‘European’ women’s football (under/17): five people from Minho living a dream

The under-17 women’s national team began preparations yesterday, in Cidade do Futebol, with a view to participating in the category’s European Championship, which will be held in Sweden. The quinas team is included in group B of the competition, together with Spain (6 May), Belgium (9 May) and Poland (12 May), qualifying for the semi-finals (15 May) both first classified.
In the morning, those called up by national coach Carlos Sacadura underwent medical examinations, with work on the pitch starting late this Monday afternoon, at the Clube Desportivo de Agualva field. The national team will carry out all their training sessions in this synthetic grass complex, in order to prepare, in the best possible way, for the European games, also on artificial grass.
This Tuesday, work continues with training at 11 am, and the delegation heads to Scandinavian soil on Saturday, May 4th. Portugal will play all three group stage games at Malm¨Idrottsplats, in Malmö, with the delegation staying at the Hotel Scandic Star, in Lund, just 20 kilometers from this sports venue, which will host the final of the competition, the May 18th.
Furthermore, this European Championship will also serve as a qualification for the next FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024, which will take place in the Dominican Republic, between the 16th of October and the 3rd of November. The two finalists of this European Championship will qualify for this competition, as well as the winner of the clash between the two losers of the semi-finals.
“The sky is the limit, but of course we are aware of our capabilities, game by game we will always try to do our best and, for now, getting through the first phase is the objective at the moment”, said national coach Carlos Sacadura yesterday, in statements to Channel 11.