Slovakia aiming to feed grassroots and elite
Monday, March 25, 2013
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As 28 teams fight it out to join them, Slovakia grassroots coordinator Jozef Záhorský has been discussing the hosts' twin ambition for this summer's UEFA European U17 Championship.
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On Sunday the eight-team lineup for the 2013 UEFA European Under-17 Championship will be confirmed, but hosts Slovakia are already assured of their place and national grassroots coordinator Jozef Záhorský has underlined twin aims for this summer's finals.
In an interview with UEFA.com which can be viewed above, Záhorský spoke of his pride and expectations as the Slovak Football Association (SFZ) prepare for their first UEFA tournament since staging the 2000 UEFA European U21 Championship.
"We can promote football in Slovakia among the youth, and give some stimuli to young players to get engaged in football," he said. "We want to use this potential to attract children to sport, especially to football."
As well as feeding the grassroots, Záhorský also hopes to smooth the path to the professional game for his charges, explaining: "The most important aspect in the development of players around 17 years of age is preparing them for the transition from the youth team to senior football; it's where we lose the greatest number of players."
