Soccer: NZ to host 2008 Fifa under 17 women's World Cup

The International Football Federation (Fifa) has handed New Zealand the honour of hosting the inaugural Under 17 women's soccer World Cup in 2008.

New Zealand were confirmed as hosts at a meeting of Fifa's executive committee in Zurich today, over rival bids by Ecuador and Chile.

New Zealand earns automatic entry into the 16-nation tournament as host.

It will be the second time New Zealand have hosted an age-grade World Cup following the successful Under 17 men's tournament in 1999 and comes a month after the country's encouraging debut at the Under 20 Women's World Championship in Russia.

Fifa's decision caps what shapes as a bumper 2008 for women's football with New Zealand favoured to represent Oceania at the U-20 World Championships and the Beijing Olympic Games.

New Zealand are also expected to line-up in next year's senior women's World Cup in China following Australia's departure to the Asia Football Confederation.

"This is fantastic for women's football and the game in general," NZ Soccer (NZS) chief executive Graham Seatter said today.

"It shows how serious we are about women's football and the tournament comes at the end of a year that has the potential to thrust the women's game firmly back on the New Zealand sporting landscape.

"We plan on making the tournament an unforgettable festival of football for everyone involved."

North Harbour Stadium (Albany), Waikato Stadium (Hamilton), Newtown Park (Wellington) and QEII Park (Christchurch) have agreed to host the tournament's 32 matches subject to Fifa agreement.

Wellington and Hamilton will host World Cup matches for the first time after North Harbour Stadium staged the 1999 under 17 men's World Cup final and QEII Park was used as a group stage venue.

North Harbour Stadium will again host the 2008 final.

"This is our chance to showcase the global nature of the game to New Zealanders and show them how women's football has exploded internationally," said NZS head of women's football, Michele Cox, who headed New Zealand's bid.

"The number one thing we pitched the bid on was development, not only of women's football but the whole game in New Zealand," she said.

Cox believes the 2008 tournament will cement New Zealand's renewed status as a credible force of the international women's game after the Under-20s' encouraging performance in Russia where they became the first New Zealand team at any level to hold a Brazilian side to a draw.

"It's our chance to take women's football back to where it was in the late 1980s and early 1990s when we were one of the world's leading nations," she said.

"The Under 20s started that ball rolling and now our young girls will be able to see their role models in action and see how good we're becoming."

Cox is also predicting huge tourism spinoffs for New Zealand after 65 million television viewers from 145 countries tuned into the 2003 senior Women's World Cup in the United States.

Planning for the 2008 Under 17 World Cup will begin immediately with a tournament chief executive to be appointed in February.

The Under 17 Women's World Cup will be open to players born after January 1, 1991.

- NZPA