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Under the direction of UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis, the UEFA administration conducts UEFA's business.

Its duties include implementation of the decisions of each UEFA Congress, the UEFA Executive Committee and the President; preparation of congresses and conferences, as well as meetings of the UEFA Executive Committee and other committees; taking minutes of congresses and conferences, as well as of meetings of the UEFA Executive Committee and other committees; execution of UEFA's operational business; keeping the books of UEFA, and public relations work.

UEFA's administration is based at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland, which was inaugurated on 22 September 1999 and officially opened for work on 5 October 1999. UEFA had known several homes before the House of European Football – Paris until 1959; the Swiss federal capital, Berne, until 1995, with two moves within the city in 1962 and 1974; and provisional offices in Nyon between 1995 and September 1999.

The La Clairière building was opened in 2010
The La Clairière building was opened in 2010©UEFA.com

In October 2010, a new UEFA administrative building was inaugurated in Nyon. La Clairière is located opposite the House of European Football, and enabled UEFA to bring together some of its staff members who had been based at different sites. Circular in shape, the four-level building meets high ecological and environmental standards. The foundation stone for the building was laid in January 2009.

A third building, Bois-Bougy – which was also constructed with environmental considerations in mind – opened in March 2012.

In April 2010, UEFA highlighted its commitment to its home town of Nyon and further developing European football by taking over the management of the Colovray Sports Centre opposite UEFA's headquarters. The stadium includes a main football pitch – which has been used for training by prominent club and national teams – as well as track and field facilities and a restaurant.

UEFA uses the Colovray complex for its own events, and has also set up a Centre of Refereeing Excellence (CORE) for young match officials.

General Secretary: Theodore Theodoridis

Nationality: Greek
Date of Birth: 1 August 1965
Current UEFA role: General Secretary

Theodore Theodoridis, UEFA General Secretary
Theodore Theodoridis, UEFA General Secretary©UEFA.com

• Athens-born Theodore Theodoridis joined UEFA in January 2008 as director of the national associations division, with his main role being to support the 55 UEFA member associations in the overall development of football from both a strategic and operational perspective.

• Theodoridis, who is married with two children, was appointed UEFA Deputy General Secretary in October 2010. "My whole career has been in football," he says, "and not a day goes by when I do not recognise that as a great privilege. For me, it is an exhilarating game – full of last-minute surprises, spectacular skills and intense competition."

• Prior to joining UEFA, Theodoridis was a member of the board of the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) in his native Greece, and served as head of international relations with the association until December 2007. During this time, he played a crucial role in the country's football development, which culminated in Greece winning UEFA EURO 2004.

• Theodoridis served on the UEFA Club Competitions Committee (1998–2000) and was third vice-chairman of the same committee (2007–09). He was also a member of the UEFA Stadium & Security Committee (2000–04) before becoming vice-chairman of this committee (2004–07).

Previous UEFA roles
UEFA Club Competitions Committee (member 1998–2000, third vice-chairman 2007–09)
UEFA Stadium & Security Committee (member 2000–04, vice-chairman 2004–07)
Director, National Associations Division (2008–16)
Deputy General Secretary (2010–16)
General Secretary ad interim (March–September 2016)

Finance

UEFA's Finance division is responsible for managing the overall accounting, treasury, controlling and financial reporting of UEFA and its affiliated companies. It delivers value through operating efficiently and effectively supports other divisions in financial matters proactively.

The Finance division plays an important role in safeguarding UEFA's assets to minimise risk of financial loss. Duties also include managing internal controls to mitigate risk; creating and presenting relevant and unbiased financial reports to internal and external parties such as national associations. IT financial reporting tools provide high-quality information that support UEFA's strategic management initiatives such as strategic financial outlook, budgets and forecasts.

Reports

2021/22 UEFA Financial Report
2021/22 UEFA Financial Report – annex
2020/21 UEFA Financial Report
2020/21 UEFA Financial Report – annex
2019/20 UEFA Financial Report
2019/20 UEFA Financial Report – annex
2018/19 UEFA Financial Report

2018/19 UEFA Financial Report – annex
2017/18 UEFA Financial Report

2017/18 UEFA Financial Report – annex
2016/17 UEFA Financial Report
2016/17 UEFA Financial Report – annex
2015/16 UEFA Financial Report
2015/16 UEFA Financial Report – annex
2014/15 UEFA Financial Report
2014/15 UEFA Financial Report – annex
2013/14 UEFA Financial Report
2013/14 UEFA Financial Report – annex
2012/13 UEFA Financial Report
2012/13 UEFA Financial Report – annex

Competitions

Over six decades, UEFA's competitions have enthralled spectators, produced a catalogue of matches and goals to remember, highlighted the talents of countless brilliant men and women footballers, and given endless proof of why football is the most popular sport in the world.

Italy celebrate winning UEFA EURO 2020
Italy celebrate winning UEFA EURO 2020©Getty Images

UEFA stages elite tournaments such as the UEFA European Championship and the top club competitions, through the competitions for youth and amateur players, to futsal tournaments and the flourishing competitions for women and girls.

The UEFA European Championship is among the top sporting spectacles worldwide, along with the FIFA World Cup and Summer Olympic Games. The final round, held every four years, and featuring 24 teams from 2016, sees many of Europe's best footballers on show in a glittering celebration of national team football and national footballing identities.

A new national team competition kicked off in September 2018. The UEFA Nations League reflects the wish of UEFA and its 55 member associations to enhance the quality and standing of national team football across the continent.

In 2022, UEFA and CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation, launched the Finalissima, a special match pitting the winners of the European Championship against the Copa América champions, with Argentina triumphing over Italy in London. More joint events are planned in women's youth and futsal competitions.

UEFA's three major men's club competitions, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League, not only have irresistible appeal for the fans, they are also greatly attractive in commercial terms. The Champions League trophy is the silverware that the top players in the world want to win, as the competition has become the blue-riband global club football spectacle. The Europa League has made its mark in a few short years as a result of its diversity and broad geographical sweep of clubs, while the Europa Conference League opened up European competition to even more teams while offering excitement at every stage.

The UEFA Super Cup brings together the previous season's winners of the two top club competitions in a showpiece occasion which heralds the start of each new campaign.

The UEFA Europa League trophy, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Champions League trophy
The UEFA Europa League trophy, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Champions League trophy©Getty Images

Many of the players who take part in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship for national teams have already gained experience in the UEFA club competitions, and a select few are knocking on the door for inclusion in their senior national teams. The competition has established itself as an attraction for fans in its own right.

The superstars of tomorrow are ripe for discovery in the male youth competitions, the UEFA European Under-19 Championship and UEFA European Under-17 Championship. The U19 competition has featured a host of players that have gone on to fame and glory in the following years, while the U17 event offers an exciting first glimpse of youthful footballing talent.

UEFA has also given young players a fresh initiative to shine through the launching in 2013/14 of the UEFA Youth League. The first two trial seasons featured the youth teams of the 32 participating clubs in the UEFA Champions League group stage. From 2015/16, the UEFA Youth League became a permanent UEFA competition and was extended to 64 teams, enabling the inclusion of youth domestic champions.

Amateur players are not forgotten in UEFA's competition portfolio. The UEFA Regions' Cup involves regional teams comprising players who relish the opportunity to perform on the European stage.

Futsal is now a successful sector of football with its own clear identity. The national-team Futsal EURO, the final round of which is held every four years, is now attracting record attendances at final-round matches, as well as media coverage and commercial support, and the UEFA Futsal Champions League for club teams is taking on ever-increasing importance, given that futsal is constantly evolving as a sport since its introduction by world body FIFA as a new discipline in 1988. Strategic decisions by UEFA also led to the launching of two new competitions in 2018/19 - the UEFA Women's Futsal EURO and the UEFA Under-19 Futsal EURO.  

The Netherlands won UEFA Women's EURO 2017
The Netherlands won UEFA Women's EURO 2017©Sportsfile

Women's football is turning out to be a fantastic success story, and UEFA's work in this sector has paid handsome dividends, with the women's game striding forward as a sporting and public attraction. Every four years, the top European women players strive for glory in the UEFA European Women's Championship final round, which sees many players become household names and the quality benchmark for women's national team football set higher with each edition.

The top players and many promising youngsters also make their mark at club level each season in the UEFA Women's Champions League, the final of which has a special niche. After being staged for a number of years in the same city as the men's UEFA Champions League final, the match now has its own separate venue, giving the event even greater exposure. 

More and more girls are being attracted to football, and those who have excelled find their way into their national youth teams and potential participation in the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship and UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship. Each edition of the two competitions brings an evolution of tactical and technical skills, and projects the top women's players of the future into the spotlight, as well as providing an important pathway in the young players' development.

 

National Associations

Since its foundation in Basel, Switzerland, on 15 June 1954, the relationship between UEFA and its member national associations has been the cornerstone of UEFA's work in the development of football. In recent years, UEFA has strengthened its relations and dialogue with a growing number of stakeholders, but the bond between the European governing body and its members remains a key priority and is considered unshakeable.

UEFA's name is the Union des Associations Européennes de Football or Union of European Football Associations. As such, the body is an association of associations and works together with, represents, defends the interests of, and provides invaluable assistance to its member associations.

UEFA's member associations represented in paintings in the tunnel between the House of European Football and La Clairière
UEFA's member associations represented in paintings in the tunnel between the House of European Football and La Clairière©UEFA.com

In 1954, UEFA began with 31 members. Today, 55 football associations from across Europe are UEFA members. Large or small, each country can benefit from development funding, expert assistance and guidance. In turn, each association plays a vital role providing input and feedback within UEFA's decision-making process, through representation on UEFA's committees and expert panels. In addition, the associations cooperate in a variety of specific UEFA sectors of activity to exchange information and create football good practices.

UEFA's work both with and for its member associations is centralised within the UEFA National Associations division located at the European House of Football in Nyon, Switzerland. The division, headed by director of national associations Zoran Laković, is the nerve centre for a wide variety of activities and events.

The relationship is a successful and mutually rewarding one – UEFA and its associations work hand in hand for the overall well-being and development of European football.