Strike While The Iron Is Hot
With less than eleven months left to the opening
of Women's World Cup 1999 the interest is already growing. Questions about
the event now take up a regular part of WSW's daily mail, as well as requests
for articles and information about women's soccer from the media in this
country and abroad.
Expect to see a rise in the amount of coverage
after completion of the 1998 Men's World Cup as the soccer focus moves on
to the next big event. WSW receives many complaints about the lack of coverage
of women's soccer by television or newspapers on the local level, with requests
for advice about improving the situation.
You can help ensure the success of the 1999 World
Cup by not only buying tickets now, but writing or calling your local media
and demanding that they recognize the event. Send them articles, either
yours or copies of those found elsewhere. In most cases you will be surprised
at the number of positive responses. Local media depends on your support
and usually will try to supply information and write feature stories if
they are made aware of the demand.
All of them are now aware of soccer because of the increased coverage of
the Men's World Cup '98, but many are still not aware of the women's game.
As our magazine regularly demonstrates, women in soccer are active in a
myriad of noteworthy happenings both off and on the field.
U.S. Soccer And
The Americas
By Roger Rogers
According to correspondents from Europe and beyond,
there seemed to be a feeling that at the latter part of 1995 those responsible
for governing women's soccer in the United States had jumped ahead of the
rest of the world soccer federations in recognizing that it was time for
equality of treatment for women's soccer national programs. The establishment
of a full time training camp, with an infusion of a large amount of money
to support players during the months leading up to the Olympics, also had
women's national coaches in Europe muttering about what they could do if
they had their players in camp and supported by similar funds.
Their worst forecasts were realized when the two "camp" teams
United States and China won the Gold and Silver respectively. As described
in this issue, the major European women's programs have decided they must
improve their successful league and international play to ensure that no
young talent is missed or left untrained. Looking at their programs they
realized that there was a gap at the U-18 level and the women's soccer committee
of UEFA has given them the opportunity to correct that omission.
U.S. Soccer is to be congratulated for its announcement
of a ten year nationwide plan for improving the identification of talented
girls and boys between the ages of 10-13 and ensuring their proper soccer
preparation in those formative years. The appointment of a coach specifically
for the Spanish speaking children of our communities is particularly promising
and it is exciting to think of the different styles and cultures these girls
will inject into the competitive levels of women's soccer in the United
States. This coach could become an important link to the Spanish speaking
countries helping to change cultural discouragement of women in sport.
China and the USA have a common problem in their women's programs: a lack
of high level international competition nearby. A practical and rewarding
long term solution for the United States would be to aid and encourage the
growth of women's soccer in South America and the member countries of CONCACAF.
In South America, Brazil has paid more attention to its women's program
and it showed in their team's performance in the 1996 Olympics. Soccer representatives
of countries like Argentina have expressed interest in improving the image
and level of their women players.
CONCACAF teams are relatively close in distance
though small in size (except Canada and Mexico) and games and/or tournaments
with W-league or college teams would be good training grounds for them.
The talent available in Canada has always been confirmed by the number of
players recruited by the top college teams, and amply demonstrated last
year by the success of new NCAA teams like Nebraska which had several Canadians
on its roster. Canada's promising program has suffered badly from lack of
money and support from the top these last few years, aggravated by the team
failing to qualify for the 1996 Olympics mostly because of poor preparation
caused by those very problems. They were the first international team to
play the U.S. Team on American soil in 1986 and their teams and staff have
maintained a close working relationship with the U.S. Team through the years.
Although the proposed U.S. professional league
for women would help the top players maintain their game level, its main
advantage is that like the Major Soccer League for men it will help by attracting
young women to the game and giving them the same sports career choices that
their male counterparts now enjoy. It is a necessary part of the growth
of women's soccer in the U.S. but will not answer the urgent need for frequent
high level international competition.
U.S. Soccer refers to the U-14 program as part
of its 10 year plan for bringing the Men's National Team up to the level
of the worlds' top teams, making them a realistic contender for the World
Cup in 2006. Although they did not mention the girls in their presentation
at the January NSCAA meeting in Nashville, the money was given to them for
a joint girls and boys program. A worthy ten year goal equal to the plan
for the men's game, would be to encourage the growth of women's soccer in
the Americas while developing the girls' portion of the U-14 program.
© WSW March/April
1997
Back To Top
We Need More Refs!
By Roger Rogers
It is no accident that we have chosen to feature Bente Skogvang, the
'96 Olympic Gold Medal game referee, along with the list of FIFA women referees,
and a report from Brazil about the reaction there to Sonia Denoncourt and
her female assistants working a major men's league game.
The Skogvang feature shows the level one can reach as a referee, the
list of current FIFA referees will surprise many who find themselves reading
it in countries of great size and thriving women's programs yet with only
one name on the list, and the third piece shows the courage and confidence
of women referees willing to walk into the lion's den.
Skogvang is a wonderful example for girls and young women - an intelligent,
top level athlete who could have become an elite level player but who chose
instead to become an elite level referee. She faced the difficulties of
being accepted as a referee who was also a women, a situation that was often
more difficult than being accepted as a player in what had been a man's
world. We hope that her success will encourage others.
FIFA is to be congratulated in publishing and encouraging their women
referees, and taking brave first steps into new territory as they did in
Brazil. Sao Paulo and the Brazilian fans also deserve praise for their support
of women referees and willingness to change cultural attitudes for the good
of the game they love so much.
It is essential to the growth of women's soccer that we are able to persuade
girls and young women that an alternative or even an additional choice of
involvement in women's soccer can be refereeing. The rate of improvement
in the quality of play and understanding of the game by women players has
often left the officiating behind in many countries. Unfortunately, player
improvement can be slowed by inadequate refereeing since lack of game control
tends to hurt the player with the better skills and finesse, as well as
increasing the risk of injury.
In the three dominant professional sports of the United States - basketball,
American football and baseball - it has become an accepted situation that
uninformed coaches as well as fans hurl abuse (and sometimes other missiles)
at game officials. We must make sure that our girl and women referees are
treated with the respect they deserve in performing an essential part of
each game that is often more physically and mentally demanding than being
a player.
Sports are only fun when they are strictly controlled using the established
and agreed upon rules.
© WSW May/June1997
World Cup USA 1999
Countdown Begins
By Roger Rogers
In less than 730 days the World Cup will be in progress. Now is the time
to begin your preparation. You can start by filling out and sending in the
card with your interests marked so that the World Cup Committee can keep
you informed and contact you if necessary.
Many of you have sent us comments and questions
about the way the competition will be run, who controls what, etc. Here
is your opportunity to vent your curiosity and state your opinion. Donna
de Varona (Chair of the Committee), who may be seen at different proposed
venues around the country during venue selection time, tries to be accessible
to all who are interested in the well being of World Cup '99. She and Marla
Messing (President and CEO) welcome the input that only you, who
are women's soccer, can provide. Please send us your questions, comments,
suggestions, support, or anything that will help make this a women's sport
event to remember.
© WSW July/August1997
Back To Top
Commentary: A
View From the Grassroots
By Rick Crow
As a former 1994 World Cup volunteer, let's say
that I was less than thrilled when it became apparent that the 1999 Women's
World Cup would be staffed by some of the same people who ran the last men's
event. Like the 1994 crew, the 1999 Women's World Cup Organizing Committee,
assembled by U.S. Soccer president Alan Rothenberg, can hardly be considered
representative of the grassroots soccer community in the United States.
For the most part, it's not a bunch of people who spend their free time
lining fields or attending coaching clinics.
Before Rothenberg was elected president of U.S.
Soccer, the 1994 World Cup Organizing Committee, headed by Scott Letelier
and former Federation president Werner Fricker, was in shambles. Together,
this less-than-dynamic duo nearly made history by losing the biggest prize
in sport after Fricker ran afoul of FIFA. By 1990, some FIFA officials began
to have second thoughts about their 1988 decision to award the World Cup
to the United States and nearly pulled the plug.
Under Rothenberg, relations with FIFA improved
immediately. He quickly quelled rumors about FIFA moving the World Cup to
another country and set about reviving a moribund organizing committee.
Yet operations on the home front never went smoothly with an organizing
committee loaded with people who knew next to nothing about soccer and the
leagues, clubs and associations that make up the backbone of U.S. Soccer.
While thousands of starry-eyed soccer junkies stepped forward to work as
un-paid volunteers, the committee hired executives such as Chuck Cale and
Leo Levine to six-figure salaries, then allowed them to bail out with golden
parachutes. Many others were hired and fired at the national and local levels
for a variety of reasons, but even the juiciest soap operas were ignored
by an American media that had little interest in soccer.
Just weeks before the competition kicked off, organizers
were embarrassed when a national survey revealed that more than half the
people in the United States did not know the World Cup would be played in
their country. Thanks to an insatiable demand for tickets from the American
soccer community and foreign visitors, most games had already sold out by
then.
Fortunately, and despite many lost opportunities,
everything turned out well. When it was all over, more than 3.5 million
fans had attended the 1994 World Cup and Rothenberg pocketed a cool $7 million,
awarded to him courtesy of a friendly board of directors, which at the time
included Donna de Varona, now chair of the 1999 Women's World Cup. Although
World Cup '94 is remembered as the most successful soccer tournament in
history, nobody will ever convince me that this event could have been any
less successful with almost anyone else besides Letelier at the helm.
Despite some rather bizarre memories from my 1994
World Cup volunteer experience, I could not help but walk away from the
July 8 Women's World Cup press conference anxious to tag along the road
to 1999. Impressed by the presentations, and content with most answers to
my interview questions, I left New York confident that the organizers will,
as they say, "stage a breakthrough event for women's sport that will
inspire the next generation of female athletes."
One important difference between the 1994 and 1999
committees is that the present crew is keenly aware of the historical importance
surrounding the next Women's World Cup. As stated by U.S. Soccer Secretary
General Hank Steinbrecher, "The time is right for this event, the sport
is right, the team is right, the country is right." More importantly,
Rothenberg, de Varona, 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Organizing Committee
President and Chief Operations Officer Marla Messing and every other organizing
committee member I interviewed seemed just as committed as Steinbrecher
to making it happen.
Unlike most World Cup '94 employees, the present
staff is intimately familiar with the demographics of soccer in the United
States and ready to recite them to any skeptic who will listen. What a pleasant
contrast to the typical paid employee involved in the 1994 campaign, who
for the most part sat in an office filled with posters of figure skaters
and basketball stars and greeted with apathetic yawns faxes detailing the
latest triumphs of the U-17 boys, U-20 men and the world champion U.S. women.
One thing the 1999 organizing committee understands
very well is that Americans love big events. With 30 million women and girls
playing soccer around the world and 7.2 million female participants in the
United States, the 1999 World Cup has a huge target audience. The U.S. Women
are already becoming a hot ticket, and the World Cup staff is devising several
special attractions to draw fans to non-U.S. games. All venues will host
interactive soccer events prior to World Cup matches. These sites will include
games, skills contests, a picnic area and a memorabilia exhibit where visitors
can learn about the history of the Women's World Cup.
Organizers also seemed open to working with local groups to set up youth
tournaments and other events with World Cup themes to bump up the attendance.
Some reporters joked afterwards about de Varona's
lack of soccer knowledge, but I think she will blossom into a great spokesperson
for the 1999 World Cup and a much-needed link to the mainstream media. So
far, de Varona has put in quite a few miles following the national team
around the country and made valuable contacts at speaking engagements. De
Varona now has a son and a daughter playing the sport, making her a true
"soccer mom." She will also be a perfect liaison with the influential
Women's Sports Foundation, an organization she founded with Billy Jean King.
There was some grumbling about adding MLS commissioner
Doug Logan, another man, to the inner circle. But, with six of the nine
potential venues located in MLS cities, the committee can hardly afford
to treat Logan as an outsider. Under Logan's guidance, MLS has already penetrated
the national soccer market and cut deals with stadiums and television networks.
His expertise will be of great help when drawing up the schedule and pursuing
sponsors already involved in soccer.
LICENSED MERCHANDISE LAGS
One area that is sure to underperform is the sale of licensed merchandise.
When asked if the committee still insisted on waiting until Christmas of
1998 to put Women's World Cup 1999 products on the market, Messing responded,
"Ideally it would be out on the market sooner, but the reality of that
business is that there are long lead times." Rothenberg added, "if
you put product into retail stores now when it doesn't move, then when you
really want it to be there, which is the last six months, the retailers
will say, `I don't want that product. The last time you gave it to me it
took up shelf space and didn't sell.' "
What neither Rothenberg nor Messing revealed was
that, even if they want to, companies won't be in a position to sell licensed
merchandise any time soon. On the day of the press conference, less than
two years from the opening kickoff of the 1999 World Cup, the committee
had not yet secured a master licensing agent (MLA). It's the MLA that will
create a marketing plan and sell licenses needed by companies to produce
those official key chains, t-shirts, stuffed animals and other goodies.
Hopefully, this delay will not lead to the proliferation of unofficial "bootleg"
merchandise that infested 1994 World Cup venues.
On the positive side, committee members seem eager
to market this event all the way down to the grassroots level. Because soccer-crazy
ethnic communities in the United States have little interest in the women's
game, the organizing committee knows it will have a much easier job selling
this event to girls and boys and extended soccer families actively involved
in the sport. Heading this effort will be Kit Simeone, director of operations
for U.S. Youth Soccer, who will come on board this fall to take charge of
the grassroots outreach program and work with the state associations.
While this new-found attention to grassroots soccer
organizations is encouraging, it will take the commitment of more than a
single committee member to make it work. What better way to jump-start momentum
than to embrace U.S. Soccer's much-talked-about philosophy of vertical integration
to filter World Cup information down to millions of players and set the
stage for a massive ticket drive. Once the organizing committee proves to
potential sponsors that the grassrooters are on board and moving forward,
the rest of the world may soon follow and help make the 1999 Women's World
Cup one of the greatest sporting events of all time.
Rick Crow has attended World Cups in 1970, 1990, 1991, 1994 and 1995.
© WSW September/October
1997
Back To Top
Washington D.C.
A Tale of Two Stadiums
By Rick Crow
In a surprise decision, Maryland's Jack Kent Cooke
Stadium (JKC) was awarded six 1999 Women's World Cup matches. The 80,000
seat stadium will host two first-round doubleheaders on June 23 and June
27, along with a doubleheader quarterfinal on July 1. Since the top-seeded
Americans are heavily favored to advance to the second round, JKC organizers
expect a capacity crowd for the quarterfinal.
Meanwhile, RFK Stadium, an excellent facility for
soccer and early favorite to host either the tournament opener or the championship
match, came away empty-handed. Reportedly, RFK officials felt snubbed by
the Women's World Cup Organizing Committee when their stadium was not offered
the final.
Stadium authorities, however, missed a golden opportunity
last spring to stake their claim to the marquee World Cup games when the
United States played Italy at RFK in the final game of U.S. Women's Cup
'97. The USA-Italy clash drew 11,208 people, which at the time was the second
largest non-Olympic crowd (now third) to ever watch a women's soccer game
in the United States. But, it was the Maryland and Virginia youth soccer
associations that did the bulk of the promotion. A serious outreach effort
led by stadium and city officials might have pushed the crowd to over 20,000
and further cemented RFK's reputation as the "Mecca" for soccer
in North America.
For the record, RFK Stadium also hosted U.S. Women's
Cup matches in 1995 and 1996. The U.S. Women's Cup '96 final between the
United States and Norway drew a respectable 7,053, considering that heavy
rains left over from Hurricane Erin fell practically until kickoff. The
following year, 6,083 showed up to watch the United States play China in
what turned out to be a dress rehearsal of the Olympic gold medal game.
Unfortunately, due to television commitments, U.S. Soccer scheduled the
game on a Saturday afternoon, in direct conflict with thousands of local
youth matches. Although neither of these events were a gold mine for RFK,
stadium officials should be given credit for making their facility available
for women's international soccer matches at a time when the U.S. Women's
National Team played many of its games on high school fields.
Billed as a state-of-the-art facility, JKC's biggest
problem is traffic. Located in suburban Maryland, the new stadium will offer
none of the charm of our nation's capital and is poorly served by mass transit.
Traffic jams may discourage some of the more casual American football fans
from making the weekly trek to JKC, but local Women's World Cup organizers
have more than 18 months to resolve this problem. If they can't, soccer
fans up and down the East Coast will certainly put up with the congestion
for a once-in-a-lifetime experience of watching the U.S. Women play in a
World Cup quarterfinal.
In the end, it seems that the RFK committee rested
too much on the stadium's past laurels and underestimated the competitiveness
of the bid process. With RFK stung by the loss of the biggest women's sporting
event in history and JKC emboldened by its coup, fans in Washington D.C.,
Maryland and Virginia can look forward to some very intense bidding between
the two facilities for future international soccer matches.
© WSW January/February
1998
Back To Top
Promoting Women's
Soccer
By Roger Rogers
The standard of soccer at the WWCup '99 promises
to be even better than the magnificent display of skill and athleticism
seen at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. The reaction to that performance led
to a phenomenal growth of attention to the women's game around the world
in 1997, and we have already seen the gap between the top twelve national
teams and the rest of the world shrinking rapidly. The European and Asian
Championships have brought new names for us to look for in international
competition, and many more teams are climbing to the top level of competition.
Along with that has been a recognition of the marketing
value of the women's game. In the USA the majority of the student body in
most universities and colleges is women.
Women's soccer has become a marketing commodity
in this country, and the recognition of its value by the media is increasing
in Europe and the rest of the world. Edmund's feature article in this edition
makes it clear that we can encourage that change of attitude.
The approximately 130 million females in the United
States make 80% of the retail purchasing decisions, and in girls' soccer
alone the amount spent is over two billion dollars a year.
This purchasing power must be made more obvious
so as to correct the often heard contention that women's soccer is a sport
that loses money. It is often the lack of proper promotion by the National
Federations that create the loss. Even in countries with strong programs,
like Germany, there is often little preparatory work done with the media
before women's international or club matches.
The audience for the game is out there, and we
must make certain that they are invited.
© WSW January/February
1998
More Evidence of
the World Wide Interest in Women's Soccer
By Roger Rogers
As most of our readers know, we began Women's
Soccer World as an internet magazine in January 1995, and we maintain
it as a daily news source in conjunction with this printed version. While
reviewing the web statistics for 1997 provided by our server, we were delighted
to find additional proof of the popularity of the women's game.
We found that the WSW web site was accessed more
than one and a half (1.5) million times last year, but were most excited
to realize that these "hits" came from 65 different countries
around the world. Mail from over 30 nations is received on a regular basis
and our printed magazine goes to 26 of those countries but we had still
under estimated the extent of the interest in women's soccer. We are pleased
to find that fans of women's soccer from countries such as Bahrain, the
Ivory Coast and Slovenia are staying up to date on the game's developments
through the WSW internet edition.
During conversations at the 1998 Atlanta Super
Show in February the mood of the soccer community in the United States indicated
that the prevailing reaction to the upcoming Women's World Cup is tremendously
positive and that there may be no need to downsize any of the World Cup
stadiums used in 1999. Meanwhile, the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan offered
further proof that women's sports are the greatest growth event of the millennium.
All these factors reinforce the anticipation that Women's World Cup '99
will indeed be the "breakthrough" event for women's sports which
has been predicted by the organizing committee.
© WSW March/April
1998
Back To Top | 
