UEFA Training Ground relaunched

The new and improved UEFA Training Ground was relaunched this week and is back looking better than ever with enhanced usability, fresh sections and exciting new content showcasing every aspect of football from grassroots initiatives and coaching advice, to star skill guides from a host of top players.

Europe's leading grassroots football website, which was originally launched in May 2007, offers the opportunity for youngsters to learn the skills to help them develop their game from some of the top names in the UEFA Champions League. Zlatan Ibrahimović, Xavi Hernández and Andrea Pirlo are just three of the players who have provided exclusive step-by-step video masterclasses on skills ranging from how to take the perfect free-kick to saving a penalty.

The UEFA Training Ground also continues to be a one-stop resource for coaches. Respected experts such as Fulham FC manager Roy Hodgson and Real Madrid CF's Manuel Pellegrini offer the lowdown on tactical dilemmas – how to deal with the threat of a player like Lionel Messi, for example – and the pros and cons of formations ranging from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2. Meanwhile, coaches can get training drills on the site, straight from the Spanish FA's coaching manual.

Users can also enjoy a brand new section called Extra time, featuring videos revealing all you need to know about futsal, beach soccer, street soccer, as well as sensational creative skills courtesy of resident expert Paul 'Woody' Wood. On top of all this, the Extra time section also hosts behind-the-scenes documentaries from some of UEFA's top competitions including insights into the Denmark Under-21 men and Norway Under-19 women's teams.

The new design of the UEFA Training Ground gives users an enhanced experience when they navigate the site and will soon include two exciting features: You're the boss and TactX. You're the boss is a football management game that lets you step into the shoes of José Mourinho or Sir Alex Ferguson as you attempt to guide a team from grassroots obscurity to the UEFA Champions League.

Meanwhile, coming in May, TactX is the tactical tool that is set to revolutionise coaching. It will allow users to create and save training drills, analyse previous matches and discuss ideas with fellow coaches, all in spectacular state-of-the-art 3D graphics with several angles to choose from.

Editor Peter Sanderson said: "The new Training Ground really focuses on teaching all the best practices in the modern game to grassroots players. Grassroots football may be at the bottom of the pyramid but without this, the elite side of the game would not even exist. The top players and coaches all begin their careers in the grassroots game. We hope the Training Ground will not only continue to encourage the mass participation in the game but we also want it to inspire footballers young and old to go down to the local park, develop their talent, get fit and most importantly enjoy playing the game. Too many youngsters disappear from the game at the age of 14.

"We looked at the sports websites currently online and realised there were a lot of news websites but there was a big gap in the market when it came to comprehensive training resources. We hope the new Training Ground will help fill this gap. We hope that when young players see the guides by players like Zlatan Ibrahimović that they will begin to believe they too can be a UEFA Champions League winner one day – and if they don't make it to the top we want them to simply enjoy playing the game. We hope the site can continue to reach out and inspire the millions of grassroots players around the world."

From May the UEFA Training Ground will also be available in alternative languages with all videos accessible in French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Russian, Polish and Ukrainian. With almost 300 videos to choose from, including new features such as Graham Taylor's analysis of England's chances at the FIFA World Cup and the second part of our insight into Bosnian grassroots football, what are you waiting for? Check out the brand new UEFA Training Ground now.