Germany

Germany have been the dominant team in the UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship. They won in 2008 and 2009 but missed out for the first time last year when they lost in the semi-finals to the Republic of Ireland, eventually finishing third.

Overall they have played 27 games in this competition, winning 25 and losing just one. This time around their three second qualifying round victories yielded 17 goals without reply, the 9-0 defeat of Russia a record for that stage of the tournament.

First qualifying round: bye

Second qualifying round: Finland 5-0, Russia 9-0, Denmark 3-0 (Group 3 winners)

Key players
Fabienne Dongus (forward, VfL Sindelfingen),  Lena Petermann (forward, Hamburger SV), Annabel Jäger (midfielder, FSV Gütersloh 2009)

Coach: Ralf Peter

Date of birth: 10 September 1961
Nationality: German
Playing career: VfB Rheine, FC Eintracht Rheine, FC Gronau-Epe
Coaching career: Westphalia State Football and Athletics Federation, VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (youth), Lower Rhine Football Federation, Germany women's U15/U17

Ralf Peter proved his worth by leading his nation to victory in the first two European U17 finals. An amateur as a player, he studied sport, geography and German before fully concentrating on coaching. "My family has always been into sport," he said. "My father finished second in Germany in the decathlon and my mother was state champion in gymnastics."

Peter started his coaching career in 1991 as a volunteer with the Westphalia State Football and Athletics Federation. Four years later he became a successful youth coach for Mönchengladbach, and between 1999 and 2001 he served as the Lower Rhine Football Federation's sport educator. At the same time he guided the 'Base West' development project of the German women's national team, which is how he met Tina Theune-Meyer, who brought him to the German Football Association (DFB) in 2001 as U15 and U17 coach.

"I never looked back," said Peter, who also prepares coaches for the A licence and authors educational books and films. "Working for the German Football Association is the greatest thing you can imagine."

His achievements include masterminding Germany's victory in the inaugural UEFA European Women's U17 Championship of 2008, and then securing third place in the first FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand. Peter's side took the title again in 2009 but were third 12 months later.

Team records

Qualifying top scorer
Fabienne Dongus: 7

UEFA European Women's U17 Championship best
Winners: 2008, 2009

Honours in other UEFA women's competitions:
UEFA European Women's Championship/tournament
Winners: 1989 (as West Germany), 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009

UEFA European Women's U19 Championship
Winners: 2002, 2006, 2007
Runners-up: 2004

UEFA European Women's U18 Championship
Winners: 2000, 2001
Runners-up: 1999

Other honours:
FIFA Women's World Cup
Winners: 2003, 2007
Runners-up: 1995

FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Winners: 2004, 2010