As I have two kids that play soccer, does that make me a soccer mum? Probably! As long as I never make it to hockey mum, lipstick or not, I will be happy.

Wellington was home to a fantastic series of soccer matches (yes, I say “soccer” not “football”) for the FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup over the last few weeks.

The Intercontinental was buzzing with teams staying in-house and a good number of Wellingtonians were smart enough to take on the role as enthusiastic specatators at the Stadium.  The games stretched over a few weeks and I managed to take in 3 games in gorgeous sunshine providing some great family entertainment.

Sadly we missed seeing our very own New Zealand team play, but what a treat to see the different styles of play from teams from across the globe.  With Nigerians chanting in the grandstand and equally voluminous singing from the Brits, we witnessed Nigeria take on England.  It was a striking contrast of some wildly enthusiastic attempts at goal by the Nigerians, alongside some stunning ball skills.  We were glued.

England finally conquered the game and a few chips and a beer later (as an aside, I was asked for my ID as I purchased and Amstel Light – fascinating) it was time for Brazil versus Korea Republic.  This game was a festival of Brazilian percussion bands competing with Korean drumming for the whole duration of the match.  I am sure the music helped and the fancy footwork was out on show.  The Korea Republic team won a decided victory and before I knew it, we had spent 5 hours at the Stadium in glorious weather.  Go Wellington!

This last weekend produced the quarter-finals and after voting we managed to make it to see Korea DPR taking on Denmark.  I have to say, the nuggety Korean players were a force to be reckoned with and showed stunning footwork and ball control skills.  However, if I am allowed to mention glamour, then the Danes won hands down.  Each player sported a swishy pony tail in a dozen shades of blonde – beautiful!  They were not pushovers however, and showed great defensive force against Korea DPR.   The game eventually was won on sheer guts and miraculous goal taking by the Koreans.  Some of the moves were equal to anything I have seen the Phoenix produce and they should be very proud of the 4-0 win over Denmark.

My overall comment is a vote of thanks to FIFA for allowing us to be a venue for a world cup event.  It would have been good to see more Wellingtonians come out to view world class football live in our own town.  

Thank you to all involved in a successful campaign that brought many visitors from all parts of the globe to our beautiful city.

Kia kaha

Jennifer