By Paul Nicholson
April 4 – The final of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica takes place tonight with Japan and Spain competing for the top honour. Italy and Venezuela will face off for the bronze medal.
The Costa Rican finals have been a major success for the federation, CONCACAF and FIFA. The 24 first-round matches drew a total attendance of 209,658 in the host cities of Alajuela, Liberia, Tibas and San Jose, setting a new competition record. And it is unlikely to stop there.
Costa Rican FA president Eduardo Li Sanchez (pictred right) has called on “fans to set the seal on everything by filling the Estadio Nacional (35,000 seats) to the rafters in the final and breaking another record.”
CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb praised the Costa Rican Football Federation, the Local Organizing Committee and the government for their successful hosting of the tournament, which Li described as “one of the biggest projects taken on by the people of Costa Rica”.
“The enthusiasm and commitment of Costa Rican football fans has once again been displayed throughout what has been an extremely successful tournament,” said Webb. “This competition has been yet another indication of the growth of the women’s game globally and specifically here in the CONCACAF region.”
“This tournament has been significant in that it has allowed us to show Costa Rica and its people to the world,” said Li. “Our passion for women’s football has helped to raise awareness of our hospitality, our culture and our traditions. We are a country small in size, but vast in ideals that promote healthy recreation.”
FIFA President Sepp Blatter is also in Costa Rica and expressed “gratitude to this beautiful country for its superb organisation of this World Cup… My thanks also to the government for their involvement in this successful project. Women’s football has shown its quality here and it is growing in this region.”
Looking ahead and answering a question on whether the finals format should be expanded from the current 16 teams, Blatter said: “We will need to make an assessment after the tournament. We saw a ten-goal victory in one game and that’s not conducive to developing the game. Increasing the number of teams does not automatically lead to an increase in quality. We need to take an objective look at this.”
The focus of international women’s football remains in the CONCACAF region with Canada hosting the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup later this year and FIFA Women’s World Cup next.
Victor Montagliani, President of the Canadian Soccer Association and chairman of the National Organising Committee for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 said: “Between this tournament in Costa Rica and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada later this year, we feel 2014 will be the perfect launching pad for bigger and better things for women’s football in 2015.”
There are 31 women’s football leagues in CONCACAF member association. The Confederation plans on introducing an under-15 national team competition later this year.
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