The value of U17 football

By Luke Williams

Although competitive action is a major aspect of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, the technical development of the young players involved, and the opportunity for them to develop and hone their burgeoning abilities, is the primary objective of the tournament.

Tactical issues
Each year's tournament throws up new tactical issues and areas of interest, and the final round in Denmark last season was no exception. For just the second time in eight tournaments at this level (previously Under-16) an Iberian nation did not lift the title, as Switzerland beat France in the final on penalties.

Technical interest
uefa.com's Paul Nixon attended the 14-day tournament and pointed out several areas of technical interest. "Sides were generally better organised than ever before which was well illustrated by Switzerland's unexpected road to the final," he said. "However, despite the high degree of organisation, an average of more than three goals was scored per match. This not only showed that the will to attack is combined with a high degree of individual skill but also that goalkeepers at this level still need to develop physically as well as mentally before they are ready to play at senior level."

Iberians well placed
The Swiss have not qualified for this year’s tournament, and once again the Iberian nations look well placed, with hosts Portugal and neighbours Spain both in attendance. Having been drawn in separate groups the two countries could even meet in the final – in what would be a repeat of the 1995 U16 showpiece, which the Portuguese won 2-0. "My team are going to do their best," said Portugal coach António Violante. "We know we have some players who are not very experienced in this kind of tournament but we are going to try and compete."

Secret of success
The Iberian dominance of European youth football at this, and other age levels, has not escaped the attention of UEFA technical director Andy Roxburgh. "The first reason for their success is that Spain and Portugal still retain a massive element of street football," Roxburgh said. "Whereas many places like England, Scotland, Germany and Holland years ago had street football but it has died out, Spain and Portugal, maybe because of the weather conditions there, still have a lot of free play."

Organisational element
"You have also got the factor that the clubs have large youth development programmes encouraging these young talents," he added. "Finally, there is an organisational element. The regions scout for the national youth team. The national team coaches see the crème de la crème; they pick out what they want. The selection criteria are interesting. They look for players who are talented and who may be too small but might become a Raúl [González] in the future. In contrast, some teams in Europe have gone for power, organisation and pressing football because their first attitude is to win the youth championships."

Education the priority 
"But interestingly enough, with those two countries, and even France has to be included in this; their first attitude is not to win the youth tournaments," Roxburgh concluded. "The priority is to develop them as people and educate them as technically gifted football players." Amen to that and roll on this year's finals!