Plane sailing for trophy tour

UEFA Cup fever has taken flight at Eindhoven Airport as part of the ongoing trophy tour around the Dutch city, venue for this year's final.

'It's beautiful'
The famous cup was given a prominent position at the airport's entrance and passengers from across Europe were eager to take advantage of the opportunity to get up close and personal with the prestigious prize. Roberto Canestrari, an Italian en route to Pavia with members of his volleyball team, could not resist the chance to get a photo. "It's beautiful," he said. "It's not every day you get an opportunity to see a cup like that."

Specialist security
The trophy tour has also taken in the Robo Ludens robot festival in the city's Beursgebouw and the Heuvel Galerie shopping centre. The aim is to give as many people as possible the chance to catch a glimpse of the distinctive silverware, which is guarded by a specialist security company and will end up, after the 10 May final, in the hands of Middlesbrough FC, FC Steaua Bucuresti, FC Schalke 04 or Sevilla FC.

'Fantastic afternoon'
A key part of the tour has been to take the cup to a number of amateur sides. The latest club to receive a visit was VV DOSL from the town of Leende in the Eindhoven suburbs. "It was a fantastic afternoon," DOSL youth co-ordinator Patrick Oomen told uefa.com. About 130 young players were involved in a special activity which saw a football pitch divided into 31 squares in the model of the typical Dutch Ganzebord game. In each section, the youngsters either had to try a football skill or answer a question about the game. They were watched by UEFA Cup ambassador, and Leende native, Hans van Breukelen.