England Supporters Club

England to host 2018 UEFA European U17 Championship

Posted by Team England at 17:00 on Monday 26 January 2015

England will stage the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship after being awarded hosting rights for the Finals.

The tournament for Europe’s 16 elite nations will be played at venues across the Midlands with St. George’s Park at its heart.

Match venues are still to be confirmed, while Loughborough and Warwick Universities will both be involved as training bases, as they were during the 2012 London Olympics. The UEFA Executive Committee made the decision at a two-day meeting in Nyon, Switzerland.



England are the reigning champions after John Peacock’s team won last year’s edition in Malta, but The FA has not previously hosted the U17 competition, which dates back to 2002.

The competition will serve as preparation for the Euro 2020 Finals, with The FA hosting the semi-finals and Final at Wembley Stadium.

In 2002, England captain Wayne Rooney was voted UEFA’s golden player at the U17 Finals, two years before he shone at UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal.

Rooney said: "As England captain, I am delighted that UEFA has chosen St. George’s Park for the 2018 U17 European Championship, I have no doubt the tournament will give us the opportunity to show the quality of our facilities.



“I would also like to congratulate all those involved in bringing the tournament to England.

"I have never had the opportunity to play in a home based tournament so the experience for our U17 squad should be extra special and I hope that the lads seize the opportunity before them."

FA Chairman Greg Dyke said: “I would like to thank the UEFA President and his Executive Committee for their support.

"We discussed this proposal when Mr Platini visited St. George’s Park last November and he was very positive – not just about the world-class facilities but also the hugely positive development environment he found.

“We won the U17 Finals in 2010 and 2014, and reached the semi-finals in 2011 so hosting the final round for the first time makes sense.

"It will complement our new England DNA strategy with its aim of helping to give young talented players the best pathway to achieve their full potential.”

UEFA has shown a strong commitment to The FA in recent times. UEFA Euro 2020 will see matches played across 12 other European cities before concluding with the semi-finals and Final in London. England’s defence of their 2014 title will continue when St. George’s Park hosts an elite round mini-tournament involving Romania, Norway and Slovenia between 21 and 26 March. Bulgaria will host this year’s Finals in May.