© EuroFootball.com
This Friday, Kaunas will temporarily become the European football capital. During his visit to Lithuania, UEFA president Michel Platini will announce the beginning of events dedicated to European grassroots football day. They will kick off in Kaunas with the event "UEFA Grassroots day - let's celebrate football together!"
More than twenty temporary capital kindergartens children will gather in the National Football Academy fields on May 13th, joined by several hundred students from Kaunas region schools who will also start the Lithuanian eldership schools football tournament "Ežiogolas".
Similar events are starting all over Europe, as the second week of May is officially dedicated to UEFA grassroots football - events are starting under the "UEFA Grassroots day" flag in 53 European football association countries.
"Ežiogolas" – the main event
The Lithuanian eldership schools football tournament "Ežiogolas" is the main event of "UEFA Grassroots day - Let's celebrate football together!" in Lithuania and the largest in terms of number of participants in the Baltic countries. Last year, "Ežiogolas" attracted a record-breaking number of 11 thousand participants, and this year even more are expected.
Currently, 97 teams from Vilnius, 93 from Šiauliai, 82 each from Kaunas, Panevėžys, and Alytus, as well as smaller towns, have already registered.
Students in two age groups (10-13 and 14-17 years old) first compete in elderships, municipalities, and counties tournaments, and the winners participate in the final "Ežiogolas" matches, which, traditionally, are held at the National Football Academy in Kaunas.
One of the main requirements for "Ežiogolas" is to have at least two girls in the team. It is also stipulated that only students who do not attend football training schools or clubs and are not registered for any events organized by the Lithuanian Children and Youth Football Association can participate.
10 times more playing football in 10 years
Although the project "UEFA Grasroots day - let's celebrate football together" is being held for only the second year in Lithuania, grassroots football events have been taking place in Lithuania for almost a decade now. The number of grassroots football participants continues to grow regardless of age, profession, social status, and even physical condition. While just 6100 non-professional footballers participated in grassroots football events ten years ago, this year there are already about 78,000.
The events following the start of UEFA "Grassroots day" in Kaunas will continue in Lithuania until June 1st this year. Tens of thousands of players aged 3 to 93 will compete in competitions limited only by the organizers' imagination (more information at www.svis.lt).
High-ranking officials will play football with children
The children's football celebration will be attended not only by the delegation accompanying the UEFA president during his visit to Lithuania, but also by the mayors of major Lithuanian cities - Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda - representatives of the Lithuanian government, who will later discuss the most relevant issues in Lithuanian football development during an official meeting.
During his visit to Lithuania, the UEFA president will be accompanied by UEFA vice-president Marios Lefkaritis, National Associations director Theodore Theodoridis, National Associations development manager Thierry Favre, and the President's Chief of Staff Kevin Lamouras.
The last time the UEFA president visited Lithuania was two years ago. In 2009, M. Platini participated in a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Vilnius.
