How Women’s U17 EURO 2025 will leave its mark in the Faroe Islands

With a population of around just 55,000, the Faroe Islands already punches above its weight in the footballing world. Participation levels are high, despite the limited playing pool.

For the Faroe Islands Football Association (FSF), hosting the UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championship provides a valuable opportunity to build on that platform. Through a dedicated legacy plan, it aims to leverage the tournament to supercharge its women’s youth talent pathway, which includes 136 girls aged 13-16, through both technical and non-footballing initiatives.

Welcoming Europe’s most talented

During the tournament, the FSF is making the most of welcoming some of Europe’s best young female footballers by inviting its talent pathway squads to Q&A sessions with players and coaches from participating national associations, providing them with a glimpse of what to expect as their careers progress.

In addition, special observation sessions during the semi-finals will see the talent pathway members guided through technical and tactical analysis as they watch the matches.

The legacy plan – which is being delivered with the help of UEFA funding – stretches long beyond the tournament’s final whistle, too. The FSF aims to create individual development plans for all its women’s talent pathway members over the next three years, starting with the current Under-14 squad.

The Faroe Islands is preparing to host a UEFA final tournament for the first timeFSF

A holistic approach

There remain social stigmas attached to girls playing football in the Faroe Islands, while many young people start part-time work from the age of 15, both limiting playing opportunities. The legacy plan aims to help tackle these issues by engaging parents and employers of players in the talent pathway.

Looking beyond technical development, the FSF is producing education sessions on subjects including nutrition, balancing football with work, mental health and opportunities in football abroad. These sessions can be rolled out if training sessions are cancelled due to bad weather – a common occurrence in the North Atlantic.

Guidance on creating optimal training environments is also being produced for Faroese coaches, so that young female players from all over the country – not just in the talent pathway – are more regularly able to maximise their potential.