Competition format
Thursday 1 March 2007
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The UEFA European Under-17 Championship is open to all 53 UEFA member associations. Formerly the UEFA European Under-16 Championship, the tournament was renamed for the 2001/02 season as a result of changes to player eligibility dates, after being given championship status in 1998/99.
Youth promoted
One of UEFA's priorities has always been to promote youth football. The International Youth Tournament, which was launched by the Football Association of England in 1948, became the second tournament to be played under UEFA's auspices when European football's governing body welcomed it under the continental umbrella in 1956. It was in 1963 that a qualifying round first became necessary when 27 teams entered.
Competition distinction
When youth football was divided into Under-16 and U18 levels in 1980, UEFA insisted on drawing a fine distinction between them. Until 1999, the U16 competition was officially denominated a "tournament" rather than a "championship" to underline the need to prevent young players from being subjected to excessive pressure in over-competitive conditions.
Golden opportunity
That philosophy remains the same today; the tournament is intended to give as many youngsters as possible a golden opportunity to acquire international experience and absorb other cultures. At the same time, by awarding a Fair Play trophy at the end of each tournament, UEFA aims to encourage young players to behave in a sportsmanlike manner from the outset of their careers.
Three-stage competition
Qualification for the eight-team final tournament involves two stages: the qualifying and Elite rounds. Traditionally, the first qualifying round involving groups of four teams is played between August and December, with the top two teams from each group, and two third-placed countries going into the Elite round. This second stage involves seven groups of four teams playing before the end of March with the winner of each section joining the hosts for the final tournament.
Eight-team finals
The eight teams contesting the final tournament are split into two groups of four. The winners and runners-up advance to the semi-finals, with the winners of the two semi-finals qualifying for the final. The tournament counts as the European qualifying competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup whenever the European final round takes place in an uneven year.
Iberian success
Spain have featured prominently in the competition since 1986, winning the U16 trophy six times - including a 1-0 success against France in the 2000/01 final, played in front of more than 30,000 spectators in Sunderland - and took their first U17 title in Belgium in 2007 with a 1-0 win against England. Portugal won the U16 championship four times before being crowned U17 champions in 2003.
Swiss joy
The 2001/02 competition, the first at U17 level, was held in Denmark and gave Switzerland their first win in an international-level UEFA competition following a penalty shoot-out triumph against much-fancied France in the final. The 2002/03 competition was won by hosts Portugal after a 2-1 victory against Spain in a splendid final in Viseu. Spain also lost by the same score to the home side in the 2004 final, France the new champions. Turkey received the trophy in 2004/05, overcoming the Netherlands 2-0 in the final in Italy, and Russia were triumphant a year on in Luxembourg thanks to a penalty shoot-out victory against the Czech Republic.
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