As we well know, as one tournament ends in football, so another begins. Following the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016 in August, the end of September saw the commencement of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016, set to last from 30 September until 21 October. It is the first FIFA women’s tournament to be held in the Middle East, and it is hoped that the event will have a positive effect on the development of the women’s game in the region.
Furthermore, a handful of nations rubber-stamped their qualification for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 last month, while in club football, Manchester City won the first league championship in their history.
International football *15 down, one to go *The die has been cast – almost. A total of 15 of the 16 spots available at the Women’s EURO 2017 in the Netherlands have now been claimed after Denmark, Italy, Austria and Russia sealed their participation after the last round of qualifiers. Iceland and EURO debutants Scotland, two teams that had already punched their ticket to the tournament, met on the final round of fixtures, with the Scots winning 2-1. Iceland had won the return fixture 4-0, however, and ended the campaign top of the group.
Austria set the seal on a first ever qualification for the EUROs with a goalless draw against Wales, while Italy and Denmark qualified thanks to wins against the Czech Republic and Sweden respectively. The final spot at the tournament between 16 July and 7 August 2017 will be decided when Romania and Portugal face off in a two-legged play-off (17 and 25 October). The countries to have qualified so far are the Netherlands (hosts), Germany (holders), Austria (debutants), Belgium (debutants), Denmark, England, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Russia, Scotland (debutants), Spain, Sweden and Switzerland (debutants).
Successful debut for Jones It was not just Germany’s mesmeric play on the pitch that provided the talking point in September. The eyes of the world were also trained on the bench, as Steffi Jones presided over her first game as coach since succeeding Silvia Neid. As it happened, she could barely have made a more perfect start. In the team’s first game since winning gold in Rio, Jones watched in delight as her team recorded a 4-0 win against Russia.
“The first half was good. We were quick and precise in our play and it was tactically very good. In the second half we lost our grip on proceedings, though. I wasn’t happy with that,” said Jones to the DFB’s official website.
Her side remained professional to the last, however, winning their final qualifier 1-0 against Hungary and ending the campaign with a perfect record of eight wins from eight and no goals conceded. The Olympic champions have three matches remaining in 2016. They host neighbours Austria in Regensburg on 22 October and play EURO 2017 hosts Netherlands in Aalen three days later, before taking on Norway in Chemnitz on 29 November in the final friendly of the year.
A new coach for France* Like Germany, France also enacted a change in management last month, with Olivier Echouafni succeeding Philippe Bergeroo as national team coach. The latter was forced to resign from his post after France’s early exit at the Olympic Games (they were beaten in the quarter-finals by Canada).
World Cup underway in Jordan On 30 September in Jordan, the whistle sounded to begin the fifth U-17 Women’s World Cup, with two nations making their tournament debuts. In Group A, Jordan were given a tough introduction to football at this level as they were comprehensively beaten 6-0 by Spain, while in Group B, newcomers Cameroon fared better in a 3-2 loss to Canada. The top-billed clash on day one of the tournament saw two favourites for the trophy go head-to-head, with Germany edging out Venezuela 2-1.
Club football *Reasons to be cheerful *Manchester City certainly had plenty after they beat defending league champions Chelsea 2-0 on 25 November thanks to goals from Jill Scott and Toni Duggan. The victory, which came in front of a record crowd of 4,096 spectators, secured Nick Cushing’s team a first-ever league title in their 13th FA Women’s Super League campaign.
New seasons, new challenges While the National Women’s Soccer League season is winding down to a close in the USA, the domestic campaigns in Germany, France and the Netherlands have only just begun. In the league of the Olympic champions, Turbine Potsdam have won their opening three games, while Bayern Munich had to be content with a draw, a win and a defeat in September. Over in France, Lyon, Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain have all made perfect starts to the season, while Ajax and Den Haag have each won four matches from four to go joint-top of the table in the Netherlands.
Promotion of women in football In September, 34 female executives, including six from FIFA’s administration, completed the second module of the FIFA Female Leadership Development Programme, an initiative designed to increase the number of female leaders in the game. The module included discussions on leadership style, while the participants also took part in workshops that covered marketing, events and competitions, as well as corporate engagement and strategic partnerships.
The programme, staged at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, also included three individual sessions with FIFA management. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and FIFA Deputy Secretary General Zvonimir Boban each paid the group a visit, spoke about their own experiences and took part in a frank and open question and answer session. Run in co-operation with the THNK School of Creative Leadership, the FIFA Female Leadership Development Programme was established in 2015.
The stat 670 – The total number of goals scored during qualifying for EURO 2017. The biggest proportion of these (128) was scored between the 16th and 30th minute. Spain alone accounted for 39 goals, followed by Germany (35), Iceland (34) and Switzerland (34).
The quote “Over the years, so many fans have told me how much I’ve inspired them to keep fighting and to keep looking forward. The fact that some of them suffer or have suffered with cancer and consider me as a role model makes me very proud and happy.” Sarah Hagen (USA, Orlando Pride), who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer aged 15