Women's club grassroots session

Women's and girl's football in Slovenia can view the future optimistically, judging by the skills and commitment on show at a practical training session staged as part of the UEFA Grassroots Workshop on Thursday.

Some 140 players from the ZNK Radomlje club, ranging from Under-11 to senior level, took part in the session at the impressive sports park in the small town of 1,865 inhabitants, located just over 20 kilometres from Slovenia's capital Ljubljana. Grassroots delegates from UEFA's 54 member associations were joined by the parents and families of the players for an enjoyable celebration of the game.

Training exercises ranged from passing, dribbling and scoring for the Under-11s, through precise passing moves for the U13s, learning and improving technique and speed for the U15s, to tactical game situation preparation for the seniors. The players were thanked and encouraged to continue playing by UEFA grassroots ambassador Per Ravn Omdal.

There are 1,500 registered female players in Slovenia, and 15 women's clubs. National competitions are staged at Under-13 (8 teams, 7 against 7), U15 (12 teams, 7 v 7) and U17 levels (11 teams, 11 v 11). The senior top-flight domestic women's division comprises nine teams, including ZNK Radomlje. The clubs and Football Association of Slovenia (NZK) are working tirelessly to promote women's football through various activities, to attract more women and girls to take up the game.

"We are a very young club, having been founded in 2011, and the number of players has grown gradually. This club is a way of life for us. We want to attract as many girls as possible to play football as a healthy way of living, to help develop them as people, learn about team spirit and respect – and have fun."
Uroš Juračič, club president, ZNK Radomlje