Austrian youngsters flock to local clubs

In the year Austria and Switzerland co-hosted UEFA EURO 2008, the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) and its partner McDonald's launched an innovative scheme to make it easier for children and young people interested in football – and their parents – to find their local club.

Since October 2008, key information on more than 2,200 clubs has been available on the website superklub.at. By entering their age and location, keen young footballers can discover where their nearest club is with a click of the mouse – obtaining all essential contact details, including the phone number and email address of the youth coordinator and youth coach.

The scheme has proved extremely popular. Alfred Ludwig, chief executive of the ÖFB, said: "In October alone there were almost 54, 000 hits on the superklub website, which proves that children and their parents use this platform. The search for young players is a high priority for us. In times when there is a wide range of hobbies to choose from, the ÖFB has to stay on the ball to make football attractive to children and young people. That is why our new slogan is, 'Come and play with us – find your club!'"

Happily, Austrian youngsters are still taking up football. Since the excitement of UEFA EURO 2008, and a high-water mark of about 25,000 newly registered boys and girls, the take-up rate has remained strong. Approximately 20,000 children had registered with clubs nationwide in the eight months leading up to September 2009. Ludwig added: "This is very impressive and we need to carry on working hard to ensure that children and young people continue to take a keen interest in football."

Three national-team players are the faces of the campaign. Daniel Beichler, Erwin Hoffer and Christoph Leitgeb feature in the advertising drive, the photographs for which were taken during an Austria training session in Burgenland.