President Blatter, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this aftemoon's session, the final in the series for the 2nd FIFA Women's Football Symposium, which has been conducted under the heading "Women's Football and the Next Millenl'um".

Stacey Allison was the first US woman to reach the summit of the world's hi-hest mountain (1988). She said, and 1 fully agree with her:

" ... You've got to decide sometime in your life when its OK not to listen to what other people are saying. If I'd listened to other people I wouldn 't have climbed Everest."

Today, on the other hand, I very much want to listen to what other people are saying, so 1 will be brief.

When 1 was first asked to speak at this symposium it was no doubt in recognition of the fact that as a woman I had risen to a position of some prominence in the FIFA hierarchy, as one of the six Conféderation General Secretanies, as a past member of the FIFA Women's Committee and currently a member of the Player Status Committee. In addition, 1 have worked at men's and women's world cups in vanious capacities, organized many OFC toumaments and courses and am a FEFA Instructor for the FIFA FUTURO courses - but have predominantly been involved in the administration of men's soccer.

However, 1 would like to think I stand here today not just on the basis of my FIFA and OFC work but also on the basis that 1 come from a country which has a special place in the history of women's rights.

New Zealand, as some of you might already know, was the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote, in 1893, followed by our Oceanla partner, Australia, in 1902. This pioneer spirit is not dead and today the Prime Minister of New Zealand is a woman, as is the Leader of the Opposition.

As we enter the next century it is probably not stretching the comparison too far to liken the achievement of the vote for women all that time ago to the achievement of the full recognition of women's soccer now. Nelther task has been fully accomplished - much remains to be done.

Just as those early achievements are remembered in the work of the early leaders in the movement, the suffragettes lead by women like Emily Pankhurst in England, Kate Sheppard in my own country New Zealand, and in this country by such women as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony, so the development of women's football, when its history comes to be written, will most likely be in terrns of which women - players, coaches, administrators, media women, politicians even, led the way,

Perhaps my task here this aftemoon is best accomplished by outlining a few of the parameters on the question of women leaders in soccer.

We note that very recently President Clinton called on Americans to celebrate the 27 lh anniversary of the enactment of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. To quote hini directly:

"The US athletes in the Womens World Cup, currently being watched by millions of fans across the country, are shining examples of the value of increased participation in athletics by women."

That this participation has dramatically increased in the USA because of Title IX is without question. What we need to know, and one of the questions I'm posing to you here this afternoon, is whether this increased participation has yet translated into significant advances in the number of women leaders in the sport of soccer, and has it embraced all ethnic and disadvantaged groups?

This is a critical question and one I can't yet presume to answer. 1 just don't know. Yet there will be many in the audience here who, in the time we have for discussion, may be able to shed some valuable light on this.

At this point in the development of women's soccer, naming names would be invidious. You know already who many of the leaders are, especially in this country, which is preeminent in the playing and promotion of the women's game. At the saine time, it would, in my opinion, be a mistake and dangerously limiting, to see the question as entirely one of women achieving and leading only in womens soccer.

Future women leaders in the game throughout the world must be alming not only at administering,  the men's game as well as the women's but also at achieving in refèreeing and coaching - all the technical aspects - and in sports medicine and physiology at the highest levels - aiming at full involvement in the men's game.
 

Briefly, in the short time I have this afternoon to talk about women's sports, I want to first mention a few of the barriers facing us, especially in soccer, and also to suggest a few of the opportunities.

Second, 1 want to acquaint you with an organisation from New Zealand that has been doing some exciting work to correct the imbalances in this area, the Hillary Commission.

There will be ample time for debate and discussion after the formal presentations, and 1 hope to, leam much from you about what is happening in your part of the world, especially in regard to your women sports leaders, and the interaction of football participation and career paths. We can start by remembering that the highly significant document, the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport 1994, stated clearly as its Sixth Principle, under the headinc, "Leadership in Sport":

Women are under-represented in the leadership and decision making in all sport and sport-related organisations. Those responsible for these areas should develop policies and programmes and design structures which increase the number of women coaches, advisers, decision makers, officials, administrators and sports personnel at all levels, with special attention given to recruitment, development and retention.

Well, five years on from that, how far have we come? From where 1 stand, and leavin, you to tell me later about the situation in your countries - not far.

So where are the opportunities for leadership? What opportunities are there for careers for women in soccer? Apart from a relatively few exceptions, not a great deal, yet.

Let's look first at the media. Until this tournament, around the globe very few women's games have been televised or broadcast live. There is a limited career path, in the immediate future, in newspapers and other publications. Sports journalists and photographers are predominantly male and much awareness of opportunities and training needs to be put in place. Men have well-established pathways, and there are différences from country to country. Special toumaments such as this can often provide opportunities but full-time work should be the ultimate goal.

It is interesting that in the last parliamentary elections in Britain, the Labour Party had the aim of increasing the number of women sports journalists as part of its policy. That is clearly recognition of the importance of having experienced specialised and full-time women sports writers patin- the issues, the teams, the personalities, and the games before the public. It is probably goin- to be true for women as it has been for men that speci ic skills and individual qualities will be necessary to get to the top as sports commentators and well-paid speakers on the celebrity circuit.

For sure, we don't need the kind of gaffe that only a male sports writer could commit:

Writing in a prominent U.S. dally this writer, who shall remain anonymous, surely committed the Freudian slip of the tournament in noting that.

"Short-handed Ghana showed heart in its 1-1 tie with Australia. Ghana easily thwarted most Australian advances despite playing a man down most o the game »

Secondly, what opportunities currently exist in the game itself ? In coaching, 1 have heard it said, and I am willing to be corrected on this, that since Title IX, the number of women coaches has dropped 7%! More men have taken up coaching women's teams since more dollars have arrived. Men will tend to be selected where winning and the money that goes with winning are at stake. That is understandable, given that men, in the immediate future, have more expenience in coaching at the top level. But this will gradually change as we even now are seeing the first women nearincy their retirement who have played throughout their career at the highest levels. In addition, many fernale players prefer male coaches.

And there is huge variation. In New Zealand, the top women's team club coach would be lucky to aet $1,000. In Australia the amount could be up to $25,000 - and then both the coach and assistant coach will likely be male. In the USA, informed the amount might be $50,000 or $60,000, which is a living, but not even in the ballpark when comparisons are made with the other major sporting codes. In men's US football, for example, there are 30 coaches on contracts of S600,000 and up. But then, we also have to be realistic, and see that the market dictates these sorts of figures. When soccer is generating that sort of revenue then those pay- outs become possible, as indeed is happening with men's soccer in Europe and South America, for example.

So long as soccer on TV attracts a very small audience, where even for the WWC99 matches so far two out of three viewers are male, the big money and senious career paths in women's soccer will of necessity be slow in coming. But to get to that stage of readiness, among the strategles will have to be gettinc, women to coach top club, national and representative teams, and for national associations to take on the responsability for putting players through coaching courses. 

To a degree, this is already the case in some countries. The challenge now is to ensure that these women be given the ongoing coaching opportunities to put these skills into practice and gain experience.

In the game itself, we are only now starting to see some money being made by the top stars. With sponsorships and product endorsements the opportunities are startincy to open up. Hank Steinbrecher, general secretary of US Soccer, is quoted as statincy that members of the US Women's team have contracts that pay S30,000 to S50,000 a year, not including World Cup bonuses. Every player has at least a shoe company deal.

And there is no better news for the future than that every game in this Cup has been televised live and cam'ed in many overseas countnies, plus the great crowds at all the venues. For the moment, no team player yet in women's soccer can hope to match the $25 million plus that solo sportswomen like Steffi Graf have earned. There is a lesson to be leamed here, and indeed it is obvious it has been well leamed already. The fans identify with the stars, the leaders on the field and we have seen some outstanding examples recently of the promotion of individuals and of the team as a whole. When this works, everyone benefits. Whether women's soccer, in promoting leaders and personalities for the wider interest this encourages, will want to embrace the agenda that goes with having the media 'bad boy' equivalent of a John McInroe or a Mike Tyson, is debatable. Personally, 1 prefer the clean wholesome image that all the women players are projecting at this tournament. But we can look at women's tennis and see the controversy that the media loves to generate arourid stars like Martina Hingis and Lindsey Davenport. Controversy attracts the viewers and fills the stands.

Men who have achieved at the highest level in a wide variety of sports never really have to work again if they don't want to. They are set up for life, With few exceptions, perhaps, this just isn't so for top sportswomen.

In fact women struggle in comparison with even the second tier of sportsmen, who by and larae are assured of lucrative contracts, media and consulting work, administrative and coaching positions. And of course some of the legendary figures in world soccer such as Jurgen Klinsmann, Pele, Bobby Charlton, whose continued mvolvement in the game go beyond money - have taken on more of an ambassadonial role, whether for FIFA, or promotion of soccer in their country.

There are increasingly career pathways for women in soccer administration, at all levels in both the men's and the women's game. There are signs that although the traditional paths of coming in as an ex-player, a refèree or a coach are still there, there will be increasingly room for the lawyer, the accouritant, the corporate high-flyer with financing, personnel and management skills. And as we know, there are more and more very capable women around with these qualifications. This topic of administration has been already discussed in yesterday's symposium session so 1 won't dwell on this further.

In what other ways can women show leadership? Clearly we are already seeincy a conscious emphasis on this. According to Marla Messing, Women's World Cup President and CEO:

" Were providing an important platform for role models, The ideal is for kids to aspire to be like their heroes. If a boy looks up to Michael Jordan, a girl can now look up to Mia Hamm."

Indeed, those of you who have seen the ad on TV will note that even Michael Jordan, thrown flat on his back, is looking up to Mia Hamm!

According to Santa Clara women's soccer coach Jerry Smith more minonity athletes would be attracted to soccer, particularly the women's game, if there were more professional opportunities avallable and enough media coverage to publicize role models:

"If we're not considered mainstreain, those athletes are going to choose volleybail or basketball, " lie said- " You don't think Jennifer Azzi or Chamique Holdsclaw would be awesome soccer players'l You bet they would be. But why soccer?"

Afro-Arnerican goalkeeper for the national team Brianna Scurry said she sees herself as a role model for Afro-American kids and has asked a major sponsor of US Soccer and the women's national team, to send lier into big cities for clinics.

"But soccer takes a lot of space, " she said. "you've got to have some grass. Theres a bazillion and one places to play basketball and theres so few places to play soccer. I don't see soccer approaching basketball in popularity among African -Americans in my lifetime."

But surely that's not the whole story. Certainly, in comparison to the more affluent suburbs, the inner city areas are badly off for playing space. But that never stopped the development of the game in places like London or Glasgow or the teeming and very poor cities in countries like Brazil. No, far more likely as an effective way to help ensure minonty participation will be to put special effort into providing coaching refereeinçy and administrative and technical resources and courses into the schools. The staff there cannot coach soccer if they don't know the game. But the schools usually already have some sort of playing space and they can often make links with nearby clubs. That, in my view, is part of the answer of how we can recruit the numbers from whom the future leaders will come.

The way in which the Conféderation to which I belong, Oceania, struggled to gain recognition and full conféderation status can teach us a little about the process - about the need for persistence, working with your allies at every opportunity, always being positive, stressing the justice and representation factor - always keeping our own respect and dignity. Eleanor Roosevelt said that no-one can make you feel inférior about yourself - we all need to acknowledge that women's football is not inférior but différent. Michelle Akers expressed it so well when asked whether she felt nervous when called on to take a crucial penalty in the semi-final

"Nervous" she queried - I was like 'Yeah baby, give me that.' Those are the moments you live for."

I had an interestin- interview in one country 1 visited - not within my Conféderation where 1 was the only female participant. The eamest young joumalist asked at the very beginning of the interview if 1 felt infenior. 1 was surprised by this bluntness and asked why should 1 feel infénior? He responded "because you are a woman." You wont need to be a Rhodes scholar to work out that I quietly considered his thinking processes and manner of handling people to be quite infenior.

Olympic athlete, winner of six Olympic medals, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, made some good points at a recent women's leadership conférence stating "If young people want to be like me I tell them to be leaders" "And that means setting your own imprints".

At the same conférence former Texas Govemor Ann Richards listed these five suggestions:

• Know what you want to do

• Be persistent, and keep your eye on your goal. She quoted comedian Woody Allen: 80 percent of success is just showing up.

• Understand that taking risks and failing is OK

• Be flexible

• Realize you can't separate your personal and professional lives

You may be interested in a New Zealand Govemment-funded programme organised through a sports body called the Hillary Commission. Briefly, this is organised at both national and regional level.

At the national level

• projects involving 10 national sports organisations have been implemented to increase the number of women involved at all levels and in all roles, such as coaching, leadership, and officiating.

• Advocating with a range of organisations using a charter based on the Brighton Declaration

• Training opportunities for key personnel in sport are provided including media skills training and gender equity workshops.

• Leadership training involving 250 women each year who hold key leaderships in sport.

At the regional level

• Leadership programmes are delivered throughout New Zealand - about 1,000 women graduate each year.

• Winninc, Women seminars promoted and orgamised by the regional sports trusts.

These involve high profile, high achieving women giving motivational talks.
Female role model project - 120 Young fernale sporting role models have been trained over the past several years in media relations, public speaking and presentation skills. Once trained these role models speak to school students and other groups sharing their experiences in sport and talk about the health and social benefits of taking part.

Another iruitiative by the Hillary Commission is the Women on the Run project

Role models representative of a wide range of sporting careers and activities are used extensively in the media and in speaking engagements to put the message across to community leaders and Young women. Prominent women in various fields have been selected and utilised and include women at the top of their field in: sports law, management of elite athletes, sports education at tertiary level, sports media personalities and broadcasters, sports publishers, editors and writers, academy coaches, event managers, sports medical doctors sports photographers and joumalists, sports dieticians and nutritionists and fitness instructors and personnel trainers, physiotherapists and sportswear designers.
 Finally, 1 believe that leadership cannot be legislated for, it comes from within, it's
making your own decisions, setting your own imprints and having the confidence to break out of the mould, searching for new territory. Ann Richards said leadership is a little like the Abominable Snowman - you don't see it, but you know it's there because of its footprints.

The FIFA President had it right when he said - the FUTURE is FEMININE. 73,123 spectators came to see the semi-final match. Many more will come to the final.

Together, the family of FIFA, the women, the daughters, the mothers, the grandmothers, the rich, the poor, FIFA, the conféderations and the national associations, united we can set an almighty imprint as we move into the millenium and fulfil our rightfill place.