What day is it?

Every year on June 19, the world community celebrates World Children’s Football Day. The culprits of this holiday are the smallest connoisseurs of this sports and team game. The purpose of the holiday is to spread among the young population of the planet the idea of ​​a healthy lifestyle, to instill a love for sports. Equally important are the problems faced by children in different parts of the world. With the help of this day, the organizers draw attention to the importance of solving these problems.

How did the idea of ​​celebrating World Children’s Football Day come about?

The initiators of the creation of the holiday are representatives of the UN. World Children’s Football Day was started with the aim of involving children and teenagers in sports activities. In 2001, an agreement was concluded between the United Nations Children’s Fund – UNICEF and the Federation of National and Continental Football Associations (FIFA). The worldwide “Vote for Children” movement was also created during the signing of the agreement.

UNICEF is a specialized agency of the United Nations, which was formed in the winter of 1946. This organization occupies a leading position in solving issues related to the protection of children’s rights. UNICEF is present in more than 180 countries around the world to provide assistance to minors and ensure adequate protection for children from birth until they reach adulthood.

The origin of football

It is difficult to name the exact date of the origin of one of the oldest sports entertainments of mankind. The first records of this game can be found in the documents of ancient Egypt and China. Among them are images of balls and people with balls.

According to English historians, the passion for football began with primitive people. Interestingly, then they used stone balls to play. It is known for certain that ball games were practiced in ancient China as early as 2000 BC. According to the Chinese emperors, such games developed physical strength and prepared players for military combat. In addition to physical endurance, the game required intellectual skills. After all, in order to win, you need to practice tactics and follow them during the game. The Chinese sewed leather balls, which were stuffed with horse hair. The first inflatable ball appeared in the 18th century.

As a result of archaeological research conducted in the territory of Ancient Greece and Rome, the considerable popularity of a game similar to football was revealed. Gradually, in the process of conquering new lands, the tradition of playing soccer prototypes spread through the Romans to the German, English, and French lands. Ancient documents testify that Roman legionnaires spent all their free time playing harpastum, a game with elements of modern football.

In England at the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, the so-called crowd football was quite a popular game. People gathered on large city streets and chaotically “chased” the ball. This led to disorder in the cities, which displeased the royal authorities. In connection with this, a royal decree was issued in 1314 in which the game of football in large cities was prohibited as “a great evil that leads to great disorder.” Despite this, the popularity of this game grew. In the 19th century, crowd football was divided into two varieties. The first is when it was played with the hands, today it is modern rugby. And the second type is ordinary football, when you have to kick the ball only with your feet.

In 1904, the organization FIFA (International Federation of Football Associations) was founded at a conference in Paris. Thanks to this, the game of football was later included in the program of the Olympic Games.

Development of football in Ukraine

The Ukrainian Football Association (FFU before the renaming) is an organization responsible for the spread and development of football on the territory of our country. In 1991, FFU received the status of a national association. Ukrainian football is known far beyond the borders of Ukraine thanks to its high-profile achievements:

• 1998-1999

  Kyiv “Dynamo” twice in a row reached the playoffs of the Champions League.
• 2006

  The youth national team of Ukraine won second place at the European Championship. And the national team reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
• 2009

  Shakhtar Donetsk won the UEFA Cup.
• 2015

  “Dnipro” reaches the final of the Europa League.

Ukrainian children’s football and DUFL

The year 2001 became a landmark in the history of Ukrainian football, as it marked the beginning of the first championship of the DUFL children’s and youth league. This tournament is a great chance for children who are fond of football. And for national football, this is a great opportunity to select the best football players from an early age. Over time, the best and brightest DUFL members can become true professionals.

Today in Children’s and youth football league major league tournaments are held in various age categories. 14-year-olds train in national teams called U-14, 15-year-olds in U-15, 16- and 17-year-olds in U-16 and U-17, respectively. In total, the children’s league championship gathers more than 6,000 participants aged 14-17. It depends on these children whether Ukraine will occupy the leading positions of football in the world.

Interesting statistics

The official online resource of the Ukrainian Football Association has collected interesting statistical data that show that more than 330,000 children aged 7-14 take part in football training and games in Ukraine. And this is approximately 45-50,000 children from one year of birth.

At the same time, there are about 4,000 football clubs in the Netherlands, which include several teams with participants in the same age category. And these are about 70,000 children of football players. Thus, in the Netherlands, per 100,000 population, there are 2-3 times more children playing football than in Ukraine. So we still have room to grow.

How to celebrate World Children’s Football Day?

Usually on June 19 during the celebration World Children’s Football Day numerous matches between various children’s and youth football teams are held en masse. Representatives of the UAF, various children’s football clubs, and children’s organizations act as organizers of the competition. The development of children’s football is extremely important for children and young people, namely for the development of their physical and intellectual abilities. On the other hand, child footballers are the future of Ukrainian football.

When will we celebrate World Children’s Football Day??