Montenegro's charter pride

The Football Federation of Montenegro (FSCG) says it is "proud to be a member of the UEFA grassroots family" following the news it has been accepted with one-star status into the UEFA Grassroots Charter.

The FSCG was approved as a signatory of the charter along with the San Marino Football Federation (FSGC) after a recommendation by the UEFA Grassroots Panel which was rubber-stamped by the UEFA Executive Committee during its meeting in Nyon in June.

Revealing his satisfaction to UEFA.com, FSCG grassroots manager Zoran Mijovic said: "This was my first aim when I started to run the grassroots department six months ago. I always said we have great support from UEFA, especially when we become a member of the UEFA Grassroots Charter. This means a lot to people.

"Now the FSCG will receive financial help, assistance with equipment, as well as advice and support. In a very short time we have succeeded in creating a football atmosphere throughout Montenegro and this gives us the encouragement to continue on the same road and develop the areas that we have already started on in the last six months."

As an indicator of the advances the association has made, the number of registered grassroots players in Montenegro has grown from 6,200 in December 2010 to 7,600 just six months later in June 2011. The FSCG is optimistic these figures will continue to rise.

"The biggest things have been the development of our programmes for children, women, amateur players, veterans and those with disabilities, as well as our new C licence coaching course," added Mijovic. Overall, 51 of UEFA's 53 national associations are members of the UEFA Grassroots Charter.