November 3 – A welcome tour of the 15 countries participating in next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup will kick off in December.
Steffi Jones (pictured), president of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) in Germany, will lead a delegation that will clock up a total of some 120,000 kilometres and 180 hours in the air.
Each visit of the six-leg tour will feature two events.
One will have a specific women’s football focus where FIFA alongside the host Football Association will promote both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the importance of women’s football development.
Another event will see the LOC in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office provide an update on the current state of preparations and essential details regarding next summer’s competition to 150 invited guests from the worlds of politics, sport, business and culture.
Sydney is the starting point for the 2011 Welcome Tour on December 8, 2010, before moving across the Tasman sea to Auckland on December 10.
The FIFA and OC Welcome and Promotional Tour of the participating nations is the first in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“This tour is a fantastic opportunity for us to introduce ourselves as welcoming hosts, and continue to drive international awareness of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“Simultaneously, our goal is to boost the women’s game by deploying FIFA’s wide-ranging expertise,” said Jones.
“One of FIFA’s mission is to develop the game” said Tatjana Haenni, Head of FIFA Women’s Competitions.
“This promotional tour alongside one of the world’s strongest associations in the development of women’s football is a perfect showcase for FIFA to underline its own commitment to the women’s game.”
Tour itinerary – Asia (AFC): December 2010 and February 2011; Oceania (OFC): December 2010; Africa (CAF): January 2011; Europe (UEFA): January and February 2011; North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF): February 2011; and South America (CONMEBOL): March 2011.