Trio of projects get green light
Friday, July 9, 2004
Article summary
UEFA's HatTrick Board has approved projects in Romania, F.Y.R. Macedonia and Greece.
Article body
Approved projects
The approval of the three projects means that 26 projects, costing a total of €25.6m, have so far been approved by the Board under the UEFA HatTrick investment programme scheme. The HatTrick programme was launched in August 2003 and will run until 2008. It aims to assist UEFA's member associations with the funding of projects designed to develop and improve their footballing infrastructures.
Three main elements
There are three main elements to the programme: direct financial support in the form of one-off grants, payments for the construction of mini-pitches as part of the UEFA Golden Jubilee celebrations, and assistance with education courses.
Mini-pitch projects
At its meeting in Portugal, the HatTrick Board approved mini-pitch projects submitted by the FAs of Denmark, Ukraine, Russia and Greece. Each of the projects will cost €668,000, and it means that nine mini-pitch projects totalling €5.6m have so far been approved.
Grassroots philosophy
The mini-pitch scheme aims to encourage each of UEFA's 52 member associations to build one mini-pitch before the end of 2004, offering financial assistance to the associations for their construction. The pitches are part of UEFA's grassroots philosophy of enabling people to play football anywhere and at anytime, especially in built-up areas.
