"The future of football is feminine." That was the striking message used by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter to launch an era of development in 1995 which has seen women's football launch to prominence both in a sporting context and in terms of its growing recognition.

Looking back on the intervening years, Joseph S. Blatter comments: "Today, women can play football anywhere in the world. That is the message I gave out back then and it still applies today: Let girls and women play football because they have the same abilities as boys and men."

Now the FIFA President believes further steps are necessary to move women's football to the next level: "We have to alter attitudes towards women's football within the football associations. Women's football must be given greater status and women given an increasing number of prominent positions to spread the message of women's football and implement it at all levels."

Emphasis on South America
FIFA has declared South America as a focal point for 2006. "There is too little activity there in women's football. That has been proven by our statistical evaluations," declared Tatjana Haenni, Manager of Women's Football for FIFA.

Besides the qualifying tournament for the previous FIFA Women's World Cup, which was played there over a period of a few weeks, there have been scarcely any other tournaments or even friendlies. "Those games that were played were mostly by Brazil, who travelled around the world to find games," Haenni explains. And even the Olympic runners-up have not played any further internationals since Athens 2004. "Women's football can obviously not develop like that."

Haenni believes there is great potential in South America: "That applies not only to Brazil. Argentina showed at the FIFA Women's World Cup USA 2003 the standard that could be achieved. If only there were more competitions and a better infrastructure there, they could exploit this huge potential."

At the first U-19 championship, there was no continental qualifying tournament and Brazil were granted a starting place on the basis of being the best team. Now, however,  qualifying tournaments will be played at all levels. In early 2004, four teams contested a place at the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship 2004, and two years later, the number of candidates will have doubled. Between 4 and 20 January 2006, ten teams will do battle for two tickets to the FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship Russia 2006. "That is progress, but it is not sufficient to play a tournament every two years," says Haenni.

In December 2004, the Peruvian capital of Lima staged a Futuro-III course at which 28 coaches from ten South American nations were given both theoretical and practical training. A DVD was also produced on women's football in South America last year, which was distributed en masse to all football associations, confederations and committee members. Television broadcasters also have free access to this material.

A number of projects are planned for 2006. Preparatory measures were made between June and September 2005 when FIFA development officers visited five South American nations to take an inventory of women's football using a ten-page questionnaire. Officers in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Paraguay held discussions with football association representatives as well as people working at schools to determine the optimum points of departure for development measures.

The results should not only give a representative overview, they should also facilitate suggestions for how nations can sensibly use the financial resources from the FAP aid programme (25,000 dollars must be invested in women's football), whether for training pitches for the U-17s or literature on women's football. The purposeful use of finances has often caused nations difficulties in the past. "We hope this will be very useful," says Haenni. 

Seminar planned in Uruguay
Based upon a pilot project on the Cook Islands in 2004, a two-day seminar is planned some time between 8 and 13 May 2006 in Uruguay, focusing on the subjects of administration, infrastructure and finances. The seminars will be visited by two to three representatives from each South American nation; the President, General Secretary or a technical director and one representative from women's football who does not have be directly linked to the football association.

"The workshop will not only give ample opportunity for presentations from ourselves as well as the nations, it will also allow time for discussion. At the end, we should have a declaration on which concrete measures we should implement next," says Haenni. It is hoped that all nations will be prepared to initiate a women's football committee and appoint a head of development. A follow-up seminar is also planned in South America where the results of the first seminar can be verified. "The seminar in Oceania was a complete success," claims Haenni, who hopes the South American summit will be equally worthwhile. A number of additional measures are planned in coaching. 2006 should see a streamlined version of the Futuro-III course, also featuring representatives from all South American nations. The main objective of this course will be to train more women as coaches and give them greater opportunity to find employment.

From the point of view of progressing long-term development, the arrangement of tournaments will be a central theme. As a first step in that direction, Chile have officially bid to host the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Championship in 2008.

In another departure, this tournament will feature 16 teams instead of the traditional 12, as approved by the verdict of the Executive Committee in December. "In this case, South America could receive a second starting place and even a third if Chile are successful in hosting the tournament. That would obviously be greatly beneficial to women's football in South America," Haenni concludes.

Mr. Blatter is hopeful that the South American nations will place greater emphasis on women's football in the future, appealing: "Dear friends in South America, open your doors to women's football and you will see that it will be good for the overall development of football in your nation!"