Loughborough University to host European Under-17 finals

UEFA and The Football Association have named the venues which will host the UEFA European Under-17 Championship final tournament in May next year, with Loughborough one of six venues chosen.

Alongside Burton Albion, Chesterfield, Rotherham United, St. George's Park and Walsall, Loughborough University has been selected to host the annual UEFA tournament, which sees Europe’s 16 elite nations go head to head.

Chesterfield will host the opening game and Rotherham United will stage the final, with fixtures taking place between 4-20 May. Tickets will go on sale in January with the final draw taking place at St. George’s Park in April. 

Wayne Rooney, Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba and Mario Götze are some of the famous names to have appeared at this level in the past with the competition acting as the perfect platform for young players to showcase their talents. England who won the European Under-17 title in 2010 and 2014, and also finished runners- up to Spain in 2017, qualified automatically for the tournament as hosts.

Loughborough University Executive Director of Sport John Steele commented:

“My colleagues and I are delighted that the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championships are coming to Loughborough University. Our purpose built football stadium will make a fantastic host venue alongside some of the larger football league grounds, and this event will add to the growing portfolio of national and international sporting events we are able to host on campus. A major developmental football tournament of this nature fits with our ethos here at Loughborough, and who knows how many stars of the future will be unearthed.”

England U17s head coach Steve Cooper said: 

"We are very proud to be hosting the men’s European Under-17 finals next summer. St. George's Park will be at the heart of training and matches and all six venues will give the players an opportunity to perform at different stadiums.

"Rotherham and Walsall have hosted a number of England development and women's team fixtures in the past while Burton Albion and Chesterfield are fantastic venues. Loughborough University is a world-renowned sports and educational establishment.

“The tournament gives the towns and regions an opportunity to see the best young talent from across the continent and we are very much looking forward to the challenge.”

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin added:

“The European Under-17 Championship gives football fans an early opportunity to watch talented young footballers as they start out on what they hope will be successful careers in the game. The competition also provides the youngsters with an ideal chance to perform on an international football stage.

“I am very happy that the finals are being staged in England. The Football Association are experienced hosts of major football events, and we are all looking forward to an exciting and entertaining tournament.”

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: PR 17/153

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Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world to study sports-related subjects in the 2017 QS World University Rankings and top in the country for its student experience in the 2016 THE Student Experience Survey.

Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 6th in the Guardian University League Table 2018, 7th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018 and 10th in The UK Complete University Guide 2018. It was also named Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017.

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

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