A Woman's Game - the exciting summer in Germany

It seemed only a few months ago that we  witnessed one of the greatest sporting spectacles of all time – the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. A glorious month long event which culminated in the finals where Spain became the long awaited champions – the first time in their illustrious footballing history. The match provided us much to talk about – not just because Spain had created history but more so because  the contrasting style of the two finalists was laid bare. Spain were the masters of intricate passing and possession. Holland were the aggressors, the finalists who were willing to win at all costs. They played ugly and left the finals having lost the finalsand sadly, a bit of their reputation.

 

And now, just as we consign the 2010 tournament to history, we welcome the arrival of FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™. While in terms of popularity there is still some headroom for women’s football, especially when compared with the men’s version, we are excited by the feast of football which we can expect this summer. There is increasing interest in women’s football not only because of increased ability and passion, but also because women’s football is also throwing up exciting personalities such as England’s Kelly Holmes and USA’s Abby Wambach. Expect to see all of this from 26 June 2011 for 3 action packed weeks. Germany will be keen to retain its title on home soil (they were champions in 2007) and this should add to the excitement. And for those who continue to raise a cynical eyebrow about the popularity of the women’s version of the game, consider this. As far back as 1999, when USA played China in the Pasadena Rose Bowl for the finals of the first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup ™ hosted by the US, (where football is nowhere as popular as in Europe) the stands were full -  a cool 90,000 spectators  came to witness history in the making!