Spain win Maurice Burlaz Trophy

Spain have won the Maurice Burlaz Trophy, the prize awarded to the national association that has achieved the best results in UEFA's men's youth competitions and which is named after the Frenchman and former vice-chairman of the UEFA Youth Committee.

The trophy was presented to Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) representatives Ginés Meléndez and Vicente Muñoz Castelló at the UEFA youth competitions draw ceremony at the House of European Football in Nyon on Tuesday.

The prize has been awarded to European national associations since 1990, on the basis of results obtained in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the UEFA European U19 Championship over the previous two seasons.

Spain, who have won the accolade five times out of six since 2002, finished with 22 points ahead of England (20) and France (16). The Spaniards lifted the U19 title in 2010/11 and finished runners-up in both the U17 and U19 championships in 2009/10. Ginés Meléndez coached the successful U19 team and the runner-up U17 squad, and Vicente Muñoz Castelló is RFEF vice-president and amateur football president.

"Spain have set the standards for everyone to follow," said UEFA Youth and Amateur Football Committee chairman Jim Boyce, who also recalled that Spain's youth sides in recent years have included a considerable number of players who have gone on to win the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship.

"I think it's a great tribute to the coaching that the Spanish Football Federation has put in," he added. "Congratulations to Spain."