Feature: Road To Hungary 2005 Begins

The first qualifying group phase for the UEFA Women’s 2005 Under 19’s European Championships are set to kick off this week and here at femaleSOCCER.net we will be focussing on Group 4 of the competition, which is being held in Yorkshire and sees two home countries in Wales and England going head to head, alongside Bulgaria and Romania. We’ve been talking to Everton and England Under 19’s manager Mo Marley.

How It Works

Spain are the current holders of the competition following a surprise victory over Germany in the 2004 final held in Helsinki, Finland. As the two highest ranked teams, Germany and Norway automatically qualify for phase two, whilst the remaining teams have been drawn into ten groups. Teams within each group will compete against each other once. Only the team finishing top of the group progresses into the next qualifying round. Group 4 of phase one will commence on 28th September and run till 2nd October. Phase two follows a similar system taking place in April 2005, where by the group winners then qualify to play in the 2005 summer finals held in Hungary.

Preparation

Former England captain Mo Marley is more than satisfied with her teams preparation for phase one of the Under 19’s European Championship qualifying campaign.

“We got the girls together at the West Riding Football Association five days before our first fixture and we’ve been working hard since then to ensure we’re ready. We had a training camp in August as well and have created a great spirit amongst the squad. I think we’re ready”.

Expectations

England u19’s coach Mo Marley believes the importance for her team in winning Group 4 cannot be underestimated.

“The girls know that if they want to play more football at this level and extend their u19 careers then winning through this stage is essential. If we fail to win the group then when the tournament comes around next year, many players will be too old to participate and will have to miss out”.

“We don’t put pressure on the girls, this is something they should be enjoying, but it is in their own interests to qualify. Playing more games at this level will boost their experience which is invaluable to their development. We have a young group here and the average age is just over 17. I’m confident that we will do well”.

Opposition

England’s Group 4 fixtures are from easy with tough matches against Bulgaria, Romania and finishes with a British derby against Wales. However, coach Mo Marley is concentrating on her own side.

“We can’t focus too much on the other teams. Every year at this level the players change, so it’s hard to look at the opposition in detail. You can’t influence what others do. We have to be confident that our own international structure works. The right format is in place at all levels for England now”.

Ideal Scenario

Mo Marley has already guided some of English football’s leading women through the international ranks, including Katie Chapman, Fara Williams and Amanda Barr. She’s confident that other future stars are within her current crop of players.

“We’re blessed with talent at this level and the strength of talent coming through gets better every year. Some of these girls here now may well go on to represent the senior side at some point and if you just take a look at the u17’s then it’s clear more talent is on the way through”.

“At the end of an ideal week, we’ll have qualified. In addition, the girls will have a better understanding of international matches and we’ll have played some quality football”.

The North

With the 2005 Women’s European Championships taking place in the North of England, the Group 4 qualifying stage fixtures for the u19’s held in the Yorkshire region, should help to generate extra interest in the sport within the area.

“It’s nice to host the group. We’ve had to play most of these previous group games abroad, so it will be a great experience for the girls to play in front of a home crowd. They’ll be extra media attention, playing with bigger attendances and all this will be good for them. We’re looking forward to it”.