The President of the BFS, Georgi Ivanov, made an address on the occasion of the end of the year 2024. He gave a brief account of the past 12 months, in which he himself took over the management of the headquarters at a convention in March.
Here is what Ivanov wrote:
“Dear football family,
We are on the threshold of the brightest Christian holiday and, traditionally, the end of each calendar year is a time for taking stock. The passing year 2024 was filled with various challenges, but from my first day as president of the Bulgarian Football Union, I stated and continue to be absolutely convinced that with a lot of work, perseverance and consistency, the results will inevitably come, and better days for our beloved game are yet to come .
We are sending off a year in which the Bulgarian national team showed a positive face under the leadership of Ilian Iliev, allowing only one loss in their 10 games played. The youth national team also made a good impression with their performances in the European qualifiers, where they finished in third place. However, as we all know, before reaching the representative selections, footballers are first formed in schools and clubs all over the country. It is for this reason that the improvement of football infrastructure remains one of the key priorities, part of our long-term strategy for the development of the game.
I am happy that in 2024 we managed to find training grounds and complexes in various places in Bulgaria, and in 2025 we will continue to implement a number of such projects. All of them are implemented thanks to the successful dialogue between the BFS and the municipalities and are financed by FIFA and UEFA programs. Here is the moment to thank the presidents of the two largest football organizations in the world – Mr. Gianni Infantino and Mr. Alexander Ceferin, who personally honored the 100-year anniversary of Bulgarian football and repeatedly declared their support for the BFS. I also thank the Bulgarian institutions, hoping for 2025. to bring about a fruitful cooperation between us.
Soccer taught me a long time 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 Executive Committee of the BFS and to every employee of the headquarters, because we can achieve our goals only through unity and perseverance. Special thanks also to all partners who continue to support Bulgarian football in these times, filled with various difficulties and challenges. I am also glad that we concluded prestigious collaborations with well-established institutions such as the Johan Cruyff Institute, the UEFA Academy, Vasil Levski National Sports Academy and St. Kliment Ohridski University. I am convinced that through the conducted trainings and seminars, we will help to create more and more qualified personnel.
And finally – in the year in which we celebrated the centenary, I want to thank each and every one of you for your work and dedication to our beloved game.
I wish you happy holidays!
Georgi Ivanov, President of the Bulgarian Football Union”