Accolades from as influential a confederation as UEFA are not something afforded lightly, particularly to a country from beyond its boundaries. So when this - “… New Zealand, who put on an impressive overall performance in Cyprus, …” - appeared in UEFA's Cyprus Cup review … praise indeed! And deserved praise, too, for a young team whose development continued apace at this March tournament. Draws with top-ten-ranked Canada and France sandwiched a 2-0 victory over Holland, New Zealand's first victory over top-twenty-ranked opponents for well over a decade. The combination of these results earned the Football Ferns a fourth-placed finish, the draw with the French being a third place play-off which the Kiwis lost on penalties. Oh, and did I mention the Football Ferns were leading 1-0 with three minutes to go? That's how close this team is, right now, to not so much breaking through as smashing to smithereens the glass ceiling that is currently containing them in 24th place on FIFA's rankings. Personally, and the formbook backs me up on this, I believe a top-twenty ranking would be a more realistic reflection of where the Football Ferns are right now. It's only a combination of FIFA's complex formulae which work out these rankings, allied to the impact of the dearth of activity - just fifteen internationals - New Zealand's national women's team endured between October 1998 and the introduction of the current regime in November 2006, that is holding back this country's progress where these standings are concerned. Everything else indicates real progress is being made in the women's game generally. Thirty-seven - and counting - full internationals played since November 2006; hugely encouraging performances at all five FIFA Finals at which NZ women's teams have competed since that time … the list goes on. If anything, the girls are getting the results many would like to see the All Whites achieve - 24th in the world, scoring wins against top-twenty-ranked nations, drawing with top-ten-ranked nations, and particularly in the case of the U-20s, going desperately close to becoming the first NZ team of either gender to advance to the knockout stages of a FIFA Finals. Compare that with the boys' efforts. Wherever I look, all I see is under-achievement, with the U-20s'

failure to qualify for Egypt '09 being the worst example of them all. I think the situation is best summed up by the respective philosophies of the genders. For the boys, simply qualifying for FIFA Finals is the prime objective - achieving anything more is regarded as a bonus, and simply going close is considered acceptable, as long as you've done your best in the process. Whereas for the girls, their attitude now is one of disappointment if they fail to make the knockout stages - that's how far they've come as a group, and where their expectations are now at. SPARC has recognised this, hence the financial boost which the women's game has been granted to help the girls achieve their aims. It's going to be very hard for some people to stomach, but the girls are setting the standards the boys must aspire to, if the men's game in this country is to ever realise its potential. Right now, I don't think that will ever happen. There needs to be a radical upheaval for true, worthwhile, far-reaching change to come about, but there are simply too many egos and self-serving, small-minded agendas to overcome at present for it to become a reality anytime soon. That said, the USA had the same dilemma - an outstanding women's set-up, and under-achievement aplenty on the men's side of the equation. The powers that be took the bull by the horns and followed the girls' lead, and look what US men's soccer is regularly achieving today. That's where New Zealand men's football can be, and what it has the potential to achieve. Question is, will it ever do so? And will it ever catch up with the women's game, a side of the code for so long in the shadow of their male counterparts, but which is now relishing the opportunities being afforded it by a supportive national administration while the chaps, who enjoy the same if not more such opportunities across the spectrum, stumble from stagnation to occasional brief flashes of potential to, more often than not, mediocrity. FIFA President Sepp Blatter long ago unleashed a famous one-liner on an unsuspecting football public. Many scoffed when he declared, “The future of football is feminine”, but the current results, efforts and performances suggest that where New Zealand is concerned, that statement is very true indeed.