Curtain call in the Caribbean

Getting the ball rolling will be 2008 champions Korea DPR against African contenders Nigeria, a game which will be followed by the official opening ceremony at the Hasely Crawford Stadium – during which more than 50 performers will add their colour and flair to the start of the showpiece event.

Shouldering the main burden for this enticing spectacle will be dance group Shiv Shakit and well-known producer Rosalind Gabriel, with the aim of faithfully representing the best that Trinidad and Tobago art, culture, music and dance has to offer.

The big match
Nigeria-Korea DPR (Hasely Crawford Stadium) - 15:00
A genuine force to be reckoned with on the women’s scene, how will Korea DPR’s class of 2010 go about defending the trophy won by their predecessors on New Zealand soil two years ago?

First up is a tough test against a powerful Nigerian side, not that North Korean coach Ri Song-Gun seems particularly perturbed: “All our players are focusing on is picking up the win and sending a victory message to the people back home.”

The other matches
Following hot on the heels of the opening ceremony comes the host nation’s meeting with Chile. Though weakened by the loss of key defender Camille Borneo, missing due to a knee ligament injury, Even Pellerud’s charges remain high in confidence after a successful pre-tournament build-up.

Their Chilean opponents are equally determined to rain on the hosts’ parade, as voiced by Las Rojitas’ midfielder Fernanda Pinilla. “We know it’s an important game and it’s vital to kick off with a win,” said Pinilla. “We’re all really keen to get started and put all our effort and hard work to good use out on the pitch.”

The first match on the island of Tobago will be Germany-Mexico, with the cream of the German U-17 crop surely buoyed by their countrywomen’s recent triumph at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Las Aztecas, for their part, will be determined to keep any opening-match nerves in check and belie their relative lack of pedigree in the women’s game by springing a big surprise.

Rounding off the day’s action will be tournament debutants South Africa who pit their wits against reigning Asian champions Korea Republic.

Clearly unconcerned by her charges’ lack of experience, Bantwana coach Solly Luvhengo has told FIFA.com that South Africa are “keen to make a splash”.

The stat
0 – Nigeria have never failed to appear at a FIFA women’s tournament and the girls in green will continue that impressive tradition at Trinidad and Tobago 2010.

What they said…
“We’re aware of just who we’ll be up against, but we’re not in awe of any opponents – however strong they are. We know that after the work we’ve put in we’re capable of getting good results,” Mexico defender Anakaren Llamas.

The fixtures (all local time)
Nigeria-Korea DPR (Hasely Crawford Stadium) - 15:00
Germany-Mexico (Dwight Yorke Stadium) - 16:00
Trinidad and Tobago-Chile (Hasely Crawford Stadium) - 18:00
South Africa-Korea Republic (Dwight Yorke Stadium) - 19:00

T&T ready for World Cup opener.
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express).

"We all know there will be a lot of pressure on home soil against a team (Chile) we absolutely need to beat.

We know that after that comes Nigeria and Korea (defending champions) who are very strong teams," Trinidad and Tobago's Norwegian head coach Even Pellerud said, ahead of their FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup match against Chile today. "Chile is very strong as well, but that momentum of winning the game against Chile will be very important for us."

]The 2010 FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup begins today with double-headers at both the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, and the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Tobago.

First up at the Crawford Stadium, Nigeria and North Korea will meet at three p.m. in what should be a very competitive match, before hosts T&T see action for the first time ever in a Women's World Cup at six p.m. when they take on South American runners-up Chile.

Pellerud has done his homework, travelling to Chile to see the Chileans in action. He also took his Soca Princesses to South America to play the two other qualifiers from that region in preparation for today's match.

Brazil won the 2010 South American Under-17 Women's Championship with a thumping 7-0 defeat of Chile in the final, while Venezuela edged Paraguay for the third qualifying spot. Brazil had also hammered Ecuador 15-0 as they played unbeaten in six qualifying matches.

Playing in Rio de Janeiro, T&T held the Brazilians 1-1 in the first match of their tour, before losing 6-0 in the second. They also travelled to Venezuela in August where they won their two matches 2-1 and 1-0.

Pellerud believes his Soca Princesses are as ready as can be.

"We have had very good preparations lately, particularly the three games, against Venezuela twice, and against Northern Ireland last week. It was good for us in terms of performance, in that we won all the games. So, the mentality should be very good, should be optimistic...not overconfident, but I guess we are where we should be at the moment."

Pellerud is most pleased by the growth of his players over the two years they have been together. Though several foreign players of local ancestry, some quite good, tried out for the team, Pellerud has selected 13 home-based footballers in his 21-member squad.

"I go with the best team. I don't look at the passport when I pick the team, " Pellerud said. "I was very pleased to see that the locally-based group has worked very, very hard over the almost two years they have been together. I have seen a lot of progress by the local group . Their level wasn't very high, but they have done a fantastic job and really become good football players. So, I am very pleased."

Going into today's showdown with Chile, Pellerud reports that all 21 players in the T&T camp are healthy.

The head coach believes crowd support will be important for the Soca Princesses.

"It's an advantage to play at three different venues. I have talked about the pressure on us, but on the flip side of that will be the support we will have in the stands. The sound of the noise in the stands will help us, I'm sure, and we are excited about that."

Soca Princesses ready to take on the world.
By Stephon Nicholas (T&T Newsday).

The wait is over. The second edition of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup kicks off today with 16 countries vying to be named the number one team in the world.

The opening match of the tournament will see Nigeria come up against defending champions North Korea at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo at 3 pm while three hours later the venue is expected to be jam- packed with football fans eager to see host country Trinidad and Tobago do battle with Chile in what coach Even Pellerud has described as a must-win game.

In Group “B” action, Germany squares off against Mexico at the Dwight Yorke Stadium at 4 pm while South Africa faces South Korea at the same venue at 7pm.

The tournament is FIFA’s youngest competition with the inaugural event being held two years ago in New Zealand. North Korea defeated the Unites States 2-1 to lift the trophy while Germany finished third after beating England 3-0 in the third/fourth playoff.

With the success of the 2002 FIFA Under-19 Women’s World Championship, FIFA proposed to add a second junior tournament for women thus giving birth to the Under-17 Women’s World Cup.

“Women’s football has come a long way in recent years, and today about 30 million girls and women play the game. It is vital that we continue to raise awareness of the positive values of women’s football as well as its social and individual benefits in terms of health, fitness, social integration, self-esteem, enjoyment and friendship,” Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA said.

“We are confident that this U-17 tournament will leave a legacy for the development and expansion of women’s football,” he added.

Preparations for the tournament have not gone according to plan with FIFA vice president Jack Warner stating last week that football world’s governing body was not satisfied with the pace of development with regards to the playing surface, dressing rooms, media centres and VIP areas.

There can be no excuses now, however, as all eyes will be turned to the field of play to see the top teams in the world showcase their skills in order to win football’s premier tournament for their age group.

This will be fifth time TT has participated in a World Cup and the second time the twin islands have played hosts as many football fans will remember in 2001 the FIFA Under-17 Men’s World Championship was held right here.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) has assembled a disciplined and strong team that will be aiming to create history this time around on home soil.

TT has never won a game at a World Cup and never progressed past the group stage. But with coach Even Pellerud of Norway at the helm of the Soca Princesses, fans throughout TT would be hoping to see some magic from the girls.

Pellerud certainly has the credentials to get TT to the promise land having won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1995 as coach of his home land Norway, and earned bronze in 1996 at the Summer Olympics with the same team.

Pellerud has been in charge for almost 18 months and has transformed the team into a unit capable of playing and beating some of the best nations in the world.

On July 25, the Soca Princesses drew 1-1 with the highly fancied Brazilian Under-17 team and warmed up for the World Cup in style with a 3-0 drubbing of Ireland on August 28.

With the positive results the public cannot help but be enthusiastic and optimistic of TT’s chances of performing well at the competition. In an interview with Sunday Newsday recently, Jamaal Shabazz, Assistant Director of women’s football in TT, praised Pellerud for the work he has done since taking over and predicted that the girls were going “to light it up”.

The national team has had to deal with a number of challenges including the dreadful news that they will have to do without the services of inspirational captain Camille Borneo who suffered a torn ACL in the tour of Brazil earlier this year.

But stepping in to replace her was United States born Lauren Schmidt who was drafted into the training squad just four months ago. Schmidt emerged as a true leader and one would be unwise to second-guess Pellerud’s judgement.

Men’s football has traditionally hogged the limelight locally but if all the signs are proper indicators of what is to be expected from the Soca Princesses then women’s football will get their due if the host country makes a deep run in the tournament.

Trinidadians and Tobagonians will well remember the euphoria and feeling of pride that engulfed TT in 2005 when the Soca Warriors qualified for the World Cup and with crime again spiralling out of control it cannot be discounted what football can do for this country yet again.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has publicly stated that the future of football is feminine and with the dreams of hundreds of young footballers ready to be realised, TT welcomes the world to our shores for three weeks where the next female football stars will be crowned and dreams will come true.

Sixteen teams have been placed in four groups of four where a round robin stage will be played with the top two teams advancing to the quarter-finals. Elimination matches will then be played all the way to the final where a champion will be crowned.

North Korea are the current holders of the World Cup and will be favourites to repeat but, Brazil and Germany are expected to be the main challengers for the title.

Women’s football remains a top priority for FIFA and hundreds of coaches, players, referees, administrators and doctors have taken advantage of development courses, symposiums and video productions organised by football’s world governing body.

Maylee Attin-Johnson, manager of the national U-20 women’s football team has hailed TT’s hosting of the World Cup as instrumental in highlighting areas where improvements need to be made to the female game.

“I remember eight years ago we could not afford camps and slept in the dressing rooms of our stadia when we had double sessions. We almost never had training camps and funding for the programme was almost negligible,” she said.

“Today we have camps on a continual basis, we stay in hotels, foreign based players are flown in and out of country and we are treated with respect as footballers, “ she declared.

The tournament is being held from September 5-25 at five stadia throughout TT including the Hasely Crawford Stadium (Mucurapo), Larry Gomes Stadium (Malabar), Dwight Yorke Stadium (Tobago), Manny Ramjohn Stadium (Marabella) and the Ato Boldon Stadium (Couva).

The national team is as follows: Keri Myers, Linfah Jones, Shalette Alexander (goalkeepers); Khadisha Debesette, Patrice Vincent, Rehana Omardeen, Courtney Bahadursingh, Lauren Schmidt (defenders); Victoria Swift, Khadidra Debesette, Kayla Taylor, Emma Abdul, Jasmine Sampson, Liana Hinds (midfielders); Camille Charles, Jo-Marie Lewis, Nykosi Simmons, Diarra Simmons, Brianna Ryce, Anique Walker, Jonelle Warrick (strikers).

T&T 2010 on FIFA.com.

Welcome to Trinidad and Tobago! FIFA.com is already ensconced on the Caribbean islands in order to experience first-hand the second-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and to bring you all the latest news and views from the event.

The big kick-off is set for Sunday 5 September, but to whet your appetite we are delighted to be able to provide you with detailed profiles of the 16 national teams taking part, as well as summaries of the various continental qualifying tournaments. You also have the opportunity to learn a little more about the host nation and the competition’s five venues, with a profile of each city and its corresponding stadium available for your perusal.

Interested in seeing what went on at the inaugural edition of the event? Then don't hesitate to take a look at our Previous Tournaments section, where you can relive all the action and excitement of New Zealand 2008. If you are currently in Trinidad and Tobago, a veritable festival of football awaits you. Visit the section detailing the organisation of the tournament, where you can buy match tickets, as well as read the rules and regulations of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, should you happen to have any guideline-related queries.

Day-to-day
From 5 September onwards, the football fiesta begins! We’ll start each matchday with a preview of the fixtures ahead, and offer you minute-by-minute coverage of each game via our MatchCast tool. A report will follow every match, as well as a relevant photo gallery and video highlights package. We will also have choice quotes from the protagonists themselves. As if that were not enough, once the action is over, we will provide a general overview of each day’s events, including an array of photos capturing the essence of the tournament.

But there is no reason for us to stop there. Closely monitoring all of the competing teams in Trinidad and Tobago, we will bring you exclusive interviews, fascinating articles and all the latest news related to events on the islands up to and including 25 September, the day of the final. At that time, we also plan to provide you with a list of the winners of the tournament’s top individual awards, plus a look back at how they achieved them.

What else could you possibly need? If you do think of something, do not hesitate to suggest it through our 'Add your comment' option, which allows you to share your thoughts on the competition with the wider football community. We are counting on you – stay connected to FIFA.com to keep right up-to-date with all the action from Trinidad and Tobago 2010.

Group A: Holders head intriguing blend.

Group A of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Trinidad and Tobago 2010 promises to be a fascinating one. Joining the host nation in the pool are defending champions Korea DPR, second-time finalists Nigeria and debutants Chile, a mix that should provide plenty of entertainment and suspense when the ball starts rolling on Sunday.

The road to T&T
Trinidad and Tobago: The Soca Princesses qualified automatically as tournament hosts.

Chile: Absent from New Zealand 2008, Las Rojitas are making their maiden appearance in the finals after battling through to the final of the South American qualifying competition. Topping a tough section featuring Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay, the Chileans then beat Paraguay 4-1 in the semis before being brought back down to earth by a 7-0 defeat to Brazil in the final.

Nigeria: The Flamingoes became the first African team to reach the finals courtesy of a comprehensive aggregate defeat of South Africa in the final qualifying round. Running out 5-0 winners in a one-sided first leg on home soil, the Nigerians followed up with a 2-1 victory in the return.

Korea DPR: The holders teed up their title defence by reaching the final of the AFC championship. Kicking off with easy wins over Thailand and Myanmar, they drew with Korea Republic in their final group game before edging out Australia 4-3 in a thrilling semi-final. Their place at Trinidad and Tobago secure, they then went down 4-0 to their southern neighbours in the final.

The big match
Korea DPR-Trinidad and Tobago
The hosts take on the reigning champions in the final round of group games. While the home favourites will be determined to put on a good show in front of their fans, the North Koreans will have nothing on their minds but defending the title they won in New Zealand two years ago, as coach Ri Song-Gun has already confirmed: “The girls are here for one thing only, and that’s to win and give the people back home some more good news.” T&T coach Even Pellerud’s ambitions are somewhat more modest: “Our aim is to progress beyond the first round, and I’m convinced my players will do whatever it takes to achieve just that.”

Did you know?
Trinidad and Tobago have gone to every effort to make their challenge on home soil a successful one, recruiting the services of former Norway and Canada national team coach Pellerud. Persuading him to signed a four-year contract, the Trinidadian FA have given the Norwegian a wide-ranging brief as a national supremo responsible for every level of the women’s game on the islands.

Group B: Germany keen to cement status.

Female football powerhouse Germany will be the team to watch as the second FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup kicks-off this week in Trinidad and Tobago. The Europeans, who finished third in UEFA qualifying for the Caribbean showpiece and third at the first U-17 women’s finals in New Zealand two years ago, open their account against CONCACAF strivers Mexico in a Group B that also includes African outsiders South Africa and growing Asian power Korea Republic.

The road to T&T
Germany: Crowned champions of Europe in both 2008 and 2009, the Germans had to be content with reaching Trinidad and Tobago 2010 from third-place in UEFA. They fell to the Republic of Ireland in the last four of the qualifying competition, but managed to book passage with a win over the Dutch in the third-place play-off. All told, the Germans won six of their eight qualifiers, scoring 22 goals and conceding only one.

Mexico: The Mexicans are playing in their first U-17 women’s finals here in T&T, but the side are fast becoming a force in the women’s junior ranks. They roared to the final of the CONCACAF qualifying competition, eventually losing out by the only goal in a fierce final with champions Canada.

Korea Republic: The young East Asians are likely a force to be reckoned with in Trinidad if their championship form in AFC is any indication. Free-flowing and full of goals in the Asian qualifying rounds, they hammered defending world champions Korea DPR 4-0 in the competition’s final to stand themselves right in line with Germany as top dogs in Group B. With four wins and a draw in the qualifiers, the South Koreans bagged an astonishing 23 goals while conceding only two.

South Africa: The South Africans hold the proud mantle as the first team from the Republic to have reached a FIFA women’s tournament, and they will have their work cut out in a demanding section. After falling in qualifying to continental powers Nigeria, the South African ladies sealed a nail-biter of a play-off with Tunisia to book their date with history in the Caribbean.

The big match
Korea Republic - Germany
With reigning Asian champions Korea Republic and European heavyweights Germany facing off in the third and final game in the group, all could well and truly be on the line. Both sides will be expected to get the better of Mexico and South Africa, making the final section contest between the two a battle for first place, a position which can make all the difference in the knockout rounds.

Did you know?
Germany have replaced USA as the world’s top producer of female football talent. They have won the last two senior FIFA Women’s World Cups, only once finishing outside the top four in that global showpiece. They are also holders of the U-20 Women’s World Cup, having only once finished out of the top four in that prestigious competition. Finishing third at the inaugural U-17 finals in New Zealand, the Germans will be hoping to go a little farther second time around.