Giving something back

Former Portuguese international Paulo Sousa, who won the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs (Juventus and BV Borussia Dortmund), has been a UEFA grassroots ambassador for many years. Paulo and fellow professionals, such as Sergei Aleinikov from Belarus, Hansi Müller from Germany, Zvonimir Boban from Croatia, Dariusz Dziekanowski from Poland and Gabriel Calderón from Argentina, have helped to promote UEFA's grassroots programme by attending courses, conferences and events around our major finals.

Genuine commitment
For these elite former players, investing in the foundation level of the game has been a genuine commitment, and Paulo speaks on behalf of other stars when he says: "It is all about responsibility – top players have a responsibility to give something back to the game, because the game gave everything to us." There is no doubt that professional players, former and current, have the power to energise the footballing dreams of the next generation and to influence the development of young people. With the involvement of legendary players (eg Pelé, Platini, Beckenbauer), or even local heroes, the impact can be even greater.

Zidane's support
Zinédine Zidane comes into this special category and his willingness to use his name and reputation to support worthy causes and to appear at grassroots events is admirable. As an ambassador for the European Leukodystrophy Association, the former FIFA World Player of the Year was in Monaco a few months ago to collect a cheque from UEFA for CHF 1 million (€619,000) for a children's charity which he has represented for the last eight years. In addition, the French playmaker has assisted the United Nations with humanitarian projects which target the needs of children. But social responsibility is only part of the equation – there is also an engagement in grassroots events, and the former Real Madrid maestro was in great form prior to the (UEFA) EURO 2008™ final in Vienna when he took part in a small-sided game with starry-eyed youngsters at an adidas fan park.

Casillas in Peru
Meanwhile, across town, a former team-mate was preparing for European glory and a grassroots trip to Peru. Iker Casillas, the captain of Spain's championship winners in 2008, was on his way to play football with disadvantaged children in the remote mountain region of Patabamba, Peru, just ten days after his EURO triumph at the Ernst Happel Stadium. In the company of former Real goalscoring great Emilio Butragueño, the humble Spanish goalkeeper presented 100 signed footballs to the local youngsters and offered his backing to much-needed community projects.

Water the grassroots
The importance of using grassroots football as a vehicle for both sporting and social causes cannot be overestimated, and clubs and associations, not just individuals such as Iker Casillas, must accept that they have an obligation to "water the grassroots". Bundesliga club Werder Bremen provides an excellent example of club-initiated community work. "Professional football is unimaginable without grassroots football" and "if we help grassroots football we help ourselves" are just two of the statements which the side from northern Germany proclaim
in support of their philosophy. The Bremen players and coaching staff regularly visit schools and local clubs (100 of each) in order to promote the game and to contribute to social and educational studies.

Turkish FA raise profile
Meanwhile, the Turkish Football Association, through its village grassroots festival (500 children from 81 cities), has mixed social integration with football development. The national coach, Fatih Terim, and former national team players have provided the star quality and raised the profile of the programme. Many in football are active in the grassroots field, but much more needs to be done.

Small-sided games
At UEFA's recent National Coaches Conference, the chairman of the Development Committee, Per Ravn Omdal, used the opportunity to seek help for grassroots football. "I am convinced that future generations of footballers would improve their skills substantially if small-sided games were used more frequently. If you share that opinion, it would be a wonderful message from you, the national team coaches, and a way of inspiring grassroots programmes and player development schemes in your respective countries," said the UEFA Executive Committee member from Norway in his closing speech.

Coaches' and players' role
Coaches and players have a major role to play in fostering the game and motivating young players. In referring to the top level of professional football, Walter Smith, the head coach of Glasgow Rangers, said at a recent coaches' forum: "Today the head coach takes all the responsibility – we need to get players more involved." This also applies to the stars
and their willingness to give something back to the game; a game which, in the view of the exceptionally talented Paulo Sousa, "gave him everything".

This article by UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh appears as the editorial column in the latest UEFA Grassroots Newsletter. Click here to read the publication.