Romanian football federation launches competition for rural youth

The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has launched a competition for young people aged under 13. The competition is designed to help scout for new talent and required an EUR 150,000 investment.

The competition is organised in partnership with the Agency for the Financing of Rural Investments (AFIR), part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR).

FRF President Razvan Burleanu said the investment is of approximately 150,000 euros: “It is a very important project, especially as half of us live in the countryside,” he said. “So far we did not have any  project dedicated to children in rural areas. The cost is fully covered by the federation, starting with the final stages of the competition, with all that is involved. AFIR is our institutional partner, it’s not a financial support, it’s just a support because we were not in touch with the local authorities, with the city halls of the communes in Romania. If we have only one national player in this competition we will consider it a real success, we have to make sure that all children in Romania will have the chance to play football”.

Coach of Romania’s national football squad Cosmin Contra believes that such a competition can help discover new talents.

“I’m glad these initiatives are materializing, I knew about this project since I came to Romania and I was in favor of it, because I grew up near Timisoara and I was playing football with my cousins ​​in the village. I know the passion children in rural areas put into football.  Such competitions can discover talents and have the chance to play at big clubs in Romania or abroad. It is important that these children are discovered and take a step towards professional teams, “Contra said.

The Village Cup, designed for children born after 1 January 2006, will have a regional and a national stage.

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