With just 292 days remaining before the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Germany 2010 kicks off on 13 July, the build up for the tournament, which showcases the game's best young female talent, is quickly gathering momentum.

With a number of high-profile guests in attendance, the official tournament logo was unveiled at the latest Countdown Event in Bielefeld last Thursday. The city will host ten games in all, including the final itself. These matches will be played at Arminia Bielefeld's Bielefelder Alm stadium, with Bochum, Augsburg and Dresden also acting as host cities. Bielefeld's tournament ambassadors, two-time world champion Kerstin Stegemann and TV presenter Oliver Welke, were also introduced.

Although the U-20 tournament will serve as an ideal curtain raiser for the FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011, the German Football Association (DFB) and FIFA both see the youth tournament as a prestigious event in its own right. Indeed, last year's edition, held in Chile, was very well received by locals with an average crowd of 11,000 per game. "It would be nice if we could improve further on those figures," said Tatjana Haenni, FIFA Head of Women's Competitions. Local Organising Committee President Steffi Jones accepted the challenge: "We'll be doing everything we can to make sure the stadiums are full, but there's still a lot of work to be done." Tickets go on sale in March next year.

Interest on the rise
Television interest has also been piqued and games are set to be broadcast in over 100 countries worldwide. "These girls can't be dismissed just because they're young - fans are going to be treated to some great football," said Haenni.  Many matches at next year's tournament will be double headers, with one game being played directly after the other in the same stadium. Japan, Korea Republic, Korea DPR, England, France, Switzerland and Sweden have all booked their places following successful qualification campaigns.

One player who went on to greater success after her exploits in Chile last year is Kim Kulig. The 19-year-old was part of the German side that finished third before also featuring at the recent UEFA Women's European Championship in Finland which Germany won. Bianca Schmidt, now a key member of Germany's senior team, shined at last year's UEFA U-19 European Championship while many stars of the women's game, such as Brazil's Marta and China's Ma Xiaoxu, also emerged at FIFA Youth tournaments.

Marina Hegering is one of many players who will be aiming to impress at next year's tournament in the hope of pushing for a place in the senior squad for Germany 2011. "I've had such a great season with the U-20 World Cup in Chile and also DFB Cup and UEFA Cup victories with FCR Duisburg. To play at the World Cup in Germany would be the icing on the cake," said the 19-year-old student. "We all know that winning is nice, but winning in front of your home fans is even better," explained Doris Fitschen, Head of Marketing for the Organising Committee.

"I'd have given anything to play at a World Cup in Germany," said Kerstin Stegemann, who hung up her boots after winning the European Championship in Helsinki. Stegemann has since taken a youth coaching role at FSV Gutersloh and the 191-time international is looking forward to Germany 2011 as a spectator.

Also present, Lord Mayor of Bielefeld Eberhard David was keen to emphasise how proud the city is to be hosting the competition, especially after the metropolis in north-western Germany was overlooked as a venue for the 2011 competition: "We said that we'd be gracious and do our best to get the U-20 Women's World Cup," he said.

"It's a great stadium with a very enthusiastic staff. It's going to be the central hub of the U-20 World Cup and we're confident it's going to be a resounding success," said Tatjana Haenni. If the Countdown Event in Bielefeld is anything to go by, next year's tournament is going to be one to remember.