Surkis predicts good times at finals

Football Federation of Ukraine president Grigoriy Surkis said Ukrainian football was "living in a renaissance period" when FC Shakhtar Donetsk strode to the nation's maiden UEFA Cup success last season. Now, as the Donetsk region prepares to host the country's first UEFA final tournament starting on 21 July, he is looking forward to introducing the "new Blokhins, Belanovs or Shevchenkos" to the world at the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

uefa.com: What does it mean to Ukrainian football to host the 2009 UEFA European U19 Championship?

Grigoriy Surkis: First of all, it means a great deal of trust has been shown in our country. This is the first time in the history of Ukraine that we have had an opportunity to host such a prestigious tournament.

uefa.com: What can we expect?

Surkis: The tournament will be held on a high level, and the participating teams will experience real Ukrainian hospitality. During the tournament I'm looking forward to our country becoming a platform for the discovery of new rising stars – young players from all the teams involved. We have taken the baton from the Czech Republic, where the previous tournament took place and was brilliantly hosted. Ukraine is capable of staging the tournament at a high level as well.

uefa.com: What is special about this competition?

Surkis: This tournament represents an opportunity for young players to discover how far they can go. Every previous tournament has helped launch new stars. It is hard to overestimate the importance of this tournament for young players.

uefa.com: Which Ukrainian players should we look out for?

Surkis: I think this tournament is capable of unleashing new players to the world, perhaps new Blokhins, Belanovs or Shevchenkos. Historically our country has been rich in talent and I could draw attention to any one of our boys – they all deserve a good word without exception. This is an opportunity for our players to demonstrate their professional abilities and personal qualities, to act as a unit for the Ukrainian team, and of course to show their qualities to our rather demanding audience, the Ukrainian supporters, and achieve their goals.

uefa.com: What steps are being taken to encourage the game at youth and grassroots levels in Ukraine?

Surkis: It is not just about what is happening at present or what has been done in the last few years, because we also look optimistically to the future. The Football Federation of Ukraine, together with the regional associations and the ministries of education and sports, is constantly working to engage more and more young people in football, to distract them from vices such as drugs, crime, alcohol and other temptations. We are very optimistic about the future of Ukrainian youth.

uefa.com: How will hosting a tournament like this help encourage youth participation in football in Ukraine?

Surkis: UEFA has set a target of attracting between 40,000 and 50,000 spectators to the games, which gave us an incentive and is also a stimulus for young people. They will see the example of our national team and those from abroad and ask: "If they can achieve so much by becoming part of the national squad, why can't we do the same?" So this is a signal for young people starting out in football today – professional or not – to encourage them to grow, be more creative and possibly get into the national team.