Varied programme in Cannes

The 9th UEFA Elite Youth Football Conference has continued apace with the second day in Cannes focusing on individual associations' youth development programmes, the 2007 final tournaments and a case study of AS Monaco FC's academy.

Case studies
The day opened with a review of Tuesday's proceedings and a preview of the events still to come over the next two days of the conference. The first presentations on Wednesday morning were entitled 'Association Youth Development Programmes' and were conducted by Frank Engel, the head coach of Germany's Under-19 and U-20 national sides, and the technical director of the French Football Federation (FFF) Gérard Houllier.

'Teamwork is everything'
The central message of Engel's presentation, which focused on promoting the elite in German football, was: "Teamwork is the crux of everything." He focused on the long path for young players and their coaches, emphasising the necessity for long-term planning and objectives and explained the German Football Association's ten-point elite programme. Houllier, who took up his current post in October, produced another detailed and in-depth presentation covering the FFF's approach to youth development, its history, its aims, the relationship between the clubs and the national association and more. He echoed Engel's theme, adding: "You can only be successful when you work together."

Tournaments in focus
Next on the agenda were presentations on the promotion and organisation of the 2007 final rounds, with Michel Sablon – the technical director of the Belgian Football Association and the tournament director at last season's UEFA European Under-17 Championship – and Willi Ruttensteiner, who occupies the same position in the Austrian Football Association and at the U19 finals in July, taking to the stage. A variety of topics were covered, including the benefits for the host nation, the preparations involved, other activities around the tournament, how best to secure sponsorship and more.

Discussion groups
The afternoon began with the conference delegates dividing into eight smaller groups to discuss two key questions: their satisfaction with UEFA's youth competitions and the main problems in their individual countries in relation to youth development. "There can be no complacency in youth development," emphasised Andy Roxburgh, UEFA's technical director. "We must be constantly trying to improve."

Monaco example
The conference proceedings were brought to a close for the day by a detailed look at the Monaco academy, presented by Dominique Bijotat, the French club's academy director. In a thorough study of Monaco's policy, Bijotat talked the conference through the club's objectives, recruitment policy, methods, organisation and formation, and their approach to youth development both on and off the pitch. Bijotat finished by considering the evolution of the Monaco project and the list of world champions he offered by way of illustration of the fruits of their work – Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, David Trezeguet and Lilian Thuram, together with a lengthy list of other full internationals – ensured him an enthralled audience throughout.