In spite of the war realities, the Ukrainian Football Association continues to implement the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) in our country, realizing the project "Search and identification of young talents at the regional level through testing."

Last year concluded with activities within the project in Kyiv Oblast, while this new year has begun with a search for new football talents in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The latest event aimed at identifying young talents at the regional level through physical and technical skills testing took place on January 13, 2024, in Kryvyi Rih, in the FC "Kryvas" gymnasium, involving children from the Sofiyivska OTRH. A total of 90 children, boys and girls aged seven to ten years old who are not engaged in organized football, participated in the testing.

Photo by the press service of the UAF

We remind you that the author and main coordinator of this program is Arsène Wenger, FIFA's global football development director, who insists that giving a chance to every talent, regardless of where or when they were born, should be a strategic activity and responsibility of each national association in the world under centralized support and guidance at the global level from FIFA.

Photo by the press service of the UAF

All children participating in events held within the project in Ukraine are provided with appropriate badges and commemorative medals. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was no exception. But most importantly, these are joyful emotions and a new integration into football for the children, with the prospect of becoming players or playerettes.

Photo by the press service of the UAF

All these young footballers and footballers are filling a single database of the UAF, where their testing results are also recorded. Thanks to the conditions of the project, those who show natural abilities for further development in football will continue participating in the project and receive additional opportunities to improve these skills through other events.

Photo by the press service of the UAF

Today, the coaching and teaching staff of the Sofiyivska community will begin training under the D-license program of the UAF (20 applications for participation in the training program were received), thus the OTRH will have more qualified specialists to maintain quality standards while working with children.

Commenting on the implementation of the project, First Vice-President of the UAF Vadim Kostyuchenko noted: "The UAF together with FIFA is searching for talents and training coaches — these two directions are among the most prioritized in today's realities. Traditionally, organizing the event would not have been possible without the active participation and cooperation of the local organizing committee headed by the head of OTRH, Petr Segedyi. The interaction with the organizer, partner of the UAF in the project, GO "Football Institute," resulted in a wonderful event. Also, great thanks to the management of FC "Kryvas" for providing the opportunity to hold the event in excellent conditions in a warm club gymnasium! We also thank FIFA, which is a reliable partner of the UAF in developing children's football!"

Photo by the press service of the UAF

We remind you that within FIFA TDS, the UAF has developed a way to assess physical abilities and potential for development in football among children who do not attend specialized institutions or have been engaged in organized football at their locations. Such events are held in OTRHs involving a number of settlements included in them. Children are offered to undergo a series of tests to evaluate untrained qualities and skills that allow identifying further potential in playing football. All results are stored, analyzed, and used for the identification of gifted boys and girls, encouraging their involvement in organized football and monitoring the dynamics of their development.

In addition, alongside this, there is an opportunity and encouragement to obtain proper coaching education (courses under UAF D-license programs and UEFA C-license programs) by specialists working with children in each of the involved OTRHs.