Uefa Women's Euro 2017 Final Tournament Pre-Tournament Press Kit
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UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2017 FINAL TOURNAMENT PRE-TOURNAMENT PRESS KIT UEFA WOMEN'S EURO OFFICIAL SPONSORS Background 2 Team profiles 4 UEFA Women's EURO 2017 venues 36 UEFA Women's EURO qualifying 37 UEFA Women's EURO match schedule 46 UEFA Women's EURO All-time finals 47 Facts & figures 49 Legend 52 1 UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2017 – PRE-TOURNAMENT PRESS KIT Background Useful links 1. UEFA Women's EURO 2017 http://www.uefa.com/womenseuro/index.html 2. Women's Football http://www.uefa.org/football-development/womens-football/index.html 3. Women's Football Development http://www.uefa.org/football-development/womens-football/programme/index.html 4. Women's Football Development Programme for Europe's national associations http://www.uefa.org/football- development/womens-football/news/newsid=2414224.html 5. Competitions http://www.uefa.org/football-development/womens-football/competitions/index.html 6. Women's Football Development Ambassadors http://www.uefa.org/football-development/womens- football/womens- ambassadors/index.html 7. Together #WePlayStrong http://www.weplaystrong.org/ UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin: "Another important step in the development of women's football will be taken this summer in the Netherlands. For the first time, 16 teams will contest the Women's EURO, giving the tournament an exciting new dimension. I would like to thank the Royal Netherlands Football Association, the KNVB, for their hard work, dedication, enthusiasm and cooperation in preparing the tournament. They have laid excellent foundations for a truly wonderful event, which will feature many of the best female players in Europe." KNVB president, Michael van Praag: "We in the Netherlands will do everything to make sure that UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 is a unique experience for the teams and fans." UEFA Women's EURO 2017 social media: Twitter: UEFAWomensEURO Facebook: @uefawomenseuro Hashtag: #WEURO2017 Together #WePlayStrong social media: Twitter: @WePlayStrong_ Facebook: facebook.com/WePlayStrong/ Instagram: instagram.com/weplaystrong/ UEFA Corporate social media: Twitter: @UEFA Facebook: @UEFA Instagram: uefa_official UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2017 – PRE-TOURNAMENT PRESS KIT UEFA launches Together #WePlayStrong UEFA has launched a ground-breaking initiative, aimed at transforming perceptions of women's football and encouraging girls to take up and continue playing the game. This new initiative will see UEFA working closely with its 55 member associations in order to ensure that football is the number one sport for women across Europe by 2020. Geared primarily towards girls between the ages of 13 and 17, the campaign is founded upon the results of research conducted by the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, which has investigated the psychological, physical and emotional benefits for girls playing football. This research showed that playing football can significantly boost confidence, happiness and self-image – helping young girls make friends and learn vital life skills. The majority of girls who took part in the research felt that being part of a team made them stronger, and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing together. Whatever the outcome of their matches, it was the shared experience that they valued, rather than winning. A crucial aim of Together #WePlayStrong is to make teenage girls aware that football is also a game for girls, while highlighting the benefits to them of playing the sport, and pointing the way to grassroots opportunities in their area. The initiative is backed by UEFA's 55 member associations, as well as a number of celebrity supporters from the worlds of sport, entertainment and music. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin hailed the initiative. "Increasing the participation and the role of women in football has been one of my main objectives, both before and after I became UEFA President," he said. "We need to change attitudes about women's football, and give women of all ages more encouragement and opportunities to play. The women's game has so much potential, and I believe the Together #WePlayStrong movement can be a driving force across our 55 national associations to achieve this." The initiative was also heralded by UEFA women's football advisor Nadine Kessler, 2014 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year and UEFA Best Women's Player in Europe: "Whether you are playing at the UEFA Women's EURO or in the park with friends," she said, "football has the potential to give you so many positive things in life. It teaches you about being part of a team and the need to show respect to both your team-mates and your opponents. "The Together #WePlayStrong campaign can change perceptions and make it cool for teenage girls to play football. If we manage to achieve this, we will be on our way to reaching our goal of making football the number one sport for girls around Europe." The campaign also has the backing of the European Commission, with commissioner for sport Tibor Navracsics adding that it will give a welcome boost to women's football. "Football is so much more than a game," he said. "It promotes social inclusion and has the ability to transcend race, religion and gender. "UEFA and the European Commission share a number of common objectives and I am delighted that European football's governing body has embarked on Together #WePlayStrong, which is touching on an area that has been neglected for too long. I hope this will encourage more girls and women to #BeActive!" Get involved with Together #WePlayStrong • Website: WePlayStrong.org • Twitter: @WePlayStrong_ • Facebook: facebook.com/WePlayStrong/ • Instagram: instagram.com/weplaystrong/ • YouTube: youtube.com/user/UEFA UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2017 – PRE-TOURNAMENT PRESS KIT Netherlands Netherlands - Team profile EURO 2013: Group stage EURO best: Semi-finals (2009) How they qualified: Automatically as hosts Coach: Sarina Wiegman One to watch: Vivianne Miedema (forward, Arsenal) What to watch out for: Having made their breakthrough as the steely defensive side that reached the EURO semi- finals on debut under Vera Pauw, the Netherlands have become a team more in the classic Dutch mould under first Roger Reijners, Arjan van der Laan, and since December Sarina Wiegman. With Reijners still in charge, they earned a FIFA Women's World Cup bow in 2015, narrowly losing to eventual runners-up Japan in the last 16. With no qualification duties this time, they have kept themselves busy with 11 friendlies in 2017 alone. The retirement of forward Manon Melis has put the spotlight even more firmly on Miedema, whose goals – with the youngster fresh from winning the 2014 WU19 EURO – propelled the Netherlands to the World Cup. UEFA Women's EURO record Pld W D L GF GA Overall 85 38 19 28 131 84 Final tournament 16 4 3 9 10 20 Qualifying 69 34 16 19 121 64 UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2017 – PRE-TOURNAMENT PRESS KIT Netherlands – squad list Current season Overall Qual. FT WEURO No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Sari van Veenendaal 03/04/1990 27 Arsenal - 0 0 0 0 - - 16 Angela Christ 06/03/1989 28 PSV - 0 0 0 0 - - 23 Loes Geurts 12/01/1986 31 unattached - 0 0 0 0 26 - Defenders 2 Desiree van Lunteren 30/12/1992 24 Ajax - 0 0 0 0 - - Stephanie van der 3 16/08/1992 24 Ajax - 0 0 0 0 - - Gragt 4 Mandy van den Berg 26/08/1990 26 Reading - 0 0 0 0 8 1 5 Kika van Es 11/10/1991 25 Twente - 0 0 0 0 - - 6 Anouk Dekker 15/11/1986 30 Montpellier - 0 0 0 0 2 - 17 Kelly Zeeman 19/11/1993 23 Ajax - 0 0 0 0 - - 20 Dominique Janssen 17/01/1995 22 Arsenal - 0 0 0 0 - - 22 Liza van der Most 08/10/1993 23 Ajax - 0 0 0 0 - - Midfielders 8 Sherida Spitse 29/05/1990 27 Twente - 0 0 0 0 21 1 10 Danielle van de Donk 05/08/1991 25 Arsenal - 0 0 0 0 5 1 11 Lieke Martens 16/12/1992 24 Rosengård - 0 0 0 0 11 1 12 Jill Roord 22/04/1997 20 Bayern - 0 0 0 0 - - 14 Jackie Groenen 17/12/1994 22 Frankfurt - 0 0 0 0 - - 15 Sisca Folkertsma 21/05/1997 20 Ajax - 0 0 0 0 - - 19 Sheila van den Bulk 06/04/1989 28 Djurgården - 0 0 0 0 - - Forwards Shanice van de 7 02/10/1992 24 Liverpool - 0 0 0 0 1 - Sanden 9 Vivianne Miedema 15/07/1996 21 Arsenal - 0 0 0 0 - - 13 Renate Jansen 07/12/1990 26 Twente - 0 0 0 0 - - 18 Vanity Lewerissa 01/04/1991 26 PSV - 0 0 0 0 - - 21 Lineth Beerensteyn 11/10/1996 20 Bayern - 0 0 0 0 - - Coach - Sarina Wiegman 26/10/1969 47 - 0 0 0 0 - - UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2017 – PRE-TOURNAMENT PRESS KIT Norway Norway - Team profile EURO 2013: Runners-up EURO best: Winners (1987, 1993) How they qualified: Group 8 winners, W7 D1 L0 F29 A2 Pts22 Coach: Martin Sjögren One to watch: Ada Hegerberg (forward, Lyon) What to watch out for: In men's football they talk of Germany as a 'tournament team' but in the female game Norway have a claim to that title. They have exceeded expectations at the last three EUROs, getting to two finals and the 2009 last four, despite not possessing a squad to match their 1995 world champions or 2000 Olympic gold medallists. Just like four years ago, they have qualified only to then change coach – this time Roger Finjord departed, the assistant to Even Pellerud up until summer 2015 citing the commute to Oslo from his home in northern Norway as the cause.