A team representing An Garda Síochána/Ireland has qualified for participation in the finals of the European Police Soccer Championships, 2010. The finals will be played in Athens, Greece from 22 to the 30 May.
The Garda team qualified for the finals by beating an Italian police team in Dublin in May, 2009 (Final Score 3:0) and by beating a police team from the Czech Republic in Prague in October, 2009 (Final Score 2:0). The Czech Police Team were the previous European Police Champions.
The Garda team have been drawn in a group which also includes; Germany, Switzerland, and Norway. (The other Countries represented in the finals are Greece, France, Turkey and the United Kingdom).
The team consists of members of An Garda Síochána from throughout Ireland, many of who play for local Soccer Clubs.
They are travelling to Athens today, Thursday, 20 May 2010.
A photograph of the travelling party and the Garda Commissioner is available by e-mail request.
Background information on the USPE is attached below and further information can be obtained from www.uspe.org.
Garda Press Office.
Background Information on the USPE.
The Union Sportive des Polices d’Europe (USPE) was established in November 1950. Its founder members were Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. In 1976 the USPE embraced 12 members and this number had risen to 20 by the 23rd Congress held in Berlin in 1990. After the Berlin Wall had come down and Europe had opened up towards the East, it was also possible to admit Eastern European nations to the USPE. Today the USPE comprises 40 European nations. The registered office of the USPE is the office of the General Secretariat in Düsseldorf.
Objectives
One aim pursued by the USPE is to promote sports within all European police forces and coordinate the preparation, organisation and control of competitions held in 16 different sports disciplines. European Police Championships are held every four years in the following disciplines: basketball, cross country, football, handball, judo, track and field, marathon, cycling, wrestling, shooting, swimming, skiing, tennis, table tennis, triathlon and volleyball. Between 1951 and 2009, an overall number of 164 European Police Championships have taken place in the above disciplines. Another goal of the USPE is to further develop the friendly and professional relations between the various European police forces. The above championships see a multitude of personal encounters instrumental in deepening the understanding of differences in terms of culture and policing as well as problems of joint policing in a Europe that is growing ever closer together. The USPE is supported by the IOC, the UEFA, the EHF and the Federal German Government.An Garda Síochána is a member of the U.S.P.E.
