Last words from Limassol
Thursday, December 1, 2005
Article summary
The 8th UEFA Youth Conference in Cyprus was rounded off by UEFA Executive Committee member Marios N Lefkaritis who gave the final presentation of the event.
Article body
'Lifeblood of the game'
Lefkaritis, also honorary life president of the Cypriot Football Association, opened by saying: "Youth football has, does and will always play a significant role in the football family. The UEFA EXCO considers youth and grassroots football to be the lifeblood of the game. Without youth football, there is no football at all."
Significant changes
He then looked at the changes UEFA has implemented in its youth competitions over the last decade. In 1997, the dates of birth that determine player eligibility were altered from 1 August to 1 January to bring them in line with FIFA competitions, while team squads were increased by two to 18 the same year.
Recent improvements
In 2001/02 the tournaments became Under-17 and U19 events rather than U16 and U18 finals, and a new structure - involving two qualifying rounds and a final tournament with eight teams and semi-finals - was implemented the next year. In 2003/04 an extra rest day was introduced between Matchdays 2 and 3 at the final tournaments, and an Elite round draw took place on Wednesday for the 2005/06 competition, another innovation.
Illustrious names
Lefkaritis moved on to talk about the champions at U16 and U18 levels over the past decade, naming five stars of youth competitions who have gone on to greatness - Thierry Henry and Michael Owen, who appeared in the 1996 U16 finals, and Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo who were both involved at U17 level four years ago.
Route for change
He also explained the procedure for making changes to the tournaments. Proposals from UEFA's Youth and Amateur Football Committee will be considered by Chief Executive Lars-Christer Olsson, before the EXCO has the final say on whether they come into force or not. UEFA, he said, has invested and will continue to invest in youth football, both in competitions and in education in the shape of conferences, courses and workshops.
UEFA's mission
"Our mission is the development of young players through international competitions and educational activities," he said by way of conclusion. "We should aim to produce better players and excellent young people. I look forward to the next decade with great anticipation."
