Brazil's Marta is a five-time winner of the FIFA women's player of the year award. (AFP/Getty Images)
When the camera is turned off I can relax and put my feet up. I can go get a coffee and a muffin, go back to my desk and watch the drama unfold. There's actually a little bit more to my job than that, but I will attempt not to bore you with the minutiae.
As the group games were winding down at the FIFA Women's World Cup I composed an email. Now we knew who would play who, I detailed the quarter-final matches, where they were being played, the kick off times and the networks carrying the games.
As an afterthought, I added a list of the eight nations eliminated at the group stage. It wasn't essential but it served as a useful aide-memoire when reflecting on the round robin portion of the tournament. These are the teams who made it to Germany only to leave in disappointment.
The major casualties were Canada, Norway and North Korea - three of the world's top 10 gone before their time. Canada froze on the big stage, Norway failed to reach the knock out stages for the first time, and the Koreans were squeezed out in a tough group.
The others were entirely predictable. Nigeria has been to every World Cup and never made a significant impression. Mexico and New Zealand were always considered outsiders, while World Cup rookies Colombia and Equatorial Guinea were simply out of their depth.
Chances are they will all be back in 2015, they and others who aren't equipped to compete. The next Women's World Cup, to be hosted by Canada, is being expanded to 24 nations. Eight more teams will get a chance, but surely it is quality not quantity that counts.
A laudable notion
FIFA reckons the women's game is ripe for growth. The idea is laudable but the reality is laughable. Germany 2011 has highlighted the technical advances in women's soccer. It has also exposed the lack of genuine depth in the global game.
Germany, Brazil and the United States have spent decades and millions of dollars developing women's soccer. It is no fluke they are the strongest and perhaps the only genuine contenders to become world champions. France has developed quickly and Japan will give anyone a run for their money.
Four years from now little will have changed at the top table. At the other end of the scale more minnows will be given an opportunity. More TV sets in more countries will tune in and make more money for FIFA. There will be no shortage of takers.
Consider the stats: 15 countries qualified for Germany 2011; 122 nations took part in the process. Or to put it another way, 107 hopefuls failed to qualify. A few were unfortunate - most had neither hope nor expectation of living the dream.
In other words, there are a lot of countries participating in women's football and most of them cannot cut it at international level. New Zealand scored 50 goals in qualifying and conceded 0. Similarly, Canada did not allow a goal in qualifying. Both nations are done at Germany 2011.
Let's project forward. Perhaps 130 nations will try to qualify for Canada 2015. We know there will be 23 success stories and Canada, as hosts, will welcome the world with friendship and enthusiasm. The global party will be bigger but not necessarily better.
Look closer. Canada has no need to qualify so the current queens of CONCACAF can pick and choose a series of friendlies as the tournament approaches. The qualifying competition will almost certainly be won by the Americans and then the race is on.
Mexico (winless in Germany) will likely make the finals, and with an expanded World Cup, there may well be two more spots available. Wake up Costa Rica (beaten 4-0 by Canada in qualifying) and look out for Even Pellerud's Trinidad & Tobago, whose only CONCACAF win was against Guyana (who conceded 19 goals in 3 games).
Let's just say the drop off in quality is severe. It doesn't make the final product any better - it merely leads to more lopsided score lines and embarrassing defensive mistakes, allowing the misogynists to preach about how it's a man's sport anyway.
Sadly they have never seen Marta kick a football. There is only one Marta, but there are plenty of talented players in Germany. Expansion will dilute the spectacle and that, despite FIFA's mantra, cannot be "for the good of the game."
Follow Nigel Reed on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/Nigel_Reed
As the group games were winding down at the FIFA Women's World Cup I composed an email. Now we knew who would play who, I detailed the quarter-final matches, where they were being played, the kick off times and the networks carrying the games.
As an afterthought, I added a list of the eight nations eliminated at the group stage. It wasn't essential but it served as a useful aide-memoire when reflecting on the round robin portion of the tournament. These are the teams who made it to Germany only to leave in disappointment.
The major casualties were Canada, Norway and North Korea - three of the world's top 10 gone before their time. Canada froze on the big stage, Norway failed to reach the knock out stages for the first time, and the Koreans were squeezed out in a tough group.
The others were entirely predictable. Nigeria has been to every World Cup and never made a significant impression. Mexico and New Zealand were always considered outsiders, while World Cup rookies Colombia and Equatorial Guinea were simply out of their depth.
Chances are they will all be back in 2015, they and others who aren't equipped to compete. The next Women's World Cup, to be hosted by Canada, is being expanded to 24 nations. Eight more teams will get a chance, but surely it is quality not quantity that counts.
A laudable notion
FIFA reckons the women's game is ripe for growth. The idea is laudable but the reality is laughable. Germany 2011 has highlighted the technical advances in women's soccer. It has also exposed the lack of genuine depth in the global game.
Germany, Brazil and the United States have spent decades and millions of dollars developing women's soccer. It is no fluke they are the strongest and perhaps the only genuine contenders to become world champions. France has developed quickly and Japan will give anyone a run for their money.
Four years from now little will have changed at the top table. At the other end of the scale more minnows will be given an opportunity. More TV sets in more countries will tune in and make more money for FIFA. There will be no shortage of takers.
Consider the stats: 15 countries qualified for Germany 2011; 122 nations took part in the process. Or to put it another way, 107 hopefuls failed to qualify. A few were unfortunate - most had neither hope nor expectation of living the dream.
In other words, there are a lot of countries participating in women's football and most of them cannot cut it at international level. New Zealand scored 50 goals in qualifying and conceded 0. Similarly, Canada did not allow a goal in qualifying. Both nations are done at Germany 2011.
Let's project forward. Perhaps 130 nations will try to qualify for Canada 2015. We know there will be 23 success stories and Canada, as hosts, will welcome the world with friendship and enthusiasm. The global party will be bigger but not necessarily better.
Look closer. Canada has no need to qualify so the current queens of CONCACAF can pick and choose a series of friendlies as the tournament approaches. The qualifying competition will almost certainly be won by the Americans and then the race is on.
Mexico (winless in Germany) will likely make the finals, and with an expanded World Cup, there may well be two more spots available. Wake up Costa Rica (beaten 4-0 by Canada in qualifying) and look out for Even Pellerud's Trinidad & Tobago, whose only CONCACAF win was against Guyana (who conceded 19 goals in 3 games).
Let's just say the drop off in quality is severe. It doesn't make the final product any better - it merely leads to more lopsided score lines and embarrassing defensive mistakes, allowing the misogynists to preach about how it's a man's sport anyway.
Sadly they have never seen Marta kick a football. There is only one Marta, but there are plenty of talented players in Germany. Expansion will dilute the spectacle and that, despite FIFA's mantra, cannot be "for the good of the game."
Follow Nigel Reed on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/Nigel_Reed
