FIFA and Steffi Jones start Welcome Tour in Australia
Germany and the aim for international promotion of women’s football will take centre stage
A FIFA delegation headed by Tatjana Haenni, FIFA Head of Women-s Football Competitions, in conjunction with the Australian FA will present the FIFA Women-s World Cup 2011 to the invited representatives of the Australian football family and promote Women-s football development.
LOC President Steffi Jones will then greet around 150 guests from the worlds of sport, politics and media, including Australia-s head coach Holger Osieck and the Matildas- coach Tom Sermanni, at a Countdown event at the Westin Grand Hotel in Sydney. “This Welcome Tour is a fantastic opportunity to promote the FIFA Women-s World Cup Germany 2011™ and women-s football in general worldwide” said Tatjana Haenni.
“The best female players of the planet will display their skills in Germany next summer inspiring a new generation of girls and women-s to get involved. FIFA alongside with the LOC is happy to join forces to spread the word.
“This Welcome Tour is the ideal platform for Germany to cement its reputation as an open and hospitable host for the FIFA Women-s World Cup. It also gives us the chance to support the various associations with the continued development of women-s football around the world,” said Jones, who, along with her delegation, will travel around 120,000 kilometres during the course of the tour.
“I-m delighted to be starting the tour in Sydney. The teams from Asia were the first to qualify for the FIFA Women-s World Cup, with Australia winning the section. Through the official draw held last Monday and the Welcome Tour we are truly kicking off the international promotion phase on the road to 2011.
It-s something special too to start this project in the same place where Franz Beckenbauer concluded his Welcome Tour in the run-up to the FIFA World Cup 2006,” added the LOC President.
The Welcome Tour continues on Friday 10 December at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand, where various representatives from the New Zealand FA and the worlds of sports and politics, including Steve Sumner, captain of the All Whites at the 1982 FIFA World Cup™, and the chairman of New Zealand Football Frank van Hattum are expected to attend.