Eight nations, whose junior national teams won through a series of qualifying games for the right to play in Sevilla, will be represented in the capital city of Andalucía for a series of group games to be played from Saturday, July 12 to Thursday, July 17. The final group standings will decide the pairings for the seventh, fifth and third place playoffs and the Championship Game over the weekend of July 19-20.
Top three qualifiy for JWC 2009
The top three teams that emerge from Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Russia, Spain and Sweden will qualify as Europe’s representatives at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship to be played at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, from June 27 to July 5, 2009. They will join USA and Canada as the eight-nation JWC line up takes shape. Asia’s representative will be confirmed in September and teams from Pan-America and Oceania in the New Year.
‚The youth of Europe is uniting for a showcase of the European American Football community and we are proud of our young talents,” said EFAF President and IFAF General Secretary Robert Huber.
‚The EJC started 16 years ago in France and has grown over the years to become an eight-team tournament involving nearly 400 players. The EJC in Sevilla is a milestone for the Spanish American Football movement because it is the first time Spain has hosted a big tournament like this and hopefully it will develop the fan base there and aid the future growth of our sport. EFAF and its member federations are proving once again their ability to hold high level multi-nation tournaments.”
The groups for the European Junior Championship have drawn defending champion France, against Sweden, Russia and host Spain in Group A. The four teams in Group B are the silver and bronze medal teams from the 2006 games, Germany and Austria, along with Denmark and Finland.
Sweden and Russia will square off in the opening game on Saturday, July 12 at 10.30am local time. The second game of the opening day will be between France and Spain at 6pm.
Once all teams have played their groups opponents, the group winners will meet in the Championship Game on Sunday July 20 at 6pm. The bronze medal game is also scheduled for July 20 at 10.30am. The teams playing for fifth and seventh place in the tournament will play on Saturday July 19.
Group A games will be played in Car la Cartuja on the Isla de la Cartuja, and Group B in the San Pablo Sports Facility in downtown Sevilla. Both venues were used for the finals of the Spanish League and have natural grass fields and seating capacity for more than 3,000 spectators.
Game Schedule for the 2008 European Junior Championship in Sevilla, Spain
(All times local / US EST +6 hours)
Saturday, July 12
Opening Ceremony (17.00 h)
Pool 1: Sweden (A2) vs. Russia (A3) (10.30 h)
Pool 1: France (A1) vs. Spain (A4) (18.00 h)
Sunday, July 13
Pool 2: Austria (B2) vs. Denmark (B3) (10.30 h)
Pool 2: Germany (B1) vs. Finland (B4) (18.00 h)
Monday, July 14
Pool 1: Spain (A4) vs. Sweden (A2) (10.30 h)
Pool 1: Russia (A3) vs. France (A1) (18.00 h)
Tuesday, July 15
Pool 2: Finland (B4) vs. Austria (B2) (10.30 h)
Pool 2: Denmark (B3) vs. Germany (B1) (18.00 h)
Wednesday, July 16
Pool 1: Russia (A3) vs. Spain (A4) (10.30 h)
Pool 1: France (A1) vs. Sweden (A2) (18.00 h)
Thursday, July 17
Pool 2: Denmark (B3) vs. Finland (B4) (10.30 h)
Pool 2: Germany (B1) vs. Austria (B2) (18.00 h)
Saturday, July 19
Seventh Place Playoff (10.30 h)
Fifth Place Playoff (18.00 h)
Sunday, July 20
Bronze Medal Game (10.30 h)
Championship Game (17.00 h)
