HatTrick scheme tends the grassroots
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Article summary
UEFA CEO Gerhard Aigner says the new UEFA assistance project will help defend football's interests.
Article body
UEFA Chief Executive Gerhard Aigner says that UEFA's new assistance programme should make a significant contribution in the campaign to nurture football's grassroots.
Overall interests
In his editorial column in the latest issue of the UEFA publication uefadirect, Mr Aigner said that the HatTrick scheme, unveiled at the recent Ordinary UEFA Congress in Rome, would help Europe's football associations to defend the overall interests of the game.
Official goals
UEFA has committed €270m in funding to its 52 national associations via the HatTrick scheme. This sum will cover a four-year period between 1 August next year and 31 July 2008. Financial aid, mini-pitches and education are the official goals of the scheme, the money for which will come from UEFA's expected income from the UEFA EURO 2004™ competition. UEFA expects to generate around €540m from the event.
Principles kept
"UEFA's principle has always been to put the money made by its major competitions back into football," said Mr Aigner. "The new assistance programme not only remains true to this principle, but will also ensure that the money is really spent on developing football and improving its infrastructures.
'New projects'
"All aspects of the HatTrick programme are compatible with these criteria - whether it be grants to cover participation in youth and women's competitions, encouraging the creation of mini-pitches as part of UEFA's golden jubilee, contributing to new projects that meet the requirements laid down in a charter, or financial assistance to set up a club licensing system, a measure which itself is intended to strengthen football."
'Substantial contribution'
Mr Aigner continued: "The HatTrick scheme should make a substantial contribution towards enabling the associations to accomplish their task of controlling and developing football throughout their respective territories and in the general interests of the game. And what better way to defend the general interests than by measures targeting grassroots football in particular."