Free Lions stalwart and Fans’ Embassy veteran Fiona McGee brings us this special feature on the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
So, the clocks have gone forward and the long summer nights will soon be upon us. Most people are starting
to get excited about the prospect of lazy afternoons spent soaking up the sun on a beach or in a pub garden
somewhere. But for those of us who love our football, this sense of anticipation can be tempered by the knowledge that this is one of those stupid odd-numbered years, when mid-May to mid-August represents a
period devoid of competitive football and the withdrawal symptoms have kicked in before June has begun.
However, before you start getting too downcast, there is help at hand, in the form of the sixth Women’s World Cup finals, which will be taking place in Germany from 26 June to 17 July. With 515,000 World Cup tickets sold, 285,000 more are still available. Prices start at just 10euros, with tickets available first come, first served from the official online shop www.FIFA.com/germany2011.
No matter if you’ve never been to a women’s game before, anyone who went to the World Cup in 2006 can vouch for how much fun a football tournament in Germany can be. Impressive stadiums, friendly locals, great beer and more sausages than you can shake a stick at – what’s not to like? So, set aside your prejudices about women’s football (should you be foolish enough to have any).
“It means a lot to have England fans out there. We relish playing in front of a crowd. It would give the team an added boost if their family, friends and football fans came out to support them.” – Hope Powell, England coach
“This will be, without doubt, the best World Cup there’s been. We’d love the support of football people, for them to come out and support us.” – Faye White, England defender.
Road to Germany
After initially struggling to make an impact in tournament football (is this just some kind of English
thing?), the England women’s team are now developing into one of the major forces in the game and currently sit ninth in he official FIFA rankings. They finished runners up in the 2009 UEFA Championship, beaten 6-2 by, of course, the Germans.
In their 2011 World Cup qualifying campaign, England were unbeaten, dropping just two points and conceding only two goals in eight matches. Finishing fi rst in their group, they then had to face Switzerland in a play-off, where they won both legs - 2-0 and 3-2 – for a 5-2 aggregate victory to seal their place in this summer’s tournament. They have now been drawn in Group B, along with Japan, New Zealand and Mexico.
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