Furthering the international development of women's football around the world and at the same time promoting the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011: those were the two messages at the heart of German Football Federation (DFB) head of department Heike Ullrich's presentation in New Zealand on Monday. Ullrich was one of the guest speakers at a FIFA seminar at the North Harbour Stadium in Albany, organised ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, which will be held from 28 October to 16 November 2008 in New Zealand.

"Meetings like this one with high-ranking attendees from the worlds of politics, the media and sport give us the opportunity to agree on international strategies for girls' and women's football. At the forthcoming FIFA Women's World Cup 2011, which is already soliciting a great deal of interest here, all those involved will have the unique opportunity to raise the profile of women's football in a sustainable way, as Germany has an international reputation as the number one country for women's football," said Ullrich, summing up her first impressions of the four-day series of presentations.

Alongside Ullrich in New Zealand were Jurg Nepfer, FIFA's Head of Course Programmes, Kelly Simmons, Head of Football Development for the English FA and a member of the FIFA Committee for Women's Football and the FIFA Women's World Cup, and Harold Mayne-Nicholls, President of the Chilean Football Association and member of the OC for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

OC president Steffi Jones had already visited New Zealand in early February when she accompanied the German women's U-17 team to the "Future Stars Tournament" in Auckland. The head of the German OC promised full support for the New Zealand Football Association at a number of events leading up to this autumn's FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.