Danish finals an ideal platform for new talent

Not even the wintry conditions in Aalborg could obscure the promise of an outstanding summer football tournament to come following today's draw for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

The draw proceedings at the Aalborg Congress and Culture Centre brought together the mayors of the four Danish host cities for the June 2011 tournament – Aalborg, Aarhus, Herning and Viborg – together with representatives of the eight qualified teams. And the message to all cut through the November gloom in northern Denmark: that the stars of the future will be shining here next summer.

"The Under-21 tournament will be the most important UEFA national-team event in 2011. This competition is the ideal platform for the most promising young players to find their spot on the elite football stage in Europe and to become the fresh fuel for their A national teams," said UEFA competitions director Giorgio Marchetti in his address to the draw ceremony.

Hosts Denmark will be joined by Belarus, Czech Republic, England, Iceland, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine at the finals between 11 and 25 June after those seven nations came through the first U21 qualifying competition to involve all of UEFA's member associations.

The excitement generated by their victories during a dramatic play-off round in October heralded what UEFA believes will be the outstanding national-team event of 2011. "The final tournament will offer much more than top European football: spectators will enjoy great entertainment both inside and outside the stadiums," said Marchetti.

Indeed, as well as showcasing the next generation of top players, UEFA hopes that the championship will also be a vehicle for friendship, education and social inclusion. "While we expect exciting and entertaining football matches, we are sure this festive football gathering will also be a fabulous display of the message that UEFA never forgets to convey: Respect," Marchetti concluded.

Danish Football Association (DBU) president Allan Hansen conveyed his organisation's own great expectations for the finals, saying: "We have set ourselves the goal of setting a new standard for how an Under-21 final tournament can be organised for the benefit of all football fans in Europe, in the hope that everyone will remember the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament as the best ever."