Dear Football Family,
We are on the threshold of the holiest Christian holiday and traditionally the end of each calendar year is a time for reflection. The passing year 2024 was filled with various challenges, but since my first day as the President of the Bulgarian Football Union I have stated and I am still absolutely convinced that with hard work, perseverance and consistency the results will inevitably come and better days for our beloved game are yet to come.
We are coming off a year in which the Bulgarian national team showed a positive face under Ilian Iliev's leadership, conceding just one loss in their 10 games played. The youth national team also left good impressions with their performances in the European qualifiers, in which they finished in third place. However, as we all know, before reaching the representative selections, players are first formed in schools and clubs around the country. It is for this reason that improving football infrastructure remains one of the key priorities, part of our long-term strategy to develop the game. I am delighted that in 2024 we have been able to open training grounds and complexes in various locations across Bulgaria, and in 2025 we will continue to implement a number of more such projects.
All of them are implemented thanks to the successful dialogue between the BFU and the municipalities and are funded by FIFA and UEFA programmes. This is the moment to thank the presidents of the two biggest football organisations in the world - Mr Gianni Infantino and Mr Aleksander Cheferin, who personally honoured the 100th anniversary of Bulgarian football and repeatedly expressed their support to the BFU. I would also like to thank the Bulgarian institutions and I hope that 2025 will bring a fruitful cooperation between us.
Football has taught me long ago that to succeed you have to be a team player. That is why I want to express my gratitude to my colleagues on the BFS Executive Committee and to every single employee of the headquarters, because we can only achieve our goals through unity and perseverance. Special thanks also to all the partners who continue to support Bulgarian football in these times full of various difficulties and challenges. I am also glad that we have entered into prestigious collaborations with renowned institutions such as the Johan Cruyff Institute, the UEFA Academy, the National Sports Academy "Vasil Levski" and the University of St. Petersburg. Kliment Ohridski. I am convinced that through the trainings and seminars we will help to create more and more qualified staff.
And finally, in the year we celebrated our centenary, I would like to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and dedication to our beloved game.
I wish you bright holidays!
Georgi Ivanov,
President of the Bulgarian Football Union
