A new chapter for grassroots football in Montenegro
Monday, October 28, 2024
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A new four-year grassroots football strategy in Montenegro, supported by funding and expertise from UEFA, is giving boys and girls new opportunities to dream about a future in the game.
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The Football Association of Montenegro (FSCG) has opened a new chapter and taken its first steps towards the development and future of football in the country by adopting a four-year Grassroots Strategy, organising its first football festival for boys and girls aged eight to 14.
The first weekend, held on 12-13 October, was a great success, as about 2,500 young players from 52 clubs gathered in four Montenegrin cities for events called "Djetić igra" (The Kids Play) and "Djetić zabava" (The Kids Fun). Play and fun are the guiding principles behind the FSCG's new grassroots initiative.
"We want to promote a different approach to training and understanding football in general,” explained Nikola Prentić, the FSCG’s grassroots manager. “Until now, results have been the primary focus, even for this age group, and we believe that's not the right direction.
"We think football should be about joy and happiness for kids, not about whether they win or lose. Our first event indicated that we have chosen the right path."
Balance between competitiveness and enjoyment
Saša Ivanović, a former Montenegrin top-flight player who has spent the last 20 years coaching the youngest age group at FK Arena Podgorica, watched his young players show off their skills and passion for football on the mini-pitch.
"I’m glad a new story and a new direction have started, because from experience, I know that children at this age cannot show everything they know when they’re thinking about results and standings,” Ivanović said. “It’s good to have a competitive spirit, but the most important thing is that they develop a love for football, that they play freely and enjoy the game – dribbling and scoring goals, not only winning. This region is full of talent, and I believe this approach will help develop that talent better. The fruits of this work will be seen in the future."
UEFA HatTrick: game changer, story maker
The FSCG’s new grassroots strategy was funded by UEFA's HatTrick programme, which distributes revenue from men's EURO tournaments to national associations for investment in their national game.
The strategy was developed in alignment with the UEFA Grassroots Charter, which helps set the standards for national association programmes across Europe and aims to ensure everybody who wants to has the opportunity to participate in football in a safe, fun and enclusive environment.
Luka Tiodorović, a former Montenegro under-21 national team player, who is in charge of implementing the project on behalf of the FSCG, is excited about the new strategy and was impressed by what he saw at the first festival.
"Beautiful scenes, so much joy and so many smiles in one place,” Tiodorović said. “That’s what kids need – just to enjoy football and to dream. Everyone involved in this story from our National Association, clubs and coaches are on the same mission: to pave the way for kids and provide a bright future for them and our football."
Making football more accessible for all
The first goal in implementing the strategy is to make football even more popular and accessible to everyone.
"Football is already our most popular sport, but we believe we can increase the number of boys and girls who want to play,” added Prentić.
UEFA Football in Schools programme
Launched in 2020, Football in Schools provides funding to Europe's national football associations to help them deliver specialised football programmes from nursery and primary schools through to secondary schools and even universities. So far, it has helped more than three million young children to enjoy the game, while training more than 80,000 teachers on how to deliver effective coaching sessions. Following its initial €11m investment and the programme’s success, UEFA will invest a further €11m between 2024 and 2028 to support more projects.
“That’s why an important part of our strategy focuses on school football, because from this population we can expand our base. We are a small country, and we need to ‘fight’ for every boy and girl. We will do everything we can to give each child and everyone who loves football the opportunity to play the beautiful game. We hope to reach a total of 20,000 participants by the end of this project, which would be an impressive figure considering the size of our country.”
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Prentić emphasised that grassroots football is a wide concept – encompassing street and recreational football, offering opportunities for veterans, and crucially, people with disabilities.
"People with special needs and disabilities absolutely must have the same rights and opportunities to play football,” he explained. “We have already met with the president of the Montenegrin Paralympic Committee, Igor Tomić, who was thrilled with our project, and we will try to collaborate with them within the first year of implementing the strategy."
Diverse support from UEFA
Montenegro has a population of 600,000, and the FSCG want to engage local and national partners so that the project can operate all over the country. Currently there are not enough adequate pitches to carry out everything that’s planned, but UEFA are providing financial support and advice to aid the project’s success, with €1 million set to be dedicated on infrastructure, equipment and implementation over the next four years.
Prentić also highlighted that special attention is being paid to girls’ football, with the FSGC continuing to implement the UEFA Playmakers project – which involves primary schools from all over Montenegro – as part of its grassroots strategy. A mini-league has also been created for girls aged between six and nine, bringing together 13 clubs and around 130 players.
"There are, of course, girls in this age group who want to play football, and we have made that possible for them. They are fully equal in this project," said Prentić, who along with young players across the country, is looking forward to a bright future for Montenegrin football.