THE OPENING matches of Group C at the first-ever FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will kick off today in Hamilton, New Zealand. Today's opening match of the group will see the USA taking on Japan and later France playing against Paraguay. By tomorrow, Friday, Group D matches will take place and all 16 participating teams will by then have played their opening matches. The final of the tournament which features four groups of six teams each is scheduled for 16 November. The cup is being played in four cities in New Zealand: Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Group A includes New Zealand, Canada, Denmark and Colombia and they play in Auckland. Costa Rica, Germany, Korea DPR and Ghana play in Group B in Christchurch. France, USA, Japan and Paraguay play in Group C in Hamilton while Group D includes Brazil, England, Korea and Nigeria who will play in Wellington. Sixty-six miles down the road in Hamilton, plans for offering a warm welcome to the teams and fans alike have moved up, with the city set to be 'themed' in an attempt to create a carnival atmosphere. As part of these efforts, a selection of Hamilton's secondary schools have been encouraged to adopt a team to support during the tournament as well as designing event banners that will be put on public display. Plans are also afoot for a public football tournament where players of all ages will be able to compete and join in the fun. In Wellington, meanwhile, schools have been at the centre of efforts to drum up enthusiasm. Passion for football and excitement about the U-17 Women's World Cup isn't confined to the North Island. Down in Christchurch, the city's renowned International Antarctic Centre has already been confirmed as the venue for an official welcome ceremony at which the participating teams will have exclusive use of the facilities and be able to enjoy a ride on an all-terrain Hagglund vehicle. "We're looking forward to showing off the very best our city has to offer to these teams who come from every corner of the globe," said Michael Aitken, general manager of community services for the Christchurch City Council. "A chance to compete at the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it's an honour for Christchurch to be a part of that." The enthusiasm can probably best be gauged by the fact that almost 1,000 keen members of the public have now stepped forward to volunteer at FIFA's newest competition. New Zealand hopes that the country can achieve the same success when it staged its equivalent, the men's U-17 in 1999, which was its first global football finals. According to Tatjana Haenni, FIFA head of women's competitions, FIFA gives much importance to this event even though it's the first one and involves really young girls. "There's no difference in how FIFA is organising this tournament compared to any other FIFA World Cup. By starting this U-17 competition, we now have exactly the same structure for men and women's tournaments," said Haenni in a press conference held in Auckland days before the tournament began. "Eighty-one countries have competed in the qualifiers around the world, which is a huge number for a new competition in what is a developing sport. We're now really looking forward to the competition and would like to thank the LOC for their excellent efforts. If the tournament goes on as well as it has so far, I have no doubt that it will be a very successful event. "Obviously it's one of our main wishes that a lot of spectators turn out for the games and in this respect I think the LOC have done a great job. We must also thank the media, because the coverage we have seen of the tournament so far has been very impressive. "We're aware that football is not the main sport in New Zealand and that there are some challenges for us. But this is a real chance to say to people: you can make women's football stronger in your country. The level of football is also much better than people will perhaps think, so I expect that the New Zealand people will be pleasantly surprised. We want to leave behind a legacy for women's football in New Zealand. That is key for FIFA." Chris Simpson, CEO of the Local Organising Committee admitted that his country has been working very hard for more than two years to plan for this event. "It's a fantastic opportunity for New Zealand to have FIFA on our shores. As those two years have gone on, I think Kiwis have really started to understand the global nature of football and the opportunities that hosting a FIFA World Cup presents both for women's football and for global exposure for our country."
