Luxembourg pulls together

Luxembourg Football Federation (FLF) general secretary Joël Wolff has held another important role over the last year - heading heading the local organising committee for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals, the first such event to be held in the Grand Duchy.

'Much bigger'
There will be 15 games over 12 days in six stadiums from 3-14 May, and Wolff admits that it is one of the biggest tasks ever taken on by the FLF, in a country whose usual big sporting events are an annual international tennis competition and, next year, a section of the Tour de France. "It is our first major tournament here in Luxembourg," Wolff told uefa.com, "It is really an interesting thing for us. We have organised a lot of other games - national team games, mini-tournaments. This is much bigger."

Team effort
Matches will be played in the towns of Mondorf-les-Bains, Dudelange, Hesperange, Ettelbruck and Grevemacher, as well as at the Josy Barthel national stadium in Luxembourg's capital. Putting on the show has been a team effort involving the FLF, the government and local authorities as well as UEFA. "We have some support from he government, and we have lots of nice little stadiums financed by the government," Wolff said. "Throughout the country we have good facilities. We have not needed to improve the stadiums, as the government have given lots of money to the local communities so all the smaller stadiums we have all over the country are in good condition."

Local support
He added: "All the local communities where we play, they are supporting us in organising everything. They will try to use publicity in the town to get local children and everybody to the game." And advertising the tournament is of course vital to ensure that the young footballers of Luxembourg, Spain, Russia, Hungary, Belgium, Serbia and Montenegro, Germany and the Czech Republic get the support they deserve. That more than 20 journalists and eight press photographers attended the draw earlier this month in Mamer is a hopeful sign.

Media interest
"What I think is very important is press coverage," Wolff said. "To have media there. To have coverage on TV, we have done a deal with RTL, to have a magazine programme during the tournament. Newspapers are very interested too, because it is out first tournament in Luxembourg."

Observation
Wolff has had the opportunity to examine how other youth tournaments have been organised, and was present at last July's U19 Championship. "I was in Northern Ireland last year as part of the disciplinary committee, I was there for the whole tournament," he said. "So you have a chance to see everything. What's difficult, what you can also do in Luxembourg."

Promising generation
A big help, of course, will be if the home team upset the odds and make progress. Although their results this year, including draws with the likes of France and Belgium and wins against Northern Ireland and Liechtenstein, are very promising, helped by the success of Luxembourg's thriving football school. "I think it is very important for us," Wolff said.

'Good opportunity'
"I hope we will have some positive results, it will be good for our football in general. Our national team is not doing so well, we do not have the players, but this generation that is coming from our football school, we hope to bring them up, and this tournament is an important thing. This generation have known for two years they would have this tournament. It is is big challenge for them, but also a good opportunity."