UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 Opens Play in the Netherlands
The 12th edition of the UEFA Women’s Championship opened play this weekend with an expanded event of now 16 teams highlighting the action. The growth of women’s soccer in Europe is taking the fields by storm with UEFA’s Together #WePlayStrong campaign encouraging youth girls to lace up their boots.
Related Article: UEFA Supports Women’s Soccer
Soccer News: The UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 kicked off on Sunday in the Netherlands with the final taking place at the FC Twente Stadion in Enschede on August 6th.
Featuring 16 teams for the first time, the event is held in seven Dutch host cities – Utrecht, Rotterdam, Tilburg, Doetinchem, Breda, Deventer and Enschede.
With the start of UEFA Women’s EURO 2017, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) president Michael van Praag have joined forces to herald the coming celebration of European women’s football.
“A major final tournament generates its own special magic and excitement, and it is the turn of women’s football to take centre stage this summer,” said Čeferin. “UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 will be a memorable festival of the best that European women’s football has to offer.”
The UEFA President added that the stature of the Women’s EURO was being reinforced through the increase in participating teams. Čeferin emphasized that the tournament provided an ideal opportunity to judge the remarkable progress made by women’s football in recent years.
“An increasing number of women and girls are getting involved as players or in other capacities,” said Čeferin.“This development is being given even more impetus by UEFA’s new Together #WePlayStrong campaign, which aims to make football the number one sport for women in every European country in the coming years.”
Van Praag said that the Netherlands was ready and waiting to welcome a true celebration of women’s football.
“It is a real delight to see the passion shown towards the fastest growing area of sport in our country,” said van Praag. “Together we can generate enthusiasm for women’s football, and be an inspiration for new generations. The result of UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 will be a positive legacy for women’s football.”
“Let’s make it a tournament to remember.”
