MINSK, 11 June (BelTA) – Belarus has created excellent conditions to develop grassroots sport. A lot of sports facilities have been built all over the country offering people a wide range of services. Belarus also conducts major campaigns to promote healthy lifestyle, Belarus' Sport and Tourism Minister Sergei Kovalchuk said as he took part in the opening of the 12th UEFA Grassroots Conference, BelTA has learned.
According to the minister, there is a total of 23,000 sports facilities in Minsk, major cities, towns and villages of Belarus. The government aims to provide free access to such facilities to children. Sergei Kovalchuk said that a presidential decree concerning this matter has already been drafted.
Chairman of the Belarusian Football Federation (BFF) Vladimir Bazanov pointed out that in recent years, the BFF has had its attention on developing grassroots football and has changed its approaches to this matter. It now focuses on long-term comprehensive projects in all parts of Belarus. These efforts have not gone unnoticed as in 2018 the BFF family football festival won the UEFA award for developing grassroots football. Two years ago, 56 families took part in the debut festival. This year saw over a thousand families from all over Belarus take part in the event.
The UEFA holds grassroots football conferences thrice a year. Minsk is hosting such a representative forum for the first time. Representatives of 55 UEFA member states and the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) are taking part in the conference. The main topics include promoting football in schools, developing children's, youth, and grassroots football clubs, and improving coach education.
