Development tournaments helping young players

UEFA is making a significant contribution to the progress of young boy and girl footballers throughout Europe thanks to its international development tournaments, which are playing a key role in helping youngsters gain a real taste of a competitive environment.

In response to feedback received from the member associations, and following a pilot phase in 2012, the tournaments have gone from strength to strength, with boys' and girls' events staged across the continent. The Under-16 age category has been selected as UEFA believes this is a crucial phase in a player's development route. Such friendly matches, as well as the preparation involved, are vital in facilitating the process of player development.

The tournaments are true learning experiences for the youngsters – not just technically but also in personal terms, allowing them to share the experience with peers from other countries. In 2014 so far, 12 boys' and nine girls' tournaments have taken place, with two more on the horizon – in Bosnia and Herzegovina (girls' U16s, 16–20 June) and Slovenia (boys' and girls' U16s, 20–29 June).

The U16 development tournaments are also designed to prepare the way for players to move into the U17 age group, where European competition begins in earnest. In addition, coaches can test players, referees also acquire invaluable experience, and some national associations get an initial flavour of organising an international competition.

The tournaments have received glowing references from national associations, coaches and technical experts. One was held in FYROM recently, with the host nation being joined by Armenia, Cyprus and Georgia.

"I can say they are enormously important, these UEFA development tournaments, especially from a sporting point of view," said the president of the Football Association of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FFM), Ilcho Gjorgioski. "They are a great idea. The players are given the opportunity to exchange ideas, information and knowledge with the coaches, and also the chance to make new friends in the course of these seven days."

"All the players are always very enthusiastic about their first experience on the international stage, and they are very excited to face the unknown," reflected Cyprus coach Renos Demetriades. "It's an extra motivation for them. They see what level they are at in comparison with other teams. And it helps them improve their football experience.”

The players themselves relish the learning curve. "At these tournaments we already feel like professionals, like true sportsmen," explained FYROM's Davor Zdravkovski. "But that doesn't mean anything. We are still developing, we need to learn and train a lot, and with the help of tournaments like this we will become what we aim to be."

Those involved also believe UEFA's development tournaments can help young players make progress off the pitch. "Of course, we do not have opportunities like this in Georgia to gather together, or sleep or train together, very often," said Georgia coach Gocha Tkebuchava. "So here friendships are built, the friendship between team members. It is important that our goal is to raise not only good footballers but good personalities as well, good people, so that they play for Georgia in the future, for example in the U17, U19 and U21 teams and of course the national team. This is our goal."

"It's important for every single player – we have boys who are young 'stars' in our U17 Armenian league. One is top scorer for example and in a tournament like this he will be able to rate his level," said Armenia coach Bernard Challandes. "Here you will see that there is a world between the U17 Armenian league and international level." There is something for everyone to make use of in UEFA's development tournaments.