Year to remember for Belarus

It has been an important season in the history of Belarussian football. Domestic titleholders FC BATE Borisov became the country's first representatives in the UEFA Champions League group stage, the national team qualified for last month's UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and Belarus will host its first UEFA final tournament with the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship taking place in Minsk, Borisov and Molodechno from 13 July. Belarus Football Federation president Gennadi Nevyglas looks forward to the tournament and back on a memorable year.

uefa.com: What does it mean to Belarussian football to stage this tournament?

Gennadi Nevyglas: This is a very significant event for Belarussian football. We are proud that Belarus has been given a chance to host the finals of such an important competition – the first time it has been held on former Soviet Union territory. For us, this will be a great sporting celebration and a great social event for the people. Since BATE's triumph, we are already seeing interest levels rise among young women as well as men. We're determined to develop women's football further.

uefa.com: How will hosting this tournament help the women's game in Belarus?

Nevyglas: It will undoubtedly help the growth of the women's game. We expect a large number of women and girls to be among those attending the matches, and this in turn will help to raise the standard of the game. We expect the overall interest in football in Belarus to rise as a result of hosting this event.

uefa.com: How is the Belarussian FA encouraging girls to take up football?

Nevyglas: We have a system aimed at attracting girls to football. Since last year every one of our football schools, and there are over 30, caters for groups of girls from as young as six years old. We also carry out media campaigns. Last year we had a campaign entitled 'Women's football is beautiful and stylish', as well as a number of other measures.

uefa.com: How big an achievement was it for BATE to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage?

Nevyglas: This was almost without doubt the most significant event in the history of Belarussian football. It was the first time one of our teams had reached the group stage of such a serious competition, and their performances deserved respect. Our football federation was founded in 1991, and before that there was no professional football as such in the country. In fact, there was one professional team and the rest were amateur. The foundations of professional football were laid only five or six years ago, so we believe it is a great achievement for a team from our championship to have such a good result in such a short time. BATE also proved that although money is a very important factor in football, it is not the main factor. That remains the skill of the coach, the desire to play and the selection of players.

uefa.com: What will it have meant for youngsters in your country to see teams like Real Madrid CF and Juventus play in Belarus?

Nevyglas: This has already been a motivating factor for our young players. Thanks to the good performances of BATE and our national team, the country lived and breathed football in the second half of the year. We experienced a shortage of tickets for the first time in many years, and everyone is now convinced that a stadium with a 32,000 capacity is not enough. We have made junior football the foundation for the development of our football as a whole. BATE will act as the flagship. There is great interest in football among children, and we're doing everything we can to improve the system.

uefa.com: Which achievements are you most proud of from your time as president?

Nevyglas: Our main achievement has been creating a modern infrastructure. Since 2004, we have renovated the club arenas and we also have new stadiums. We also initiated a programme of creating artificial pitches. Because of our climate, this was a priority and it allows us to start the season one month earlier. The main thing, though, is that the quality of all our teams is improving year after year. That is our most important achievement.