Goal Programme - Slovak Football Association - 2001

Slovakia has been competing independently in international football since 1 July 1993. The nation's greatest success so far has been a third-place finish at the European U-19 Championship in Norway, which also secured qualification for the FIFA World Youth Championship UAE 2003. Fourth place at the UEFA European U-21 Championship on home soil secured a slot at the Olympic Football Tournaments Sydney 2000. A number of players and coaches have emerged from the fertile Slovakian breeding grounds. Dr Josef Venglos took on a wide range of positions abroad (Sporting Lisbon, Aston Villa, Fenerbahce Istanbul, Glasgow Celtic) before serving as Slovakian national coach from 1993 to 1995. Jan Popluhár was voted Slovakia's best player of the 20th century and was an active footballer until 1979. Lubomir Moravcik (whose clubs included Bastia, St. Etienne and Glasgow Celtic) is Slovakia's most capped player (79 appearances for Czechoslovakia and Slovakia).

On 6 September 2003, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter officially opened the new technical centre in Senec. The new complex includes a stadium that will host international matches from U-12 to U-21 level, a training centre with several natural turf pitches, one artificial playing surface (which has been in use since 2002), dressing rooms, seminar rooms and office space for the technical administration of the national association. The project has been funded by Goal and the FIFA Financial Assistance Programme. The city authorities have also made a financial contribution as well as donating the land on which the centre has been built. In addition to staging international matches, the centre will also host courses as part of various development programmes for coaches, referees, officials and sports medics. The tourist resort Senec has a good hotel infrastructure and in future may stage conferences for international sports organisations such as FIFA, UEFA and UEFT (Union of European Football Trainers).