Female Football - Courage to Be The First
International sports activities usually involve a lot of participants and contribute to remove political, social and cultural barriers. The international cooperation between Russia and Norway has quite a long history and positive outcomes after years. Last week FA Finnmark and the Murmansk regional sport committee by sight of Roger Finjord, from Norwegian side, and Sergey Kozhukhov, from Russian side, signed a mutual cooperation agreement for football. The Football Association of Finnmark now is interested in joint sport events organization with Russia and initiated the idea of bilateral football matches for boys and girls aged 13-17.
On 14. September Roger Finjord and Sergey Kozhukhov shook their hands on long-time cooperation consisting of two important parts. One part is targeted on boys and pursues the aim of playing football matches both on field of Finnmark and Murmansk together with some experience exchanges for coaches and references for players. Alta conference in November 2011 is expected to become exactly that big meeting point for them.
The second part deserves special attention as it is a completely new one in the Murmansk region. Fe-male football there could scarcely enter one’s mind some years ago. But nowadays this brand rapidly develops and attracts more and more audience. Lately, the Norwegian National women’s football team occupies the leading positions on the European fields and their experience could be borrowed as an example for the Murmansk regional girls’ football team development. Today there are already two groups for girls aged 9-10 which can potentially represent the sport image of Russia on different level tournaments in the nearest future.
Especially Norway has shown the European community what women can do when highly motivated for the better results. Norway women's national football team made of ladies with some background in their ordinary lives marked themselves as one of the better football players in Europe. These are independent women with self-esteem and courage to be first and win in any ways. Their experience may be taken as a bright example of how women gain better results.
The first mutual project stage is expected to begin in October 2011 when preparatory work by the parties is over. Two teams of boys together with some coaches are welcomed in Kirkenes to train together and play a series of warm-up matches with their Norwegian colleagues. Finally, the partners hope to organize the national championship between Norway and Russia in Murmansk.