is what we have to teach our children.”

A tiny number of the estimated one billion grassroots players worldwide will realise their dreams and play pro-fessionally. But vast numbers can gainimmeasurably by being part of the foot-ball experience, whether as a player, a coach, a referee, an official or a fan.Learning about the game and express-ing yourself on the pitch is great –learning about yourself and improvingyour human qualities as you partic-ipate is even more valuable. Spain’sEuropean champions Xavi Hernández,Andrés Iniesta and Carles Puyol are too humble to even consider them-selves as role models, but there is no doubt that they have developed some positive personal qualities whichyoung grassroots players would do well to emulate. Trying to equal or surpass their technical skills mightprove a bit more difficult.

Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs: a fantastic example of loyalty to one club.

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When he opened the proceedings,UEFA vice-president Gerhard Mayer-Vor-felder commented that “these eventsare very good instruments for imple-menting concepts and spreading thegrassroots spirit.” The next three daysproved him right. During the same session, the DFB president, Theo Zwan-ziger, commented “these days grass-roots football in all its guises gives anadded value to society, so a unitedapproach is crucial. It is essential for thegrassroots of the game to derive mo-mentum from the elite competitions.”

The first to pick up that particularbaton was Steffi Jones. The formerGerman international currently headsup the organising committee for the2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.“Apart from organising a peacefulevent with a warm atmosphere,” sheremarked, “the objective is to establishstrong relationships with families andthe grassroots, to clearly express thevalue of football as an integratingforce, and to assume our respon-sibilities within society. Development and legacy programmes are being

pegged to the event, among them theChildren’s Dreams 2011 campaign and 80 local grassroots projects whichhave been targeted for support.”

The validity of this philosophy wasunderlined when Johannes Axster ofstreetfootballworld reported on howhis organisation had teamed up withUEFA for the EUROSCHOOLS projectwhich was pegged to EURO 2008and reaped huge benefits in terms of intercultural exchanges and socialactivities, in addition to the schools’football tournaments themselves.UEFA had previously realised thevalue of forging links between eliteand grassroots, having attached grass-roots competitions and ChampionsFestivals to UEFA Champions Leagueand UEFA Cup finals since 2002 – a tradition continued and enlargedthis season with, in Rome, grassrootscompetitions organised in 8-10, 10-12 and 12-14 age groups and, in Istanbul, 144 teams and 1,500players taking part in an event whichran through the 12 weekends prior to the final. In Madrid next year, plans

HAMBURGHIGHLIGHTS

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE 8TH UEFA GRASSROOTS WORKSHOP, A REPORT

IN UEFADIRECT MAGAZINE HIGHLIGHTED THE SHEER ENERGY OF THE EVENT – AND NONE OF THE

PARTICIPANTS IN HAMBURG WOULD ARGUE WITH THAT. IT WAS AN INTENSIVE PROGRAMME

WHICH OCCUPIED THREE FULL DAYS, INCLUDING VISITS TO THE CITY’S TWO MAJOR CLUBS

TO MIX PRACTICAL WORK WITH PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS. THE CORE ELEMENT WAS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN’S FOOTBALL. BUT MANY OTHER THEMES WERE WOUND AROUND

THAT CENTRAL PILLAR. THE WORKSHOP GENERATED ALL THE MATERIAL WHICH IS FEATURED

IN THIS NEWSLETTER AND COULD HAVE FILLED SEVERAL MORE.

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UWE SEELER AND HANSI MÜLLER ENJOY

BEING GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL AMBASSADORS.

A practical session at Hamburger SV’s stadium

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are afoot to stage an entire week of grassroots activities leading up to the first UEFA Champions League finalto be played on a Saturday, with thefirst-ever UEFA Women’s ChampionsLeague final to be staged in the samecity during the same week. But that’sanother story…

Returning to Hamburg, the use of high-profile current or former players as ambassadors at these types of grassroots events was regarded as highly positive – and not least by HansiMüller and local legend Uwe Seeler,who discussed the grassroots structuresat VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SVrespectively. The two former Germaninternationals now enjoy playing theambassador role. “I like it,” said Uwe,“because I was a team person frombirth and I like to be part of the com-munity. People tend to listen to whatwe say and we can deliver importantmessages about living and learning in a better way. We can also tell theparents to go home if they start drivingtheir kids mad!”

“That’s true,” Hansi agreed. “We alsohave to make sure that, if parentsbecome involved in grassroots football,they are properly equipped to teach.We also have to draw lines betweenleisure football and serious preparation.We have to make it clear to today’syoungsters that dedication is essentialand that, if you want to reach the top,getting your parents to take you totraining twice a week isn’t enough.”

Adult influence – in the girls’ game as well as the boys’ – was cited duringthe discussion sessions in Hamburg as one of the main difficulties facingchildren’s football today. Other socialfactors, such as diminishing leisuretime, costs for children and families,and the negative impact of moderntechnologies contribute to concerns

about dropout rates at children’s and youth levels. On the other hand, therewere worries that the rapid growth of grassroots football would outstrip the availability of coaches and leaders,which could have a negative effect on quality. Asked to suggest measuresto improve quality in children’s foot-ball, the recruitment and education of coaches and volunteers was ratedamong the priorities to emerge fromthe Hamburg discussion groups, alongwith a need to guarantee the qualityand availability of the facilities on whichthe children play their football. In someassociations, the provision of footballsand equipment is still an issue to beaddressed while other voices relatedthis to shortfalls in political support or an excessively low-profile image ofgrassroots football. At the same time,cooperation with schools and localauthorities was seen as an essentialingredient in recipes for sustainedgrowth.

Questions about what more can bedone by UEFA to stimulate progressproduced responses which were mostly related to the sharing of knowl-edge and best practice. Events such as the grassroots workshop were

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considered invaluable – and, as AndyRoxburgh explained, the Study GroupScheme is also proving to be highlypositive. “I would say that around one quarter of the SGS is dedicated to aspects of the grassroots game. By the end of June, we will have staged52 events under the auspices of thescheme with 23 different associationsacting as hosts and 149 visiting groups(most with 11 participants) taking part.Only six visits have been exclusivelygrassroots-specific, but the grassrootsgame has formed part of the agenda at many of the others.”

The six discussion groups also high-lighted a desire for more permanentexchanges of information becomingavailable by, for instance, upgrading the grassroots content on the TrainingGround sector of the UEFA website or via a specific intranet. Educationalsupport, help with guidelines and grass-roots philosophies were other issuesraised, along with assistance in creatingage-specific coach education coursesand pan-European educational tools. In other words, a lot of energy anddebating points were transferred fromthe workshop in Hamburg to UEFA’sheadquarters in Nyon – and vice versa.

A GROUP DISCUSSION

AT THE WORKSHOP IN HAMBURG.

Young players pay close attention to the example given by their instructor.

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THE TITLE OF ANDY ROXBURGH’S PRESENTATION ON THE OPENING MORNING IN HAMBURG

WAS DELIBERATELY ENIGMATIC. CHILDREN PLAYING FOOTBALL WAS THE CORE THEME OF THE EVENT.

BUT DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS OF THE EXPRESSION ‘CHILD’S PLAY’ INCLUDE ‘AN EXTREMELY

SIMPLE TASK’ OR ‘AN ACT OF SMALL IMPORTANCE’ – BOTH OF WHICH ARE TOTALLY AT ODDS

WITH THE PHILOSOPHY EXPRESSED IN SIX WORDS BY PER RAVN OMDAL, CHAIRMAN

OF UEFA’S DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MEMBER: “OUR FUTURE BELONGS TO THE CHILDREN”.

CHILD’S PLAY

It could be strenuously argued that in this crucial area at the base of thegrassroots pyramid, ‘child’s play’ is an extremely difficult task and one ofgreat importance. Balances need to be found. Children’s football needs to be fun – but serious, well-organisedfun rather than frivolity. It should bemore about fixture lists than aboutleague tables. It should be a platformfor the development of skills but not a platform for overbearing coaches whosee themselves as scaled-down replicasof Sir Alex Ferguson or Marcello Lippi.

It should encourage a will to win butnot be prematurely impregnated withadult attitudes or rewards.

The importance of child’s play washighlighted by Andy Roxburgh, by WilliHink, director of development at theGerman association, and by Stig-OveSandnes, deputy general secretary in Norway, where the association haslaid benchmarks in grassroots develop-ment. As Andy Roxburgh pointed out, UEFA’s role is to stimulate interest,to set standards, to improve quality, toincrease participation, to protect playersand to offer support to the nationalassociations which are working at thecoalface in offering opportunities forthe youngest members of the commu-nity to enjoy the game.

A generally accepted definition of ‘children’s football’ is that it covers theprimary school age groups up to 12 –at which point, according to feedbackfrom the pan-European gathering inHamburg, most national associationsgraduate youngsters from small-sidedgames into competitive 11 v 11 matches.The feedback also revealed that thissometimes happens at the age of 10(with a certain tendency for elite clubsto favour an early transition) or as late as 13. In Norway, for example, it’s3 v 3 in the 4-5 age bracket, 5 v 5

from 6-10, 5 v 5 or 7 v 7 in the 11-12 group, and 11 v 11 from 13.

Norwegian statistics showcase theimportance of children’s football, whichaccounts for 64% of the country’sstructured football with 17,000 teamsand 170,000 players active within the 6-12 age bracket. In the top twoyears of that bracket, seven of everyten boys and three out of ten girls play football – even excluding activitiesat football schools, tournaments andfestivals.

This gives children’s football an enor-mous social potential. In this respect,there are two basic elements to child’splay: the child and the play. In foot-balling terms, it’s about developingplayers, technical skills, performanceand fitness. But, in this formative agegroup, it’s also about developing anintegrated citizen with social skills anda healthy lifestyle. In Germany, themotto applied to the youngest agegroup is ‘keep ‘em moving about’ and,at the next stage, encourage them to adopt a sport-orientated lifestylewhich will allow children to avoid phys-ical and mental obesity – the latterequally important in a society where a high percentage of wrongdoing canbe traced back to sheer boredom. The interesting two-page summary Sp

orts

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TAKING CARE OF

CHILDREN’S FOOTBALL IS ANYTHING

BUT CHILD’S PLAY.

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of the Laws of the Game produced in Norway for 6-12 year-olds alsoserves as a reminder that rule booksmustn’t be too heavy or repressive.

Hence the importance of developingthe fun elements and the attractions of the game during the early years and building up enough romance andcommitment during the foundationyears to minimise the dropout rateswhich can easily occur during theteenage years if the saplings are notcorrectly nurtured and guided.

This, of course, requires investment in ‘teacher training’. Ideally the sort offootball teacher (as opposed to coach)required at this level is a friendlyhelper, a good organiser, a competentdemonstrator, a reliable person andsomeone who has a contagious enthu-siasm for the game. At the same time, as Uwe Seeler and Hansi Mülleremphasised, guidelines for parentsmust be clearly communicated andrespected if the right environments are to be created.

Up to the age of eight, children’s football is all about having fun withfriends, fulfilling the desire to learn and improve, promoting group cooper-ation, intensifying the fascination withthe game and developing basic skillsthrough activities which guaranteemaximum ball-contact time. The 9-12period is a foundation phase duringthe children’s golden age of learning.This is when sessions can focus onmastery of the ball, reading the game,coordinating skills with speed andmobility and encouragement of teamidentities, imagination skills and self-awareness. In other words, playingfootball represents a vehicle for enthu-siasm, personal relationships, satisfac-tion, self-expression and self-esteemand, at the same time, a learning curve in which challenges have to be set

and met. Children need to be gentlypushed through their limits.

This is also the ideal time for values ofrespect and fair play to be implanted.In Norway, children are even invited to put their signatures to a fair playcontract at the start of the season andevery match is preceded by a UEFAChampions League-style handshakeprocedure. But, these days, respect forteam-mates, match officials and oppo-nents takes on an added dimension. InGermany, new strategies for grassrootsfootball are being designed to cater fora society where 32.5% of the 6-year-olds or under are from migrant back-grounds, 29.3% in the 7-9 age brack-et, and 26.7% of the 10-15s. Thismeans that, more than ever, children’sfootball has the potential to become a major integrating force based on thetraditional precept that grassroots foot-ball is all-inclusive with no place forracism or any form of discrimination.

It also means that children’s footballhas a role to play in communities and,as another feature in this issue reveals,

professional clubs are, these days,prepared to make major contribu-tions. But the ‘amateur spirit’ remainsas important as ever. The 260,000boys and 110,000 girls who play330,000 matches a year in Norwayare backed by a team of 130,000volunteers, whose leaders haveattended 4-hour and 12-hour coursesorganised by the national associa-tion, while the formal grassroots football coaches have obtained their C licence after four 16-hour coacheducation modules. The Germanshave been quick to realise that, if football forms part of the school curriculum, teachers need to be prepared and motivated to providequality tuition to the crucial age-groups and, once the youngstershave reached the age of 11, theyhave a chance to attend one of the country’s 366 training schoolssupervised by 29 full-time coordina-tors and 992 qualified coaches.

The time has come to throw the dictionary aside. Child’s play is definitely not ‘child’s play’.

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THE GRASSROOTS COACH MUST

ALSO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE SPECIFIC

ROLE OF THE GOALKEEPER.

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A RECENT STUDY IN SCOTLAND CONCLUDED THAT ONE IN SEVEN OF THE POPULATION HAS

A DISABILITY OF SOME KIND, THAT THE RATIO BECOMES ONE IN FIVE IF CERTAIN TYPES OF MENTAL

HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE INCLUDED, AND THAT 5% OF SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN HAVE A DISABILITY.

THOSE DATA OFFERED IN HAMBURG BY SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL DISABILITY FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT

MANAGER, STUART SHARP, PROVIDED COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT, IF ‘FOOTBALL FOR ALL’

AND ‘FOOTBALL WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION’ TARGETS ARE TO BE ACHIEVED, OPPORTUNITIES

TO PLAY DISABILITY FOOTBALL MUST BE OFFERED AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE.

ABILITIES AND DISABILITIES

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JEFF DAVIES

IS IN CHARGE OF FOOTBALL

DEVELOPMENT AT THE

FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

IN ENGLAND.

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Yet, in Hamburg, it became clear that,even though pioneers such as theDutch FA have been involved in disabil-ity football projects and partnershipssince 1984, many other national asso-ciations continue to find the social anddisability football star in the GrassrootsCharter an elusive one.

That interesting point was the core ele-ment of a session led by Jeff Davies,national football development manager

at the English FA and member ofUEFA’s Grassroots Panel. The FA is, thisyear, celebrating the tenth anniversaryof its Ability Counts programme for disabled players and Jeff is quick toacknowledge the difficulties which hadto be surmounted in the early yearsand which are currently being addressedby many other national associations.The basic problem was that, in England,disability sport was run by various agen-cies and it wasn’t until seven national

organisations were gathered under the English Federation of Disability Sport umbrella that The FA was able to establish an effective working relation-ship and a solid platform for develop-ment. Across the water in the Republicof Ireland, the Football Association of Ireland also took a major step forwardwhen a Football For All committee was set up featuring one member fromeach of the disability groups involved in football. In many other associations,the key to development is also the ability to pull all the strings togetherand to walk the same road.

As Stuart Sharp explained, the ScottishFA has been treading a similar path.Important funding was provided by theScottish Disability Sport agency but alsoby McDonald’s who, as the audience in Hamburg had earlier heard, are cur-rently underlining their commitment to grassroots football by partnering theGerman national association in a foot-ball badge scheme involving, this yearalone, 200,000 participants at 2,700separate events. In the UK, funding for disability football programmes alsostemmed from the Sportsmatch projectwhich, since 1992, has brought over

So-called unified matches

involving players with or

without learning disabilities

are an enriching experience.

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EUR 60 million from the commercialsector into grassroots sport, with thegovernment matching every commer-cial euro with one of its own.

This allowed the Scottish FA to draw up a master plan for the developmentof disability football, culminating in theHitting the Target project – a four-yearplan which will reach its conclusion in2010. As in England, the priorities wereto increase the number of participantsin disability football, to develop trainingand competition opportunities, to buildsolid structures for future growth, toraise the public awareness and profileof disability football, to implant compre-hensive education and mentoring pro-grammes for new and existing coaches,and to enhance motivation by estab-lishing clearly defined pathways to the top, starting with the pan-disability‘come and play’ groups, school pro-grammes and football centres and up through regional squads and main-stream clubs into the elite level. TheEnglish FA has set up player-trackingmechanisms for the 14-16 age groupwith a view to pinpointing those whomay progress further along the trailtowards the country’s six (successful)national teams.

The Scots also approached the coun-try’s leading professional clubs, ofwhich seven are already cooperatingwith disability teams in areas such as making training facilities available –which helps to raise the profile evenfurther. At the same time, disabilityfootball is being played in football centres and at community clubs. Thesport moved up another notch whenScotland’s Centre for Disability Foot-ball was inaugurated in October 2005 and this has opened the door to resi-dential training programmes for theelite squads, effective control of dietand nutrition, personalised fitness pro-grammes based on medical screening

and profiling, and invaluable support in terms of lifestyle management.

Just below that level on the disabilityfootball pyramid are the two RegionalDevelopment Squad Centres whereplayers with the potential to reach thenational teams can be assessed andcoached. However, the main objectiveis to broaden the base of the pyramidvia partnerships with 32 local authori-ties and 16 branches of the ScottishDisability Sport organisation. In 2007, adecision was taken to create a NationalDevelopment Day and, among the tar-gets for the current year, is the aim foreach of Scotland’s regions to organiseat least one disability football festival.

Any development plan needs to recruitand educate enough coaches to makeit work. The Scottish FA introduced aspecific coaching certificate in 2006,based on six-hour courses open to anyone over the age of 16, bearing in mind that youngsters are very oftenwilling and able to act as leaders in disability football. The Hitting the Targetproject aims at recruiting at least 240 new coaches by the end of nextyear and this is being reinforced by a

national campaign aimed at bringing150,000 volunteers into Scottish sport.

As Jeff Davies said in Hamburg, disability football is all about partner-ships. “Within the Grassroots Charter,”he said, “we have national associa-tions which have obtained the dis-ability football star even though theydidn’t originally mainstream their provision of disability football. Whatthey did was to work with partnerswith a view to obtaining the star –and I have a strong suspicion thatthere are other associations whichhave not applied to UEFA for the starbut which could stand to receive it.Admittedly, there are some associa-tions which are simply not aware ofthe organisations within their countrywhich deliver disability activity or areeven not aware of any activity at all.So the first step must always be topinpoint who is doing what, whereand how. Then the associations caninject the football components intothe equation and form partnershipswhich will allow disability football totake off – and allow the national asso-ciation to add the disability star to itsGrassroots Charter status. Go for it!”

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STUART SHARP

IS RESPONSIBLE FOR

DISABILITY

FOOTBALL AT THE

SCOTTISH FA.

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FOOTBALLFOR LIFE

“I DON’T LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE REFER TO ME AS AN ‘EX-FOOTBALLER’. THEY USE

THE ‘EX’ BECAUSE THEY ONLY THINK ABOUT YOUR LIFE AS A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER.

BUT WE WERE ALL FOOTBALLERS BEFORE WE BECAME PROFESSIONALS AND WE WILL ALWAYS

BE FOOTBALLERS AFTERWARDS. A FOOTBALLER IS A FOOTBALLER FOR LIFE.”

The words were spoken during a recentinterview by Christian Karembeu, cham-pion of France, Spain, Europe and theworld, currently channelling his passionfor the game back from Europe towardshis native Oceania. His sentiments pro-vide a timely reminder that grassrootsfootball is not exclusively about childrenand teenagers but also about the moresenior citizens who wish to continue to express on the field of play their life-long commitment to the game.

It’s not easy. In some countries, formerprofessionals are often able to remain

This question has been addressed by the Dutch national association.Piet Hubers, amateur football techni-cal department manager at theKNVB, told the audience in Hamburgthat a new project was born from the realisation that there were overhalf a million registered players whohad passed the age of 35, amongthem 40,000 women. It represents a considerable slice of the country’sfootballing population and a ‘com-munity’ in which, by and large, regis-tration fees could be affordable ifdemanded and in which, bearing inmind career considerations, enjoy-ment and the desire to avoid seriousinjury were paramount. The obviousanswer was to experiment with com-petitions where the seniors couldcompete with their peers – and the KNVB’s 45+ project kicked off in April.

“We decided to focus on the 45+age-group,” Piet comments, “becausewe do have significant numbers of players who continue their clubfootball into their early 40s. But no further. So our basic question was‘why quit at 45?’ Our answer was tocreate a competition for those whohave reached an age where, as wejokingly say, you can be recognisedby your black boots and tiny shorts!”

active in veterans leagues, where the performers have enough box-office appeal to make tournamentseconomically viable. But if yourname and your skills don’t match upto the Zidanes, Butragueños or Laudrups of this world, getting a kickof the ball can be more problem-atical. The fun element is diluted if you have to compete with playerswho are 20 years younger or if, asthe senior member of the side, youhave the uncomfortable feeling of being a liability to the rest of theteam. So, where do you play?

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A UEFA-FIFA seniors’ match.

A GAME WITH

FORMER PROFESSIONALS

IN ENGLAND.

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“Strangely enough, it originated from the KNVB’s strategic marketing plan. I say ‘strangely’ because it wasn’t con-ceived as a money-making exercise butrather as an initiative aimed at helpingpeople to stay in the game and to offersome structured football to an impor-tant percentage of the population.”

The 45+ project focused on retainingthe players who had remained activeinto their 40s and on reopening thedoor to those who had been obliged by previous parameters to hang up their boots, whether they wanted to or not. So current barriers had to be eliminated and new concepts had to be introduced with the idea of adjustingcompetition structures to the physicalcapabilities of the players.

Experiments were conducted in con-junction with various clubs over a periodof two years, while the KNVB also con-ducted research into the physical aspectsmost relevant to senior competitions.This included evidence from fitness testing, training programmes and expertadvice from the medical profession.

Interestingly, the conclusion was that the most appropriate (and enjoyable)format was a 7 v 7 competition – a formula which is also being applied bysome of the other national associationswhich operate structured competitionsfor the seniors. In the Netherlands, thelaunch of the 45+ tournament was, as Piet Hubers reports, “met by a verypositive reaction from clubs, players,media, other sports and sponsors. Our regulations allow for squads of upto 12 players and the average works out at around 10. So we’re happy that 215 teams entered the pilot competi-tion. As it’s the first year, we decidedthat playing should be free of charge.We obviously wanted as many teams to enter as possible, so it didn’t makesense to put up financial barriers.

We also wanted a profile which wouldhelp to promote the project. When thecompetition unwinds, the KNVB willmake another evaluation and take deci-sions on future costings and structures.At the moment, the tournaments areopen to the KNVB’s active membersand former players.” A player databasewill be set up to analyse the type ofplayer who is keen to carry on playingcompetitive football at 45+.

During the first season, the competi-tion is being played in mini-tournamentformat, with four teams meeting at a host club to play three 20-minutematches followed by regional finals.However, the plan is to switch, oncethe 45+ competition is firmly estab-lished, to regular weekly fixtures wherethe 7 v 7 games will be played as 2 x 30 minutes.

The welfare of the participants is obvi-ously paramount as the competition

gets under way. Host clubs have beenrequired to have first-aid staff on siteand the KNVB is providing medicalback-up at the finals – and at the SeniorGames, which have provided an addi-tional incentive during the inaugural season.

The Senior Games are being staged in the Zeeland area of the Netherlandsin September, with around 3,500 par-ticipants competing in 22 sporting disciplines. 45+ football is among thesports on the agenda of an event which the KNVB will be supportingfinancially and logistically by, for exam-ple, covering entrance fees and provid-ing medical backup. In the footballfinals, the 12 teams which emerge from the first season of the Netherlands’45+ competition will take on four sidesfrom visiting countries in a series ofgames which, it is hoped, will provide a high-profile demonstration that foot-ball is for life.

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PIET HUBERS, DIRECTOR

OF AMATEUR FOOTBALL AT THE

DUTCH FA, MAKES HIS

PRESENTATION AT THE WORKSHOP

IN HAMBURG.

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VB

It’s still great fun, even if the pace is slower.

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THE THEORY THAT OPPOSITES ATTRACT IS RARELY APPLIED TO FOOTBALL,

WHERE PROFESSIONAL CLUBS AND THE GRASSROOTS ARE USUALLY REGARDED AS THE ANTIPODES

OF THE GAME. BUT A FASCINATING SESSION ON THE THIRD MORNING IN HAMBURG

UNDERLINED THE NUMBER OF CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS WHICH HAVE BEEN FORMED IN RECENT YEARS –

TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE WERE STRONG SUGGESTIONS THAT THE TIME MIGHT HAVE COME

TO REVIEW THE TRADITIONAL PYRAMID SHAPE WHERE GRASSROOTS PROVIDE THE BROAD BASE

AND PROFESSIONAL CLUBS THE NARROW, DISTANT PEAK.

The modern game is being reshaped,with leading clubs acknowledging theroles they can play within communitiesand realising that, apart from talent detec-tion and development, involvement atgrassroots levels can broaden the fanbase and foster long-lasting allegiances.

These messages were delivered by thetwo major pro clubs in the host city ofHamburg, by Robin Russell, a long-stand-

ing development and coach educationspecialist from England, and by AC Milanand their city rivals FC Internazionale.

The Hamburg clubs staged contrasting yet dovetailed practical sessions at theirhome grounds. Hamburger SV organiseda training session involving technicallygifted elite 11-year-olds. But, as the club’s amateur sport leader, Jörn Spuida,pointed out, HSV reach out into the community by organising activities in 27 non-professional sporting disciplines,involving over 5,000 active sportsmenand women. In football, HSV run sixmen’s and seven women’s squads butthe club is also active in social integrationschemes, joint ventures with schools, and holiday camps where some 6,000children a year enjoy some ‘serious fun football’ at 30 locations throughoutthe Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-WesternPomerania regions.

The relevance of offering school and holiday course football was underlined by Robin Russell. “In England, the mostpopular holiday courses are ones organ-ised by professional clubs,” he explained. “At the moment, over 900,000 Under-16s come into contact with around 100 clubs: half a million via school

programmes, 200,000 through holi-day courses, and 200,000 thanks toorganised matchday visits to first-teamfixtures. It means that there are 500 full-time staff working exclusively ongrassroots activities and that those 100 clubs employ around 2,000 part-time coaches.”

In Hamburg, Robin tracked developmentover the two decades following a deci-sion taken in 1986 to attach ‘communityofficers’ to 14 of England’s leading proclubs. “It was a far-sighted move,” hecommented. “And a brave one. Becausethe community officers who came tothe clubs were not ‘football people’.Their brief was to use government fund-ing in partnerships with the clubs, aimedat providing training and job opportuni-ties for the unemployed; to involveminority and ethnic groups in social andrecreational activities; and to attempt to reduce the acts of hooliganism andvandalism which had been the scourgeof English football during the 1980s. Indoing all this, they also helped to max-imise the use of facilities at the clubs.”The result was an unprecedented jointventure involving The FA, the players’union, the leagues and regional asso-ciations, along with national and local governments which, by the early 1990s,

THE PROFESSIONALAPPROACH

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had attached social projects to all 92clubs in England’s professional leagues.

The benefits have been both tangibleand intangible. Statistics confirm anincrease in the number of children play-ing football and – vital news to the professional clubs – in attendance atmatches. But other dividends are lesseasily quantified in statistical form.Improved behaviour and a better imageof the game have allowed audiences to become more family-orientated andclubs have established closer links to the community. In other words, footballhas been primarily used as an effectivemedium to achieve social objectiveswhich, in turn, generate knock-on bene-fits for the clubs.

This is very much home territory forHamburg’s other major pro club, FC St.Pauli. As Roger Hasenbein, leader of theclub’s Kiezkick social project launched in2002, comments: “We are a city centreclub, which means we have very littlespace but close ties to the community.Our current philosophy stems from input by the club and the fans on howFC St. Pauli can best meet demands in a deprived area. The Kiezkick project has been a big success because it hascreated an energetic mix of social insti-tutions, fans and sheer enthusiasm. It has been an important experiencebecause it has made us aware of foot-ball’s tremendous potential for under-standing and bridging social differences.”

The philosophy is to create and fuelpride in the neighbourhood by offeringchances to play fun football and gener-ate feelings of togetherness. Trainingsessions, open to all and free of charge,are run through the club’s fan shop at the stadium with seven members –mostly teachers – acting as youth train-ers for two-hour sessions a couple ofdays a week. As the neighbourhood features high percentages of immigrantfamilies, as many as 14 cultures and languages can be grouped together in a single session. At the same time, theclub goes out of its way to offer an

appropriate welcome to girls whose parents might be reluctant to allow theirdaughters to play football. The club helpsto organise tournaments involving boys’and girls’ teams from schools, migrantcommunities and youth clubs, but theemphasis is on fun and integration ratherthan results. Social activities, such as bar-becues, allow the ‘family’ to get togetherand special relationships with two localschools give the kids access to gym facili-ties during the winter. In other words, FC St. Pauli is a striking example of a professional club which has driven deeproots into the local communities.

club’s Inter Campus project, launchedin 1997, reaches into 19 countries inEurope, Africa, Asia and the Americas.Some 200 local instructors help to use football as an educational tool and,quite simply, to give around 10,000children a year the chance to playsome grassroots football. The project is set to lay another milestone in Sep-tember, when children from the 19countries will get together for the first-ever Toscana & Inter Campus WorldCup, where the agenda features allsorts of educational and cultural activi-ties pegged to the football tournament.

GOOD FACILITIES

MAKE PLAYING MORE

ENJOYABLE.

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FC Internazionale Milano combine thissort of local approach with wide-ranginggrassroots activities on the world stage.Roberto Samaden, head of grassrootsdevelopment at the Inter academy, out-lined how the Italian club contributes tolocal football by bringing youngsters intothe game in the 5-7 age bracket, by let-ting them play at four training centres inMilan and organising, every Sunday, tour-naments involving teams from other foot-ball schools based in Milan and the Lom-bardy region. In terms of player develop-ment, the priority has been to enhancethe quality of training at the 53 affiliatedclubs which form the Inter networkthroughout Italy. In the meantime, the

Not all clubs have the resources forsuch far-reaching global projects. But, in Hamburg, the clearly delivered message was that synergies betweenprofessional clubs and grassroots projects are mutually beneficial. As former German international HansiMüller commented after reviewing VfB Stuttgart’s involvement with grass-roots development in a 200km radiuscatchment area, “apart from buildingties with the clubs, this is also enor-mously positive for the players whousually take a different perspective ontheir ‘star status’ when they are broughtclose to the realities of life in the community which supports the club”.

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STARSIN THEIR EYES

IN HAMBURG, THERE WAS TIME FOR A BIT OF STARGAZING. BUT NOT THE IDLE VARIETY.

HUNDREDS OF EYES WERE TRAINED ON THE GRASSROOTS STAR SYSTEM AND THE MOVEMENTS

WITHIN IT. THERE WAS ALSO A SPECIAL FOCUS ON OFFERING ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE

TO THE 16 NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS WHICH WERE NOT SEEING STARS – THOSE WHICH, AT THAT POINT,

HAD STILL NOT BECOME SIGNATORIES TO THE UEFA GRASSROOTS CHARTER.

UEF

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SEVEN UEFA MEMBER

ASSOCIATIONS SIGNED THE

GRASSROOTS CHARTER

AT THE UEFA CONGRESS IN

COPENHAGEN IN MARCH.

But time has not stood still. Since Hamburg, there have been furthermovements in the grassroots galaxy.While the Grassroots Newsletter isbeing printed, UEFA’s Executive Com-mittee will be reviewing applicationsfrom Georgia, Romania and Slovakia forone-star status. If approved, they willbring the membership total to 40 andallow the target set for the 2009/10

season to be achieved with time tospare. Only 13 stars are not yet visiblein the UEFA galaxy and, with furtherapplications currently under review,there could be more ‘a star is born’announcements in coming months.

At the same time, there have beenmovements deeper within the star system, with the Executive Committeeexamining applications for further starsfrom the Czech Republic, Faroe Islands,Moldova, Russia, Switzerland, Turkeyand Wales. If ratified, they will increaseto 21 the number of associations whohave progressed beyond one-star sta-tus – a figure within touching distanceof the target of 25 set for 2009/10.

Although the statistics are heartening,there was a sneaking suspicion thatmore associations could have movedon from one-star status but for theirperception of the star system. One-starrecognition was based on grassrootsphilosophy, structures and programmesfor both players and leaders. The fouradditional stars were originally num-bered and, although it was alwaysstressed that they could be obtained in any order, there was a temptation to equate the system with the hotelsector where, for example, four-star status can only be reached after

acquiring stars 2 and 3. As it happens,star 2 in the Grassroots Charter was the one related to social and disabilityprogrammes which, for reasons dis-cussed elsewhere in this issue, can beproblematical for some associations. In point of fact, of the 21 which haveprogressed beyond one-star status, 11have obtained the social and disabilityprogrammes star based on the criteriaof establishing a minimum of four programmes – two in each category.

To avoid any danger of caution or misinterpretation, the four advancedlevel stars are no longer numbered.They are simply recognised by an initial: P for promotion and growth, R for registered participants, S for social and disability programmes, andW for women’s and girls’ participation.So, having acquired one-star status, an association can next aim at one ormore of P, R, S or W. End of story.

Star P is based on a minimum of fourpromotional grassroots events and at least a 0.1% growth in the numbersparticipating. Norway set the bench-mark with 128,993 at four events anda growth of 0.22.

Star R is pegged to the number of reg-istered players: at least 2% of the pop-Sp

orts

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ulation or 400,000 in the larger asso-ciations. Again, Norway is the paceset-ter with 10.8% followed by Germany(8.14%) and the Netherlands (7.2%).

Star S is mentioned above and, finally, Star W is based on a minimumof 3% of registered players beingwomen or girls. Surprise, surprise! Norway leads with 27.9% followed by Denmark with 19% and Germanywith 14.2%.

Talking about Denmark, DBU youthdevelopment coach Thomas Slosarichrevealed that a similar star system isbeing implanted with a view to motivat-ing clubs to offer better environmentsfor grassroots players. “We’ve tried toadapt the UEFA system to our 1,600grassroots clubs,” he said. “It’s a six-yearproject built with seven bricks: creatinga good, safe environment, levels of participation, coach education (we’refocusing on making activities appeal-ing), loyalty to the principles of football,numbers of club members, good prac-tice concepts, and the development of referees as ‘game conductors’ withclubs organising courses of at least nine

hours. Winning stars is a good promo-tion for the clubs, it gives them targetsand incentives, and it promotes healthycompetition with the neighbours!”

UEFA’s Grassroots Charter is nowadvancing in other directions – one of them the provision of funding tohelp associations which attain one-starstatus. A re-evaluation procedure hasbeen established whereby an asso-ciation which does not add to its starsduring a three-year period will have its grassroots status reassessed. Andthe star system has moved upwards to another level.

Shortly after the Grassroots Charter was kick-started with the ratification of five one-star members in 2005,Andy Roxburgh wrote in his editorial for the Grassroots Newsletter “Aim forthe moon and, even if you miss, you’llland among the stars. That is an oldmaxim that challenges you to be thebest you can be. Therefore, specificallyfor highfliers in grassroots development,sixth and seventh star classifications will be created. To get the sixth star an association will need to have the

previous five and provide proof of special investments in grassroots, high-level training programmes for playersand coaches, a well-developed infra-structure, education through footballschemes, and imaginative promotionalactivities.” Just over three years later,that has become reality.

The charter has now escalated to the‘superior’ level with applications for asixth star from England, Finland, Ger-many, the Netherlands, Norway, Scot-land and Ukraine submitted for ratifica-tion to UEFA’s Executive Committee.

The sixth star is awarded for progres-sive, highly developed programmesover and above the requirements forfive-star status in key areas such asspecial investments in grassroots, infrastructure, educational and trainingprogrammes, and promotional activi-ties. England’s application for six-starstatus, for example, also featured anew strategic plan, the recruitment andeducation of specialist grassroots staff,a programme of teachers’ courses, various initiatives in the developmentof futsal, substantial investments inregional and school football, an inno-vative project aimed at establishing anationwide network of ‘sports villages’,and much, much more. In fact the ten-page overview prepared by The FAto back their application for a sixth star would make several stories in their own right.

With six-star players already on theteam sheet, one of the next steps inthe evolution of the Grassroots Charterwill be to launch the seventh star intothe galaxy as a form of recognisingexceptionally comprehensive grass-roots programmes. At the same time,UEFA will be continually reviewing itsown contribution and trying to offereven more incentives for national asso-ciations to keep stars in their eyes.

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UEFARoute de Genève 46CH-1260 NyonSwitzerlandPhone +41 848 00 27 27Fax +41 22 707 27 34uefa.com

Union des associationseuropéennes de football

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