Shakhtar's General Director Sergei Palkin expressed the opinion that the Ukrainian football authorities need to pay more attention to the development of children's and youth football.

"Real football is the one that we see now here. When you look at the game of professionals, you see strategy, tactics, you know the miscalculations. This is football, optimized to a professional level. We see emotions, that the main thing. Today in the country this is the only system project of mass football. Therefore I would like to urge the Football Federation of Ukraine, the Premier League, professional clubs to unite around this project. We all have to raise mass sports together. When you look at stadiums, where one and a half thousand people come, it's a system problem, "Palkin said..

"Much is said about football organizations, clubs, the national team, but it all begins with this. If we do not start with mass football, there will be no further development. Because the guys who play here, first, left the yard, we tore them from computers, gadgets - children are engaged in sports and, above all, their health. They basically have two ways: some can go into professional sports, while others simply will be normal fans, they will support clubs in the regions. And most importantly, they will support the national team. Then we will see the filled stadiums. And I repeat: we must unite around this project and engage in mass football - this is something that all our football organizations need to work on ".

"We hope that the project" Let's play! "Will continue to develop. We do not want to be alone in this direction, there is a desire to attract as many sports organizations as possible to the project. When we go step by step and the number of people will increase at times, then it will be possible to call mass football in Ukraine. And the fact that today we see in the stands is not a mass sport. It seems that clubs play for themselves and professional sports live by itself. So we need to start with this, "concluded Shakhtar's General Director.

Recall Shakhtar is developing a project of mass football "Come on, play!" From 2013. Since the start of the tournament, the geography of the tournament has expanded from two to six Ukrainian cities. For five years, the total number of children involved in the project has reached 2,180.