The RLEF board has confirmed that England, France, Italy and Lebanon are all prospective hosts for the 2020 U19 European Championship. All four tenderers must submit their bid documents by 1 October 2018, with the RLEF expected to make an announcement on the winning bid in November 2018. The tendering process for the 2022 tournament also opens this October.

“The RLEF is delighted with the calibre and breadth of tenderers for the 2020 event,” said RLEF director Paul Nicholson. “The U19 competition is an important part of the growing European calendar and will support growth and improving standards in the vital, underpinning youth programmes run by the members.”

The results of the 2017 annual member audit have also been lodged with Jamaica reporting excellent progress, the number of 13-a-side youth games played increasing from 38 to 66 matches. France, Lebanon, Ireland, Serbia, Ukraine and Wales all recorded overall participation increases, whilst Lebanon was in the black for the first time in its history, having turned over more than US$900k in 2017.

Pictured: Scotland and Serbia play in the U18 European Cup 2008, in Prague, Czech Republic.