UEFA U19 & U17 Womens Draws held

The first round draws of the UEFA Women’s Under 17 & Under 19 Championships 2007/08 were held in Nyon today where the Republic of Ireland Women’s Under 19 were drawn against Switzerland, Slovakia and Croatia while the Women’s Under 17’s face a tough task against Sweden, Turkey and Moldova.
UEFA Women’s Under 19 Championships 2007/08 – 1st Qualifying Phase

The Republic of Ireland Women's Under 19 side have been drawn in Group 8 alongside Switzerland, Slovakia and Croatia for the UEFA 2007/08 Women's Under 19 Championship, 1st Qualifying Phase which will be held in Slovakia from the 27th September to the 2nd October.

The top two teams from each group go into the second qualifying round along with two best third-place finishers.

Susan Ronan’s current Under 19 squad are busy in preparation for the 2006/07 UEFA Championships when the second qualifying round is played in April where they will battle with France, the Netherlands and Portugal for a place in this year’s final competition which is held in Iceland later this year.

Speaking after the announcement in Nyon, Republic of Ireland Women’s Under 19 Manager was relatively content with her sides draw, “Obviously it will be a daunting playing three very tough teams in Slovakia but with two sides progressing to the Elite phase of the competition, we definitely fancy our chances.”

“Switzerland have a tremendous record of producing talented sides at this age group but I have no doubt that we will be pushing for a top spot in the group when we visit Slovakia in September,” she added.

2007/08 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship – 1st Qualifying Phase
Slovakia: 27th September- 2nd October 2007

Group 8
Switzerland
Republic of Ireland
Slovakia
Croatia

UEFA Women’s Under 17 Championships 2007/08 – 1st Qualifying Phase

Noel King's Republic of Ireland Women's Under 17 side have been drawn in Group 6 of the UEFA Women's Under 17 Championships alongside Sweden, Turkey and Moldova.

Speaking at the draw in Nyon, Noel King was optimistic about the Republic’s chances in the group, “There has been no competitive International fixtures for the Girls at Under-17 level but we began preparing for their first-ever qualifying campaign in August 2007 ahead of the FIFA 2008 Under-17 World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand.”

King said, “We are starting to plan much earlier at International level now by stepping up the process of identifying and developing players at underage level.”

“Like a lot of other nations in Women’s’ football, the FAI is taking a serious look at how we can develop our players at all levels from the youngest age-group upwards,” he added.

The top team from each group, plus the six runners-up with will go through to the second qualifying round.

As well as offering the chance to win a new European title, the competition will also carry three places for the first FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, held in 2008 in New Zealand.

2007/08 UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship – 1st Qualifying Phase
Turkey: 19th - 24th October

Group 6
Republic of Ireland
Sweden
Turkey
Moldova