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Hosts prepare warm welcome

Tournament organisers are hoping that July's UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship finals in Iceland can inspire a new generation of footballers.

Tournament organisers are hoping that July's UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship finals in Iceland can help inspire a new generation of footballers.

'Friendly finals'
With just over two weeks to go until the tournament gets under way with matches at four venues in and around the capital Reykjavik, final preparations are being made to welcome the seven sides who will join the hosts for the eleven-day event. Former winners Spain, Germany, France and Denmark will join strong teams from England and Norway as well as the unknown quantity of finals debutants Poland, and tournament director Klara Bjartmarz has high hopes. "We can expect a friendly finals," she said. "The teams will all be staying at the same hotel so there will be a harmonious atmosphere with great facilities."

Inspiration
This is a boon time for women's football in Iceland, with the country's two leagues going through a process of expansion. Though beaten to the 2006 title by Valur Reykjavík, Breidablik reached the last eight of the UEFA Women's Cup last season before losing to eventual winners Arsenal LFC, while at international level Iceland lead their UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ qualifying group after an impressive 1-0 defeat of France having already overcome China in the Algarve Cup earlier this year. As the adage goes, success breeds success, and Bjartmarz is hoping exposure to the U19 elite will help inspire more youngsters. "We are very proud to be hosting a tournament of this quality in Iceland," she continued. "We will try to use it as a way of inspiring young girls, of giving them goals to aim for. We want them to come and think 'I want to be like that'."

Positive outlook
Iceland has a good footballing infrastructure with 100 mini-pitches through UEFA's HatTrick programme as well as five full-sized indoor pitches - a necessity in a country where average maximum temperatures for the hottest month of July seldom push much beyond 14C. "I can almost promise sunshine," Bjartmarz countered, reassuringly. "I've been in charge of three major tournaments and they've all been played in sunshine. I can't do anything about the wind though." It should not stop the crowds, however, and the tournament director is hopeful of good attendances. "Iceland is a small country with a population of just 300,000 so we can't expect enormous crowds," Bjartmarz concluded. "But it is free and football is the biggest sport in Iceland so we are hopeful."

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