© Women's Soccer World Magazine Special edition WWCup 1999

The Future of Women in Football
By Judith Phillips Rogers

The power and popularity of women's soccer exploded at the Rose Bowl, but earlier in the week the future course for women in the sport was set in a Los Angeles hotel. The 2nd FIFA Women's Football Symposium held in Los Angeles July 7-8, 1999 was open to representatives from the 203 countries whose national football associations belong to FIFA. About 70 countries sent official delegations (about 65% male) and numerous other credentialed observers attended. The tight security, elegant meeting rooms, exotic national attire, and simultaneous translations through earphones evoked the image of a United Nations assembly. Following two days of presentations and debates, FIFA issued a policy statement on the development of women's football. Many delegates at the symposium had hoped for more specific goals or mandates, but the assemblage approved a general document in support of women's programs and the development of women's soccer at all levels. (See www.womensoccer.com for the complete text of this document, called "The Los Angeles Declaration on Women's Football." )

Speakers including Anita DeFrantz (Vice-president of the International Olympic Committee), Donna de Varona, Marie-George Buffet (French government Minister for Youth and Sports), and April Heinrichs (U.S. U-16 National Coach and former USA Team Captain) stressed that without a specific ruling from FIFA most National Associations will not make way for women to be included on executive bodies or give a fair percentage of funding to women's programs. FIFA has classically been an all male preserve, and although efforts are being made from the highest levels to develop women's programs, no woman has ever served on the executive committee of soccer's international governing body.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who attended most of the conference, announced that FIFA will be sending $1,000,000 to each of the 203 National Associations for soccer development and that knowing this, women's programs should lobby to get their share. Women from many nations felt strongly that no amount of squabbling with their national associations would ensure that they get a fair share of the funds, and had hoped that FIFA would issue a directive that some certain percentage be designated for women's programs.

Anita DeFrantz pointed out several times that the IOC now requires 15 percent female representation on committees and that this was not a difficult goal to meet. Minister Buffet stressed that women did not automatically gain inclusion by "evolution" in politics or sport, while de Varona noted that only by government mandate (Title IX legislation) did women's sports in the U.S. receive equal support.

Heinrichs called strongly for a specific ruling to ensure that women would receive equitable representation and funding from FIFA and national associations. Per Omdal (Chairman of FIFA's Committee for Women's Football and member of the FIFA Executive Committee) noted that in his nation, Norway, the government requires 2 of every 5 representatives on any sort of governing board or committee be female, and that this worked well for their Football Association (which even sent a woman as Head of Delegation to the Men's World Cup in France).

It is obvious that Per Omdal is a passionate advocate for developing women's soccer and especially for giving the opportunity to play to all girls who are interested. He is a FIFA insider who is working hard to ensure that women's soccer is developed in a way which will be acceptable to FIFA.

Marilyn Childress, a long-time advocate and organizer for women's soccer in the U.S., attended the first FIFA Women's Symposium in 1992 as well as the 1999 conference. Her most vivid memory from the first meeting was a delegate's plea for FIFA to help make it legal for women to play soccer in her country. Childress was pleased to see progress in the intervening seven years, noting that most countries now acknowledge women's soccer as an important component of their national federations. "From the presentations, I think FIFA is interested in having women participate in all aspects of soccer - coaching, refereeing and administration - not just playing," Childress concluded after the Symposium.

While salary and funding inequities are still an issue in the U.S., developing acceptance and opportunities for women and girls to play at the most basic level is the issue in many countries. Per Omdal was adamant that after the success of WWC '99, the federations would be "failures as leaders" if they did not do more to develop women's programs in their countries. The ending sentiment was that the leaders of FIFA want to make sure there is a future where all women have opportunities in soccer, but that they do not want to force women's participation through mandates or quotas. FIFA President Sepp Blatter proclaimed, "In America anything is possible...we need to intensify the competition and assist all the nations in setting up women's national championships...to respect women in administration and give them the important jobs to manage national associations and the opportunity to serve on the FIFA Executive Board."

Perhaps, by the time of the 3rd FIFA Women's Symposium, women will find their way to the top administrative ranks in soccer and will figure out how to get a fair share of funding. The popularity of the players from WWC '99 and the power of television to showcase these role models may be as big a factor in determining the future for women's football as the policy decrees of FIFA. WSW