Wwc 2003 it was said that the new host of 2003 WWC will be announced on monday, so, ... anyone has the news ?
"ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- The Women's World Cup will be played in the United States this fall. World soccer's governing body said Monday it selected the U.S. bid over one from Sweden, three weeks after moving the tournament from China because of the SARS virus. The decision by FIFA's eight-member emergency committee was widely expected because the United States was considered best equipped to handle the 16-team tournament on such short notice."
So does Heinrichs's appearance in Boston now "officially" guarantee Boston will get at least 1 or 2 games? Aw, come on.. I can dream..can't I I love this quotation... from Kate Sobrero that appeared in the 25 May 2003 edition of the Boston Globe.. Class act. Thank you Kate!
Not a surprise, but good to have it official. There's a little more info on the SI.com site: Host with the most FIFA hands 2003 Women's World Cup to U.S. "The exact schedule of the competition will be announced shortly, but the tournament will still take place around the same period (23 September - 11 October 2003), with only a few minor changes to the schedule," a FIFA announcement said. It said the Emergency Committee also decided that China would retain its automatic qualification for the tournament and that the allocation of qualification slots per confederation will remain the same -- AFC 2.5, CAF 2, CONCACAF 2.5, CONMEBOL 2, OFC 1, UEFA 5. In accepting the U.S. bid, FIFA is expected to change the dates of the tournament to conform with stadium availability. U.S. Soccer plans to use staffers from Major League Soccer and the Women's United Soccer Association to run the World Cup, which the Americans also won in 1991." Interesting - the announcement was just made on my local NBC affiliate, with clips from the '99 WWC. The buzz begins.
"FIFA Women’s World Cup 2003 to be held in USA From Fifa: "The FIFA Emergency Committee has taken the decision to relocate the 4th FIFA Women’s World Cup, originally due to be played in China PR, to the United States of America. Four other countries had also submitted an offer to step in for China PR: Sweden, Australia, Italy and Canada. The exact schedule of the competition will be announced shortly, but the tournament will still take place around the same period (23 September – 11 October 2003), with only a few minor changes to the schedule. The Emergency Committee has also decided that China PR will retain its automatic qualification for the tournament. Furthermore, the allocation of qualification slots per confederation will remain the same – AFC 2.5, CAF 2, CONCACAF 2.5, CONMEBOL 2, OFC 1, UEFA 5, plus China PR. Mexico will face an AFC opponent in a playoff for the final slot upon completion of the AFC qualification tournament, due to be held from 10-22 June 2003 in Thailand. “I would like to sincerely thank those national associations that declared an interest in organising the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2003 in such trying circumstances. The Women’s World Cup in 1999 was so successful that FIFA is delighted to see the event return to the United States. Finally, I would like to reiterate my gratitude to the Chinese Football Association for their understanding and cooperation with FIFA following the Executive Committee’s decision on 3 May,” said FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter. Note: the FIFA Executive Committee has awarded the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 to China"
"So does Heinrichs's appearance in Boston now "officially" guarantee Boston will get at least 1 or 2 games?' She was also at Villanova too but I don't there will be a game there. Maybe at Lincoln though.
http://www.fifa.com/en/display/mrel,69337.html FIFA Women’s World Cup 2003 to be held in USA The FIFA Emergency Committee has taken the decision to relocate the 4th FIFA Women’s World Cup, originally due to be played in China PR, to the United States of America. Four other countries had also submitted an offer to step in for China PR: Sweden, Australia, Italy and Canada. The exact schedule of the competition will be announced shortly, but the tournament will still take place around the same period (23 September – 11 October 2003), with only a few minor changes to the schedule. The Emergency Committee has also decided that China PR will retain its automatic qualification for the tournament. Furthermore, the allocation of qualification slots per confederation will remain the same – AFC 2.5, CAF 2, CONCACAF 2.5, CONMEBOL 2, OFC 1, UEFA 5, plus China PR. Mexico will face an AFC opponent in a playoff for the final slot upon completion of the AFC qualification tournament, due to be held from 10-22 June 2003 in Thailand. “I would like to sincerely thank those national associations that declared an interest in organising the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2003 in such trying circumstances. The Women’s World Cup in 1999 was so successful that FIFA is delighted to see the event return to the United States. Finally, I would like to reiterate my gratitude to the Chinese Football Association for their understanding and cooperation with FIFA following the Executive Committee’s decision on 3 May,” said FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter. Note: the FIFA Executive Committee has awarded the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 to China. Contact: FIFA Media Department Tél.: +41-1/254 98 00 Fax: +41-1/254 97 02 ###
Can't wait! I'm pumped! I'm sure, especially given the nice crowd in Birmingham the weekend before last, I anticipate a very good turnout at the matches. US Soccer will probably have venues sorted out soon, but the pools will have to wait until after the AFC tournament in June. I guess we'll have the ceremonial draw again too.
"So does Heinrichs's appearance in Boston now "officially" guarantee Boston will get at least 1 or 2 games?" I wonder if US Soccer is contemplating a schedule that has the US WNT playing at Foxboro Stadium again while the Sox are in town? That way Nomar can go watch Mia play? Hmmm?
There's a little more information in Jere Longman's NY Times article: U.S. Replaces China as Host of Soccer's Women's World Cup Highlights: - American officials are looking into the possibility of adding another weekend to the 16-team competition - The conflict with football will determine, in part, the television scheduling and could put the final on a Sunday in direct competition with the National Football League, officials said. - According to FIFA, soccer's world governing body, the Americans had first proposed to hold the tournament at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington; Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio; Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif.; and the Home Depot national training center in Carson, Calif. -Crew Stadium and Spartan Stadium would have to add temporary seats to meet FIFA's requirement of a minimum capacity of 30,000. -American officials are also considering larger stadiums like Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.; Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.; Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia; Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif.; and Seattle Seahawks Stadium. - Giants Stadium and Seattle Seahawks Stadium would have to temporarily cover their artificial turf fields to meet FIFA's requirement for grass fields. - The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., which drew more than 90,000 for the 1999 final between the United States and China, is also a possible choice for the 2003 final. - Matches will be played as doubleheaders and are scheduled to be broadcast on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.
"Do you anticipate any difficulty in acquiring VISAs for the competitors? "We have spoken with the appropriate governmental agencies, and don’t anticipate any concerns with getting the required visas for all participants." If only...
One of two ways... From the Conference Call and Dan Flynn posted at www.ussoccer.com: How much will the busy fall sports landscape in the U.S. impact the schedule? ".... The schedule clearly shows some challenges. It’s a very fluid process. ... There are challenges and there will be for some time. In all the scenarios, playing the final on a Sunday is still a possibility." This statement can be taken as 'it is a strong possibility to play the final on a Sunday - though we wouldn't want to'. OR It can be read like - 'any other day would be preferable to Sunday, but the possibility is still there.' I tend to think it's the latter of the two. A Saturday game, preferably at night would probably be best for attendance and ratings.
I hope that the fact that this will have to go head-to head with the World Series and other major sports events weon't cut into the TV audience... WUSA and soccer in general need this to be a success.
"U.S. snags Women's World Cup, with risks", by Mark Zeigler *** At stake is the future of the women's game and tens of millions of dollars. "We are at risk," Flynn said when asked whether FIFA will indemnify U.S. Soccer against any shortfall. "For the opportunity to have our sport on the front page and for our team to have a chance to win yet another world championship at home is an opportunity that just doesn't come along very often. The downside is that it's an investment and, not to minimize that, it might be a sizable investment. "But it's the right thing to do for our sport and for our industry http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/tue/sports/news_1s27womcup.html