“For us it is fundamental,” says the Special Delegate to the FIFA President, . “We help federations in finances. We dedicate ten percent to women’s football. We are convinced that we will see new powerhouses coming into the game. Germany will be very strong, but women’s football is making progress everywhere.”

The World Cup is over. Germany won, but many countries showed that the women’s football is developing all over the world. Before the tournament England midfielder Sue Smith stressed how important that they qualified from the group stages for the knock-out phase. They reached the quarter-finals, losing 3-0 to the USA. FIFA had high hopes for the tournament. They believe that it was integral in developing interest in football throughout the world. “For us it is fundamental,” says the Special Delegate to the FIFA President, Jérôme Champagne. “We are convinced that we will see new powerhouses coming into the game. Germany will be very strong, but women’s football is making progress everywhere.”

England’s performance shows that, but great progress was shown in other countries as well. Brazil reached the final and Nigeria built on the experience that they gained previously. After dominating African women’s football – they have won every African Nations Cup for women – they began to show the world that they were ready to begin the transition to competitiveness on the world stage. They will be a team to watch in 2011. The tournament was the most successful yet – attracting fifty-million viewers across the globe, but there are no grounds for complacency. If women’s football is to achieve its potential, it will require investment both in national federations and at a grass-roots level. “We help federations in finances,” says Mr Champagne. “We dedicate ten percent to women’s football.” Is this enough to develop the sport throughout the world?

England’s women performed heroically in China. It is essential that this success is built on, but unlike their male counterparts, they played for the pride of wearing England’s shirt. They have to work full-time jobs in order to survive and only get the opportunity to train after work. It takes real dedication and sacrifice for England’s women to represent their country. Many returned from China in debt, having to put more hours in their jobs just to break even. And this affects their fitness levels. Imagine how the millionaires of the premiership would cope with having to work mundane jobs and then train and return to debt for representing their country? Even the most successful of women footballers do not receive their dues. Germany’s national team has a more professional set up than England, but even their top player does not have the financial security she should. Birgit Prinz is perhaps the most famous woman currently playing. A national icon she can at least afford to play professionally without requiring another job, but Prinz earns just €40,000 per year – equivalent to the pay of mediocre male players in Germany’s lower leagues. As Sue Smith says, Germany just has good players, yet contrary to her belief the national team set-up in Germany is more professionally based and they have reaped success from their investment in it. Germany will host the next world cup in 2011 and will require some beating, but first the next European championship will take place in Finland in 2009.

It is important for countries like England to build on recent success, but that is not measured by the achievements of the national team alone. The English league needs investment and sponsorship to continue the phenomenal success of Arsenal last year. Successful teams such as Charlton require investment – the relegation of the men’s team last season resulted in the club withdrawing finances from the women’s team. Many top players had no option but to find other clubs and financially it made little sense. It didn’t save the club much money and cost them in bad publicity and the chance to build on the success of the national team. It was a spectacular own goal. But true success is measured at grass-roots level, as it shows how popular the sport really is among women and girls.

“Over the last few years, it has been great to see Sporting Khalsa play weekly in the Staffordshire County Women’s League,” says Kevin Staples – the Football Development Officer for Girls and Women of Staffordshire FA. “Each season they have continued to grow and develop, with their results starting to show the progress they have made both on and off the pitch.”

Several decades ago a true gentleman of the sport played for the historic Dutch team Sparta Rotterdam. Bok de Korver was a real giant of the game. His dedication to fair play was legendary and he played the sport for the right reasons. Many years ago de Korver said, “And after all, you only play football for fun.”¹ Sadly both his sportsmanship and spirit has been largely lost in today’s game, but there are some clubs at grass-roots level that still draw inspiration from de Korver’s philosophy.

I [Nikki] play football for Sporting Khalsa FC Women’s Team. We are part of an Asian team , that was established in 1991. Our women’s team was set up two years ago. SKFC aims to help tackle social exclusion, and provide football opportunities for all members of the community. Sporting Khalsa aims to use the power of sport to contribute to the tackling of social exclusion. Sport belongs to, and should be enjoyed by, everyone equally. SKFC is committed to eliminate discrimination whether by reason of gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, colour, religion or ability and to encourage equal opportunities and to enable and provide access to a range of sports for all members of the community, regardless of age, gender, ability, race or religion.

2005 was a year to remember, as the club became the first Asian semi-professional football club in the country to own its own ground. The club’s board decided to purchase the Abbey Park Stadium – former home of Bloxwich Town – because needed a permanent base from which to build upon its successes to date and in order to attract a wider range of players. We want to build the foundation to become the biggest and the best footballing centre for Asian talent in the country.

Last season Sporting Khalsa FC fielded six junior teams – Under-7s: Under-8s, Under-9s, Under-10s, Under-12s and Under-13s. We also have three male adult teams including seniors, reserves and Over-35s, as well as the first Asian women’s team. The club has increased the number of children who are active members from ten, two years ago, to over one-hundred and forty. We plan to expand this to over two-hundred this year.

The first time our women’s team got together was during the peak of summer as a bunch of strangers. Initially there was quite a lot of interest, so the team began training and bonding with each other. Within a month and without us knowing the women’s team were thrown in at the deep end and entered in to the FA’s Staffordshire County Women’s League Division Two by the club. At the time it was pretty nerve-wracking as none of the girls had former experience in football, but we struck a chord even in the lofty heights of the Staffordshire FA. “Over the last few years, it has been great to see Sporting Khalsa play weekly in the Staffordshire County Women’s League,” says Kevin Staples – the Football Development Officer for Girls and Women of Staffordshire FA. “Each season they have continued to grow and develop, with their results starting to show the progress they have made both on and off the pitch.” But this took time.

“There is always so much to do and with the success of the women’s team, we can only move on forward,” says SKFC Secretary Manjit Gill. “We do need better facilities.”

Looking back there were some fond memories and some bad ones. One of the funniest moments was during our first match. We had no idea about the off side rule, but the opponents goalkeeper was on hand during halftime to give our goalkeeper a crash course. The referee was fantastic. He also helped the team through the game. The whistle was forever blowing as the laws of the game were broken. To sum it up, we were pretty much all over the place, which was hardly surprising as for a whole season we went without a manager.

SKFC Women’s team is unique, because – apart from being part of an Asian football club – we celebrate diversity by attracting players from different faiths and backgrounds. Unlike most teams coming from local neighbourhoods we continue to attract players from all over the West Midlands. Currently we have almost twenty players on the books. Over the last three years more than forty girls have played for us. Age is no barrier. Our oldest player now is thirty-one. Interestingly enough team members have a lot more to offer than just kicking the ball. During the week the women have full time professional careers in areas such as project management: teaching, nursing and social work, while some of the younger players are studying for their GCSEs or university degrees.

Playing is just part of the whole experience at SKFC Women. Some women and girls can lack characteristics that are built upon through the club experience. Part of our strategy of playing club level football is to install team working and leadership as well as confidence, assertiveness and fair play skills into players. SKFC have now entered our third season, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing, it was a struggle. During the first season SKFC women lost every match, and we are sure that we may have broken some world record for the number of goals conceded in a season, and for losing a match 28-0! Despite this the girls never let anything de-motivate them, continuing to demonstrate fun and true sportsmanship, accepting that we may not ever win a match. The most important characteristic that the team displayed was sheer dedication of not giving up and trying the best that they could. We were often praised by referees and other managers for the spirit of the team. No doubt over time this spirit has continued to ensure that despite the bad scores, the women wanted to ensure they completed the first season.

The second season saw a more confident SKFC enter the league. We recruited a manager, which was very useful as it took a lot of the burden off the players and allowed us to focus on playing. During last season the team saw an improvement. We set the target of reducing goals conceded to single figures. By the end of the season the team achieved this and we were elated. We proudly scored numerous times against other teams, but with good news came some bad news as the team ended the season with two mature and seasoned players suffering serious injuries – Tina Chahal and myself. We both suffered serious leg fractures. Unfortunately for us the beautiful game came to an early end. And there were other worries. Uncertainty over the future threatened to overshadow this promising team. Many questions loomed – was the team going to fold? Younger players were going away to study and so forth, but even more devastating news soon followed.

In May disaster struck. A fire destroyed our club-house. Despite the blaze we were all determined that the club would be ready for the next season: “We were really upset,” said SKFC Secretary Manjit Gill. “We only bought the club-house a couple of seasons ago and the worst part is we lost all of our trophies in there. Since the fire everybody was determined to be up and ready to play again for season 2007/8. We did exactly that. We sorted out temporary accommodation, but obviously it’s not at a standard like before. There is always so much to do and with the success of the women’s team, we can only move on forward. We do need better facilities.” So new challenges have to be met, but the spirit of Sporting Khalsa FC remains strong even in adversity.

“Our women’s team have proved that there is room for an Asian women’s team,” says Mr Gill. “While we may have lost our other trophies, the women’s team acquired two trophies to place back on the empty shelves of the club house, when and if it is eventually built.”

In the summer we entered the BBC’s Your Game tournament in Birmingham, SKFC proudly won the fair game trophy. We had a recruitment drive as the team entered their third season. It is already showing signs of being a great season, with match scores being kept to a minimum. The team managed to earn their first point with a draw against Wednesfield Ladies FC. The season has already seen the team win a tournament as part of the Kick It Out annual awareness campaign. While the team encourage new players to take on the sport, the tournament had a down-side as we suffered yet more injuries, but we refuse to let them get us down. Despite injuries we stay involved in the club as supports us diversifying by using our skills in other areas such as coaching, mentoring and on recruitment drives for new players.

A vital part of ensuring the strengthening of the team was the formulation of a sub-committee. I am its chair. Suki Sidhu is the treasurer and Tina Chahal the secretary. It has enabled the team to be more organised and plan for the future. From difficult periods to exciting moments the trio make collective decisions on and off the pitch.

The future of the team is looking remarkable too, but with the right support and encouragement the women’s team will certainly be making their mark. “Our women’s team have proved that there is room for an Asian women’s team,” says Mr Gill. “While we may have lost our other trophies, the women’s team acquired two trophies to place back on the empty shelves of the club house, when and if it is eventually built.”

“They now have a solid base to build a good foundation for the club on and ensure its sustainability for the future,” says Mr Staples. “Through the introduction of junior girls sections at the club and supporting females to gain coaching qualifications, the ladies section will continue to benefit from the hard work and commitment being show by everyone involved.”

The club is already thinking about a long term strategy for women's football. We are determined to sustain the existing momentum. During local football matches whether they are children’s games or adults, you will find the younger girls on the sidelines. Far too often they are made to watch the games instead of playing alongside the boys. There is room for more female teams and it is important we all continue to support and recognise the importance of our next footballing stars. The success of England’s women in the world cup was essential for us. As Sue Smith has said it is important for girls to have female role models in football and now they have.

SKFC is already looking towards the future. Their long term football strategy includes:

• To coordinate and manage a mini five a side tournament.

• To develop under 16 year old feeder teams

• To educate and provide the girls with opportunities to enter FA Level One courses

• To field potential referees and encourage other paths for females to take

• To win our first match! Gain 3 points and eventually move into the first division.

SKFC Women’s team impresses Kevin Staples immensely. “They now have a solid base to build a good foundation for the club on and ensure its sustainability for the future,” says Mr Staples. “Through the introduction of junior girls sections at the club and supporting females to gain coaching qualifications, the ladies section will continue to benefit from the hard work and commitment being show by everyone involved.”

SKFC women’s team are always looking for outside support and interest to help them continue the sport from sponsorship through to administration. “We will be monitoring their progress with great interest throughout this season and beyond,” said Empower-Sport Magazine’s editor Derek Miller. “It is refreshing to see how they are developing their skills on and off the pitch.”

We’re focussed now on Finland,”

England is ranked thirty places above Belarus. The gulf in class showed. Goalkeeper Rachel Brown looked as if she was getting a bit chilly – she had so few saves to make as Belarus squandered their opportunities. With ten minutes gone Eniola Aluka delivered an inviting cross which Fara Williams gathered at the far post. Williams’ cross-come-shot found right-back – yes right-back – Alex Scott to glance home from the six-yard box. England created several chances. Three fell to Katie Chapman, but she was unable to convert them. England captain Kelly Smith was denied by a superb save from Belarus’ goalkeeper Sviatlana Novikava and Chapman’s follow-up header cleared the bar. Rachel Yankey went close too, but with just over thirty minutes gone it was left to Kelly Smith to meet Scott’s cross with a powerful header from near the penalty-spot. She had doubled England’s lead. Further opportunities came and went.

In the second half Eniola Aluka made amends for her earlier miss. Kelly Smith – Sue Smith came on for the second half – found her in the box with an exquisite pass that demanded the finish it received. The result was now beyond doubt. Only the final score had to be resolved. The fourth and last goal was again scored by Scott, capping off a free-flowing move. Aluka and substitute Lianne Sanderson exchanged a crisp one-two on the edge of the box before Sanderson’s cross found Scott in space.

Player of the match Alex Scott summed up the mood of the players after a well-deserved lap of honour was greeted with cheers from the eight-thousand strong crowd. “We’re focussed now on Finland,” said Scott in an article on the FA’s website, “and we always want to qualify for the major tournaments now. That’s what it is about for us. We know we had a good World Cup, but now it’s all about qualifying for the next tournament and the next game against Spain is going to be hard, but we’re preparing well.” The last time England played Spain the Iberians lost 4-1, but Powell is keen to avoid complacency. “The future of women’s football in England at national and at grass-roots level is bright,” said Mr Miller, “but resources must be devoted to it to ensure that it continues to develop.”

Meanwhile, world champions Germany will be formidable as usual. They are even more dominant in the European championship than the World Cup – having won six of the nine tournaments to date and they still hunger for more. Germany is dominating their group, having not dropped a point in five matches. They are already eight points clear of nearest rivals Switzerland. On November 1^st Annike Krahn’s thirty-sixth minute strike was enough to beat the Netherlands. In twenty-one matches this year Germany has won thirteen. Sandra Smisek – Birgit Prinz’ usual partner in attack sustained a bizarre injury to her thumb and is out for six weeks. And Sandra Minnert has announced her retirement after representing her country for the one-hundred-and forty-sixth time. Despite the win record-breaking goalkeeper Nadine Angerer wasn’t satisfied with the performance. Angerer went through the entire World Cup in China without letting in a single goal. She is the only goalkeeper in the history of the Women’s World Cup to achieve that. Angerer will move from current team Potsdam to Swedish club Djurgården IF in January. Meanwhile, Germany has a long break to put things right as their next qualifier doesn’t take place until next May. Belgium is their opponent.

While the national team is dominant there is a huge difference between their ability and that of most league teams. Freiburg has established themselves as the team to beat – meaning by how many? Last month they were beaten 6-0 by Bayern Munich and 8-1 by Duisburg. At least they are consistent. They began November with a 8-0 thrashing by Frankfurt. Last weekend’s top match ended in a 1-1 draw between Potsdam and Frankfurt and Freiburg made great progress by only losing 1-0 at home to TSV Cralisheim.

Germany’s equivalent of the Match of the Day broadcasts highlights of the men’s Bundesliga. Despite the achievements of the women’s team, they still prefer to broadcast excerpts from the Regionalliga – Germany’s second division – rather than top flight women’s football apart from the very top women’s teams, which now receive brief television coverage.

It hasn’t taken long for the World Cup win to be forgotten and people are beginning to question what the World Cup win really means if the opportunity to build the profile of women’s football is lost. Apart from the all-conquering national team women’s football is all but ignored in Germany. Perhaps England international Sue Smith was right after all. There isn’t a great deal of difference in the infrastructure of women’s football in England and Germany