Fun filled Trinidad & Tobago got down to some serious business in preparation for the FIFA 2010 Women's U-17 World Cup. A FIFA delegation of instructors and development officers assisted local participants in a FIFA Com-Unity seminar, providing the hosts with a perfect platform to raise awareness of women's football, both within the football family and the wider community.
The main topic of the seminar was the design of a blueprint and strategic plan to be implemented by the Local Organising Committee (LOC), working with media and marketing partners, to help ensure a successful tournament and leaving an ongoing legacy for the country and the region.
The opening speech was given by Mr Jack A. Warner, FIFA Vice President and CONCACAF President, who provided passionate words of encouragement and guidance. "This is a world event ... we need to take this to a new level", he stated. "Over the next three days we are empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge and information. Planning, precision and execution will ensure us a successful FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup."
There is nothing more emotional than to see a young player representing their country, at any level, even better when the speaker is a 16-year-old goalkeeper talking with passion about her sport, team and country. "We want to change history, and to change the way we look at women's football," said Trinidad & Tobago representative Linfa Cox, who then pledged on behalf of the U-17 team to play fair, to be competitive and give their best in representing T&T.
Ambitious hosts
The importance of a successful host nation team who are capable of advancing to the latter stage of the tournament can never be understated. With that in mind, Jamal Shabaaz, a member of the Trinidad & Tobago technical staff, shared details of an increased training program under the guidance of Norwegian FIFA Women's World Cup™-winning coach Even Pellerud. "The girls are coming into their own, as a group I am pleased with how they have adjusted to a higher volume of training," said Shabaaz. "The training has been upped from four sessions to seven sessions per week and the progress is pleasing."
Words of expertise and experience were provided by FIFA representatives from last year's Women's World Cup, namely Michele Cox head of New Zealand's U-17 LOC, and Harold Maine-Nicholls head of Chile's U-20 LOC. Germany's LOC administrator for both the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and 2011 Women's World Cup, Heike Ullrich, said the premise was to hand the baton to the TTFF and to demonstrate best practices for promoting the female game and to embrace it with open arms.
The rise in popularity of women's football throughout the world has been helped by grassroots projects and the ongoing success of the FIFA Women's World Cup at U-17 and U20 level. With increasing coverage, the women's game is enjoying an exciting period of growth, with new TV audience records, greater numbers of girls and women playing and broader acceptance by the general public around the world.
The Women's FIFA Com-Unity seminar retained the traditional format of inviting Government, media, marketing and members of the football community to gather under one roof and listen, learn and debate the passionate subject of football. The island backdrop evokes the image of palms, sun and sand, but this twin island nation has sporting ambitions which contrast with such a small population. Stars such as former Manchester United striker Dwight York and cricket legend Brian Lara will be invited to join their young compatriot female stars to promote the event as ambassadors of the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
The carnival Caribbean nation is moving with rhythm towards a world class event with the slogan ‘Small Island Big Passion'. Women's football seems set to carve a niche into the palmed-tree landscape of Trinidad and Tobago creating a lasting legacy.