Gov’t supports football development
By Tea Mariamidze
Thursday, March 2
Georgia’s Deputy Prime Minister, former football star, who played in Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine) and Milan (Italy) Kakha Kaladze, stated the government will do its best to support football development in the country.
Kaladze made the statement at the opening of the international UEFA GROW summit on March 1 in Tbilisi.
The Vice-Premier spoke about the importance of holding the summit in Tbilisi, adding that the event would promote the development of football in Georgia.
“This program gives us the opportunity to develop football in Georgia and to encourage our youth to have a healthy lifestyle. With this purpose, the whole government, led by the Prime Minister, expresses solidarity with football and this program,” Kaladze said.
The Summit participants were also addressed by the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Tariel Khechikashvili, who reaffirmed his support and noted that sports should be available to everyone, adding “the project is carried out for this purpose”.
The international UEFA GROW summit, which is organized by the European football’s governing body and supported by the European Commission, is held on March 1-2.
The summit discussed the existing situation in Eastern Europe, the challenges and the ways of resolving them.
The UEFA delegation, which arrived in Tbilisi, spoke to the media about the importance of the summit and the role of 'grassroots' in the development of football.
The heads from 13 Eastern European football federations have travelled to Tbilisi to attend the summit.
Moreover, sports and education ministers from various Eastern European countries, as well as international sport experts, are taking part in the event.
The Georgian Football Federation reports that as a result of projects carried out by the Georgian Football Federation with the support of UEFA, the number of registered footballers in the country increased to 7000, which was assessed by UEFA as an important step forward in the football development process.
Following the analysis of the projects conducted in Georgia, European football’s governing body took the decision to select Georgia as host of the summit.
