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Invitation
Timely Fixtures For Football Ferns
by Jeremy Ruane
The Football Ferns' preparations for August's Olympic Women's Football Tournament in China have been given a significant and timely boost following their late admission to a prestigious competition in June.
The Peace Queen Cup is held bi-annually in the Korea Republic, and the late withdrawal of North Korea has left a vacancy which New Zealand has been invited to fill at the eleventh hour.
The opportunity for John Herdman's charges, who have been training like Trojans since qualifying for the Olympics in March, presents them with three games in the eight-team tournament, and, if they top their group, a guaranteed $US 50,000 - welcome money for NZ Football's coffers at the moment, make no mistake!
The Peace Queen Cup is one of the few tournaments in international women's football which offers prize money, with the winning nation earning a cool $US 200,000 for four games' work.
And the group the Football Ferns have been drawn in is one in which they should be quietly confident of doing well, as two of their rivals are below the 23rd-ranked Kiwis in the latest FIFA rankings.
They kick off the tournament against the 25th-ranked host nation in the tournament's opening game on June 14, and two days later take on Argentina, ranked 29th in the world.
On June 18, 9th-ranked Canada stand in New Zealand's way, a Canadian team which copped a 6-0 hiding from the USA earlier this month, and lost 2-1 to Australia in Sydney on Friday.
Make no mistake, this could well be the tournament which finally sees the Football Ferns come of age on the world stage, such is the progression they have made in recent matches.
Victory in at least one of their fixtures will certainly
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vindicate their inclusion in New Zealand's Olympic squad by the NZOC, as Argentina and Canada are fellow contenders in the Olympic Women's Football Tournament in China.
Should they emerge as group winners in Suwon, the tournament venue, the Football Ferns' reward will be a place in the June 21 final, where they will face the winner of the other group, which contains Australia, Brazil, Italy and the USA.
All New Zealand's games will take place in the Suwon World Cup Stadium, which hosted four matches during the 2002 World Cup Finals, including Brazil's 5-2 win over Costa Rica, and Spain's penalty shoot-out win over Eire in the second round.
The goal of the tournament is to harness the energy and splendour of football, the most popular international sport, to promote the unity of mankind and help realise a world of peace. More information can be found via the tournament's website
New Zealand's fixtures will serve as ideal preparation for their participation in the 2008 Olympic Women's Football Tournament, which sees them taking on Japan and Norway in Quihuangdao, and the USA in Shenyang, on August 6th, 9th and 12th respectively.
The Football Ferns' current fixture list:
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