The event participants included Deputy Minister Piotr Borys; representatives of the Polish Football Association: Vice-President for Organisation and Finance Adam Kaźmierczak and Secretary General Łukasz Wachowski; and representatives of league companies - Marcin Animucki, CEO of Ekstraklasa S.A. and PZPN Vice-President for Professional Football; Dr Marcin Janicki, President of the First Football League; Tomasz Lisiński; and Maciej Kolon, Vice-President of Ekstraklasa S.A.

The development of young football players, support for clubs that training young footballers, and investment in modern sports infrastructure are the main objectives of the measures implemented by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism in cooperation with the football community.
 
One of the key components of the support system is a programme called ‘Nasi na Boisko [‘Our kids to the pitch’] – Pathway for the Development of Young Footballers’. Its budget is nearly PLN 28.8 million. The programme supports teams that compete in the national-level Junior Leagues, as well as football academies that take part in the ‘Młodzieżowiec 2.0’ [‘Junior 2.0’] and ‘PRO Wychowanka’ [‘PRO trainee girl’] programmes for young players. The aim is to improve the quality of football training and increase the number of young Polish players making their debut in senior football.

'We want to do everything for the clubs to consider it beneficial to invest in our Polish players. That is why we have allocated over PLN 28 million to the development of football as part of the ‘Our kids to the pitch’ programme', 

said Jakub Rutnicki. 

Under the programme, teams that compete in the national-level Junior Leagues can receive funding between PLN 110,000 and PLN 160,000, depending on the age category. Additional support depends on the points earned in the Młodzieżowiec 2.0’ and ‘PRO Wychowanka’ programmes that are focused on young footballers and support clubs developing their own players. A key element of the system is the programme called ‘Młodzieżowiec 2.0’ implemented by the Polish Football Association since the 2025/2026 season. The total prize fund amounts to PLN 28 million per season for clubs from Ekstraklasa, the First League and the Second League. The programme rewards the numbers of minutes played by youth players, as well as the development of home-grown players and their participation in the Polish national team or in European cup competitions. The Ministry of Sport and Tourism also supports the development of local football clubs and academies. 

In 2026, funding in the amount of PLN 47 million under the CLUB programme was allocated to 3,568 sports clubs that run football teams. The Football Academy Certification Programme will provide support to over 1,500 football schools across the country. 

An important pillar of the Ministry’s activities is the development of sports infrastructure. The Ministry carries out programmes for modernising Orlik pitches, constructing full-size football pitches, and providing modern locker room facilities [‘Szatnia na Medal’ programme]. To date, 600 Orlik facilities have been modernised, 723 are under renovation, and 201 new ones are under construction. 

'It is of key importance to show the path for developing Polish national team players and footballers in general. Today we are discussing the development of Polish football and encouraging more young Poles to practise the sport', 

added minister Rutnicki. 

The total value of the programmes and projects to support the development of football among children and young people, implemented by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, is nearly 737 million PLN. The initiatives aim not only to develop elite sport but also to promote physical activity and revive the popularity of sport among children and young people across Poland.