Women's EURO 2005 comes to England
England will host a prestigious European football tournament next summer with the UEFA European Women’s Championship Finals being staged in the North West region in June 2005.
Featuring eight teams in two groups, 15 matches will be staged at five different venues across the North West with live TV coverage in 54 countries via Eurosport and on an additional UK network to be confirmed. England qualify automatically for the eight-nation Finals and could line-up against World Cup Finalists Germany and Sweden .
The City of Manchester Stadium will host the opening England game on Sunday June 5th and The FA is planning major sporting activity for young people at SportCity on the day of the game as part of its plans to leave a sporting legacy from staging this event. The stadium will also host the Final Draw on Wednesday January 19th with representatives from all eight competing nations present.
Blackburn Rovers FC will host England ’s next two group games and will also be the setting for the Final on Sunday June 19th. Blackpool FC completes the Group A stadia and will host three group games. Preston North End’s Deepdale ground and Warrington Wolves’ newly-built rugby league home will be the fitting venues for the Group B games and will each stage one Semi-Final tie.
UEFA President Lennart Johansson said: "Staging the Women's EURO 2005 in England , where women's football is the top female sport is a great opportunity. I am sure that The FA and the North West region will deliver a highly professional event, promoting women's football as a skilful and competitive game and enhancing its popularity in the UK and across Europe ."
World champions Germany , runners-up Sweden , France , Denmark , Finland , Norway and Italy have joined England in qualifying for the prestigious tournament.
The tournament is a perfect opportunity for football fans to experience the biggest female sport in England and players like captain Faye White and star striker Kelly Smith are ready to showcase the elite level of the game. The North West of England is an area of strong heritage for football in general and women’s football in particular. In the 1920s, ‘Dick, Kerr Ladies’ – a team of female factory workers from Preston, Lancashire – played to audiences of 50,000 in charity matches across the North West.
“Staging a major tournament will give The FA a great opportunity to tell young girls about their opportunities to play football and we expect that participation levels will increase again as a result of this tournament,” says The FA’s Director of Football Development Trevor Brooking. “Having the games live on TV will also be a good showcase of how the England players can be role models for future generations.”
National Coach Hope Powell added: “It’s great to have qualified without having kicked a ball! It gives us the opportunity once again to compete on the top European stage, which is where we should be. I’ve played in Euro finals before and there’s such a great buzz about playing competitively against the best players in the world. It’s going to be a fantastic tournament where we can showcase women’s football to a big audience in England and beyond.”
The FA, together with Sport England, is running a Legacy Programme around the event ensuring there is a lasting impact for women’s sport as a result of this tournament. There will be free packs for every primary school in England , football festival packs and loads of events throughout the North West as well as nationally. Go to www.TheFA.com/Euro2005 to check out England ’s ‘Road to Euro 2005’ preparations and register your interest for ticket updates, competitions and much more!
You can visit the official website at www.uefa.com