What twist has been given to a grassroots football tournament that already existed but without as much success as it is today? “When I arrive Luis Rubiales to the presidency of the RFEF, in 2018, we carried out a review of all the competitions to adjust them and be as efficient as possible. On the subject of lower categories, we gave the floor to our sports areas and we began to specialize deeply, especially in the women’s categories with the creation of the Women’s Soccer department”Olivares explains. The bet of the current directive by the inferior categories of the Selection is total.
Hand in hand with the Territorial Federations, the RFEF began to modify a couple of years ago – taking advantage of the pandemic break – a championship that was broken up over time, with different stagnant venues that made it impossible to view many matches at the same time. and that, for example, with a natural draw, ‘eliminated’ some teams early and their talents that continued in the tournament without the best competitive mood.
The most beautiful of the RFEF: the sub-12 tournament
In men’s, before there was an under-16 championship and another under-18, but the latter generated tension in the clubs because most of these talents were already professionals or were in international selection dynamics. That is why it was decided to implement the under-14 championship together with the under-16 for men, and the under-15 and under-17 for women. Each sports area considered that these were the best ages for monitoring players and the results are proving them right. Also, at this point “The most beautiful thing about the RFEF is promoted: the U-12 tournament”, comments Olivares, for which they always try to choose easier dates for family logistics such as the May bank holiday, week with holidays, White Week or Easter. It is, without a doubt, the festival of Spanish grassroots football.