UEFA HatTrick: an A-Z guide of how the EURO supports European football
Thursday, June 10, 2021
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All 26 national associations involved in EURO 2020 – either as participants and/or hosts –benefit from a development programme that channels a significant proportion of European Championship revenues back into the game.
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As a non-profit organisation, UEFA is committed to reinvesting as much as possible of the revenue generated by its national team and club competitions into the development of the game. No single UEFA event contributes more to the governing body’s mission than the EURO.
Since 2004, European Championships have funded the HatTrick development programme, by which UEFA annually distributes an average of €195 million to Europe’s 55 national associations. The money supports a wide variety of football development activities, such as improving infrastructure, supporting women’s football, kick-starting social responsibility activities, and running coach and referee courses.
By 2024, HatTrick will have channelled a cumulative €2.6 billion into projects across the continent – making it one of the largest solidarity initiatives in sport.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin:
“I want to emphasise what many fans don’t know. UEFA distributes the vast majority of its revenue back into the game.”
The programme’s contribution to the long-term welfare of European football has rarely been clearer than during the past two seasons, when clubs, leagues and associations struggled to cope with lost revenue due to fewer matches and reduced ticket sales. After reassuring associations in April 2020 about its next four-year HatTrick commitment (equivalent to €775.5 million from 2020 to 2024), UEFA extraordinarily released a total €236.5 million for members to invest in protecting their national game.
Given there are 26 associations either participating in or hosting EURO 2020 matches, UEFA.com has compiled an A–Z guide highlighting just a few of the projects that might not have happened without the availability of HatTrick funding.
A is for the artificial pitches...
...that ensure more Romanian footballers at amateur and grassroots level can continue to train and play competitively throughout their country’s harsh winters.
B is for bilingual Biel...
...a French- and German-speaking city in Switzerland, selected to host a national women’s youth academy. It will offer leading 13–15 year-old Swiss players a chance to nurture their talent, at the same time as continuing school.
C is for certified coach educators...
...selected by Sweden’s national association to ensure the country’s high number of registered players receive quality coaching wherever they live. Specialist skills include fitness, behavioural science and goalkeeping.
D is for Dragon Park in Newport...
...one of two national development centres built in Wales to improve player and coaching standards. With the National Centre for Welsh Football at Colliers Park, Wrexham, these state of the art facilities have helped the national teams qualify for European competitions.
E is for Channel 11 (Canal 11)...
...a television channel set up by Portugal’s football federation in 2019 to promote national football through live matches, exclusive interviews and social responsibility features promoting inclusion, diversity and accessibility.
F is for "Football with a Heart"...
...a campaign organised by the Czech Republic’s national association to raise awareness of football’s role in integrating marginalised communities into society.
G is for "Give for Grassroots"...
...a support fund launched by the Scottish Football Association that enabled football fans to help grassroots clubs continue to provide for children in local communities during the pandemic.
H is for the Hasan Doğan...
...national team training centre and education facilities near Istanbul in Turkey, renovated in 2008 and named after the late former president of the Turkish Football Federation.
I is for the infrastructure...
...that Azerbaijan’s national association is building to support the growth of elite and youth football for women and men outside the capital of Baku. Projects include the reconstruction of the Shamakhi City Stadium, located on the ancient Silk Road.
J is for Jyväskylä...
...in central Finland, site of one of three Regional Centres of Excellence that have strongly supported the development of clubs and players. Finland’s national association is targeting one trained coach for every player in the country.
K is for Kherson...
...one of nine Ukrainian regions where newly built mini-pitches are bringing together local communities. The initiative means football lies at the heart of Vinnytsia, Donetsk, Kherson, Zakarpattia, Zaporizhia, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Zhytomyr.
L is for the upgrade of lighting and sound...
...at Wembley stadium in England to comply with EURO 2020 requirements and improve the experience for broadcasters and fans.
M is for making football more fun...
...the French Football Federation’s efforts to create more opportunities for clubs to offer two less traditional forms of the game: futsal and five-a-side, a popular past-time in France.
N is for "Nobody offside"...
...Belgium’s national association project that gives people with disabilities more opportunities to play the beautiful game.
O is for "Outside Must Be Onside"...
...or ‘Draußen muss drin sein’ - a petition started by the German Football Association, in partnership with the national Olympic Sports Confederation, encouraging fans to sign up in support of amateur sports, badly hit by the pandemic.
P is for the 39 penitentiary institutions...
...that, thanks to a project funded by the Spanish national association, will develop football academies to help rehabilitate prisoners. Over 800 inmates will train as football instructors and 700 as referees.
Q is for qualification for EURO 2020...
...the North Macedonian association’s achievement of its long-term goal thanks to strategic investment in better training facilities and stadiums throughout the country.
R is for RETE! network...
...events run by the Italian Football Federation to promote the integration of vulnerable communities into society. To date, the initiative has benefited 2,600 foreign minors, young adults, immigrants and people under humanitarian protection.
S is for specialised sports schools...
...in Russia equipped with brand-new football pitches, part of the national association’s efforts to increase national participation levels in football.
T is for the 7,000 teachers...
...trained to ensure football is an integral part of Hungary’s national school curriculum. Introducing football to girls and boys and their parents early is key to the national association’s drive to increase participation levels across the country.
U is for "Football Unites Us"...
...or (‘Łączy Nas Piłka’), a project that uses technology to help Poland’s national association increase participation levels. It includes a TV channel for children and parents, e-learning courses for coaches and a website for a new amateur league.
V is for the VAR system...
...that will be introduced for every game in Slovakia’s top division from the 2022/23 season thanks to the purchase of VAN vehicles equipped with video operating rooms and VAR cameras in stadiums.
W is for wet weather...
...in Croatia in September 2020, which required the urgent renovation of leading club’s football pitches, including the installation of drainage and pitch heating systems.
X is for 'xercise sessions...
...that the Danish football association is introducing to attract more 30–50 year-old men and women to take up football. Other initiatives target teenagers, football volunteers, young girls and socially disadvantaged communities.
Y is for youth football...
...in Austria, where the national association has closed a gap in the women’s football pyramid by creating a clear pathway for talented 14–19 year-olds to develop and progress to the national team.
Z is for Zeist...
...location of a football campus built by the Royal Netherlands Football Association to host training camps for all national teams, a sports medical centre, educational conferences and Dutch football stakeholders, including the professional league.