With
36 different nations at Norway Cup, the tournament gives youth an opportunity
to learn more about other cultures and also to discover how soccer is
played around the world. Girls' Soccer World has taken a closer look
at some of the international girls teams this year.
This
year marks the 28th anniversary for Norway Cup. It started in 1972 with
a majority of Norwegian teams, and a few from other parts of Europe.
Then in 1975 the Pequeninos from Brazil arrived in Oslo, and that marked
the start of a multi-cultural Norway Cup.
Part of Norway Cup's philosophy is to give youth from poorer sections
of the world a chance to take part in the world's biggest soccer tournament.
To accomplish this they are often sponsored by larger companies and
organisations. That's the case for 'Gaza girls' from Palestine in the
Middle East and 'Mathare United' from Kenya, Africa. In sharp contrast,
the tournament also plays host to teams from the richer and more industrial
part of the world, such as Finland and Saudia Arabia.
Gaza
Girls - Palestine - Group X - 11-12 year olds.
The 12-year-olds from the war-torn country of Palestine, have been brought
from their refugee camps in Gaza to a week filled with sunshine and
soccer in Norway. The girls have absolutely no prior soccer experience,
so in their last game they lost 9-0. But despite the defeat they were
cheerful and just happy to be on their holiday of a lifetime. Coach
Hatem Kraizem says that participation, not winning, is what matters
to them. He hopes they will continue to play and develop their soccer
skills when they return home, but with no fields or even a football
their prospects are bleak.
Mathare United
- Kenya - Group S - 14 year olds
Mathare United
is from the slum district in Nairobi, Kenya and this is the teams' second
appearance in Norway Cup. Their trip and all their expenses are covered
by a Norwegian organisation. Mathare United was set up by Bob Munro,
a UN worker, three years ago and today more than 15 000 players are
involved with the club in Nairobi. Aside from soccer, the players are
also involved in other projects, such as learning about AIDS, through
the club.
This year the girls'
team has been very successful and they are now through to the semi-final.
16-year-old Asha Ali is the team captain and she loves soccer. At home
she plays for the senior team and they play four times a week, including
games. Ideally, she would like to become a professional soccer player,
but if that doesn't work out she wants to be a social worker. Asha tells
me she is part of a youth exchange programme. It means she can spend
a few weeks in Norway every year and then in return a Norwegian girl
can go and visit her in Kenya. She's made lots of good friends this
way.
Espoon Palloseura
- Finland - Group S - 14 year olds.
Despite
being a newcomer in Norway Cup, the Finnish team, got through to the
first leg of the finals. They were certainly happy when they beat the
Norwegian team, Bergsøy, 3-2 in the last qualifying game. The
girls were jumping around whilst giving their coach, Pasi Pursiainen,
a wet celebration. The coach has good faith in the girls and says they
will go all the way to the finals. Last year, they played in Dana Cup,
in Denmark where they won the B-finals. But coach, Pursiainen, says
they prefer Norway Cup. "It's a good tournament, well organised and
very challenging for the girls", he adds. The social side of the tournament
is also very important to the Finnish girls. Two of the players, Maarit
and Mella, admit that meeting boys is high on the agenda.
Desert Wind
- Saudi Arabia - Group S - 14 year olds.
The team from the
richest country in the world is visiting Norway for the third time.
Desert Wind is in itself a multi-cultural team. Although the team is
registered as Saudi-Arabian, most of the players are either American,
Canadian or British. That's because they're all daughters of employees
with Saudi Aramco, an oil-company. The girls made it to the quarterfinals
where they lost 3-0 to the African team, Mathare United. They were very
disappointed, but said they've enjoyed Norway lots. 14-year-old Jessika
Vail says she's had a great time in Norway and would love to come back
and play in next year's cup. She explains that since Saudi-Arabian girls
aren't allowed to play soccer, they have to play against boys, so they're
used to the slightly rougher style of soccer found here in Scandinavia.
Desert Wind's coach, Gordon Lynch, says the girls have worked really
hard to get to Norway Cup this year, so losing the quarterfinal was
disappointing. He also points out that the team doesn't have that much
experience in playing competitions, since there is no girls league to
play against in their home country. "Basically, the ten games we've
played in Dana Cup and Norway Cup is a whole season for us", says Lynch.
