Irish FA President Conrad Kirkwood has called the U19 Euros volunteers ‘ambassadors for our wee country’ in a letter addressed to them marking the end of the tournament, which closed on Sunday night.
More than 200 volunteers signed up for the tournament to contribute across a variety of different disciplines, from drivers to team liaison officers, mascot chaperones and hospitality, with many coming from across the UK and Ireland, and some from as far away as Mexico, Nigeria and Scandinavia. Together they amassed an estimated 4,000 hours in just over a fortnight.
Kirkwood, himself a lifelong football volunteer, applauded the "friendly and welcoming nature’" of the group, their "enthusiasm, commitment and desire to make the tournament the best one it could be" and noted that their efforts had been recognised by both UEFA and competing teams.
“Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No-one has made it through life without someone else’s help,” he continued in the letter.
“Your stories are inspirational. Some of you are new to volunteering. Some of you like to volunteer for football only. Some of you simply love to volunteer on a widespread basis at different sports across the UK and Ireland.
“I thank you on behalf of the Irish FA for your priceless contribution. I hope that you have got as much of a buzz out of it as I have from watching you do such so much good. I hope that you will continue to make a difference by volunteering for the Irish FA and other organisations in the future.”
The next tournament set to be hosted by the Irish FA is the UEFA Women's Under-U17 European Championship in 2026.
“Our track record hosting tournaments is strong,” said Chief Executive Patrick Nelson.
“From the success of the Men's U19 Euros, the Women’s U19 tournament in 2017 to bringing fans to Belfast during the Covid pandemic for the Super Cup in 2021, UEFA continue to consider us as consummate custodians of their flagship matches and tournaments.
“We look forward to getting started on the next exciting tournament soon.”
