Tweet
Women's football emerging from the shadows
published: Wednesday | October 3, 2007
DURING THE presentation ceremony at the just-concluded FIFA Women's World Cup Finals on Sunday, the losing team carried a banner - 'Brazil, we need support'.
The South Americans, beaten 2-0 by Germany, the first back-to-back champions, might well have been making a plea for female footballers in most FIFA-affiliated countries, barring a few in Europe whose organisation has risen to a professional level.
Elsewhere, they are scrambling for recognition, almost completely overshadowed by the exploits of their male counterparts in this very popular global sport.
The only country where things appear to be slightly different is in the United States in which football, soccer as they know it, has always struggled to find a firm footing despite the best efforts of the United States Soccer Federation. There they face massive competition from well-rooted traditional sports such as baseball, basketball and their football, the NFL, just to name a few.
This happens even though they have hosted the World Cup Finals, played in several of those world championships, including all the youth Finals, and run leagues, in separate eras, with the world's elite players.
The difference in terms of being a catalyst for the sport in the States, though, is that the American women have won the World Cup twice (1991 and 1999) and given the popularity gained through those successes, they appear more on par with their male counterparts in terms of recognition.
It is rather ironic, and probably unfortunate, that the U.S. were beaten 4-0 in the semi-final of this competition but, in general terms, if women's football needed a spark to send a signal to the world, the quality displayed by mainly the top eight teams in China - especially champions Germany and runners-up Brazil - perfectly displayed the message of its arrival.
Poor performance
Those flimsy and regularly unorthodox tackles, frequent off-balance plays and generally weak and inaccurate passes that made the game look explicitly 'girly', slow and rather unattractive, are significantly less.
Replacing that are solid technical plays with precise passing - aerial and ground - creative ball movements, strong kicking and the finishing prowess of Germany's Birgit Prinz, the tournament's leading all-time scorer; and Brazil's Marta, this competition's ace scorer with seven strikes.
Add to that the skill, some of it simply amazing from Marta, who diced her way past opponents time and again to hit the net.
In the midst of all this, one must spare a thought for our own Reggae Girlz, who will begin the Caribbean Zone Olympic qualifiers at 12:45 p.m. today in a Group C tie against Bermuda in Antigua. Two other teams, the hosts and Dominica, are participating in the group.
There are four first-round groupings and each winner will advance to a second round, from which the top two will advance to the CONCACAF Final play-offs.
Jamaica's Girlz recently played at the Pan Am Games in Rio, Brazil, but never made it past the first round as they ended third. They beat Ecuador 1-0, drew 1-1 with Honduras, lost 11-1 in a totally indifferent performance to Canada, albeit with an injury-laden side, and 5-0 against Brazil. Brazil won the group and also dispatched Canada 7-0.
The very Brazil team that finished runners-up on Sunday to Germany was the same one against which Jamaica played then, with Marta, Cristiane, Daniela etc.
If they play up to expectations, Jamaica should win the first-round qualifying spot and then, who knows, the Girlz may even start, like the Brazilians, appealing for support.
feedback: audley.boyd@gleanerjm.com.
published: Wednesday | October 3, 2007
DURING THE presentation ceremony at the just-concluded FIFA Women's World Cup Finals on Sunday, the losing team carried a banner - 'Brazil, we need support'.
The South Americans, beaten 2-0 by Germany, the first back-to-back champions, might well have been making a plea for female footballers in most FIFA-affiliated countries, barring a few in Europe whose organisation has risen to a professional level.
Elsewhere, they are scrambling for recognition, almost completely overshadowed by the exploits of their male counterparts in this very popular global sport.
The only country where things appear to be slightly different is in the United States in which football, soccer as they know it, has always struggled to find a firm footing despite the best efforts of the United States Soccer Federation. There they face massive competition from well-rooted traditional sports such as baseball, basketball and their football, the NFL, just to name a few.
This happens even though they have hosted the World Cup Finals, played in several of those world championships, including all the youth Finals, and run leagues, in separate eras, with the world's elite players.
The difference in terms of being a catalyst for the sport in the States, though, is that the American women have won the World Cup twice (1991 and 1999) and given the popularity gained through those successes, they appear more on par with their male counterparts in terms of recognition.
It is rather ironic, and probably unfortunate, that the U.S. were beaten 4-0 in the semi-final of this competition but, in general terms, if women's football needed a spark to send a signal to the world, the quality displayed by mainly the top eight teams in China - especially champions Germany and runners-up Brazil - perfectly displayed the message of its arrival.
Poor performance
Those flimsy and regularly unorthodox tackles, frequent off-balance plays and generally weak and inaccurate passes that made the game look explicitly 'girly', slow and rather unattractive, are significantly less.
Replacing that are solid technical plays with precise passing - aerial and ground - creative ball movements, strong kicking and the finishing prowess of Germany's Birgit Prinz, the tournament's leading all-time scorer; and Brazil's Marta, this competition's ace scorer with seven strikes.
Add to that the skill, some of it simply amazing from Marta, who diced her way past opponents time and again to hit the net.
In the midst of all this, one must spare a thought for our own Reggae Girlz, who will begin the Caribbean Zone Olympic qualifiers at 12:45 p.m. today in a Group C tie against Bermuda in Antigua. Two other teams, the hosts and Dominica, are participating in the group.
There are four first-round groupings and each winner will advance to a second round, from which the top two will advance to the CONCACAF Final play-offs.
Jamaica's Girlz recently played at the Pan Am Games in Rio, Brazil, but never made it past the first round as they ended third. They beat Ecuador 1-0, drew 1-1 with Honduras, lost 11-1 in a totally indifferent performance to Canada, albeit with an injury-laden side, and 5-0 against Brazil. Brazil won the group and also dispatched Canada 7-0.
The very Brazil team that finished runners-up on Sunday to Germany was the same one against which Jamaica played then, with Marta, Cristiane, Daniela etc.
If they play up to expectations, Jamaica should win the first-round qualifying spot and then, who knows, the Girlz may even start, like the Brazilians, appealing for support.
feedback: audley.boyd@gleanerjm.com.