Oslo shows way forward

By Pete Sanderson in Oslo

UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh concluded the 5th UEFA Grassroots Course in Oslo by declaring it "the best ever grassroots conference in UEFA history".

Sharing ideas
The course, which ran from Monday to Friday last week, provided the grassroots coaches from UEFA's 52 member nations with the perfect opportunity to share their latest coaching and development ideas and Roxburgh admitted he was delighted with the presentations he had seen.

Practical sessions
"It has been a memorable week," said Roxburgh. "Not only have we learnt a lot from the presentations done by some of the leading figures in grassroots football across Europe, we have also learnt a lot from the practical sessions we have seen.

Wonderful hosts
"I would like to thank the Norwegian Football Association," continued Roxburgh. "They have made us feel very much at home and we can all learn so much about the structure of their grassroots set-up. We had the honour of visiting some of their famous mini-pitches and everyone was incredibly impressed with what they saw."

Moving moment
UEFA's technical director, who has played a vital role in the success of the grassroots game across Europe, also paid a special tribute to guest speaker Stig Martin Sandvik who gave a moving insight into playing for and being a team leader at Lillestrøm SK in the Norwegian disabled league.

Hard work
"There have been some fantastic speeches but I will never forget the moment Stig took to the stage to talk about his passion for the game," said Roxburgh. "People like Stig make all our hard work seem worthwhile. He is living proof that football is more than just an activity. It can play a crucial role in all our lives whether it be to make us happy, to make friends or to keep us healthy."

Disabled strategy
As well as an in-depth look at disabled football strategies from Jeff Davis and Kelly Simmons from the English Football Association and some captivating discussion groups on various grassroots issues, Spike Hill, assistant director of coaching at the Irish Football Association, spoke of the rise of the grassroots game in Northern Ireland, where they are currently undergoing the biggest sporting development programme in the country's history.

Impressive ratio
"We only have a population of 1.6 million," said Hill, who has been instrumental in the significant increase in the sport's popularity in his country. "But out of that population we have over 108,000 participants. The growth of the grassroots game has also helped raise the profile of our national team who sell out for every home game and took an incredible 6,000 fans to our recent draw with Wales."

Rousing speech
UEFA vice-president Per Ravn Omdal, who handed over a cheque of €390,050 to the Danish Cross Cultures Project Association [CCPA] on behalf of European football's governing body, completed the course by urging the grassroots coaches to set targets in their quest to increase the mass participation in football.

'Important role'
"We must set ourselves targets for every group in the grassroots game," said Omdal, who is eager to see the eleven-a-side game eliminated from the sport for children under 12. "Coaches must also remember two key points. Firstly, it is vital when we build these mini-pitches that they are located as close to the houses where the children live so they have easy access. Secondly, football has a very important role in society which is why we must make sure all the sessions are fun. If we do that then our game can only get stronger and stronger."