Free Kick - Issue 2

ISSUE CONCACAF.com

2

DECEMBER

WHAT’S INSIDE CONCACAF HOSTED SUCCESSFUL SPORTS SUMMIT PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

ON THE FIELD

SPORT DEVELOPMENT

APPOINTMENTS

• CONCACAF at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil • CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship • Women’s U-20 Championship draw held in Cayman • FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013

• CFU, MLS ink partnership agreement • FIFA Grassroots Community Seminar • FIFA, CONCACAF Development Seminar • Sint Maarten continues advancing

• Bien-Aime appointed to CONCACAF Executive Committee • New Director of Sports Integrity

CONCACAF HOSTED SUCCESSFUL SPORTS SUMMIT October 21-22 THE FIRST CONCACAF SPORTS SUMMIT “Transformation through Partnership”, in Cayman Islands brought together over 350 guests including global figures and government and football officials, representing over 41 different countries, to discuss the importance of partnership between governments and football federations.

President Webb kicked off the Summit with a reminder of the growth of the game.

He highlighted the rising number of people playing the game, with 43 million players at various levels in the CONCACAF region.

SPORTS SUMMIT KEY MOMENTS • The central theme of transformation was superbly captured by the opening gala dinner’s keynote speaker from South Africa, Tokyo Sexwale.

Sexwale told of his time as a political prisoner in an isolation cell on Robben Island, where he was held along with Nelson Mandela and other leading figures in the struggle against the country’s apartheid regime.

Sexwale recounted how he and other prisoners kept their spirits up by playing football inside the notorious jail and even formed their own football association.

• FIFA President Sepp Blatter gave a passionate description of ‘The Power of Football’ in a keynote speech. Blatter said it was important to understand the precise character of the game’s impact.

• A key element of the summit was the involvement of governments from across the CONCACAF region and The Most Honorable Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica, addressed delegates about ‘Sport and Country’.

• CONCACAF’s federations got insight into the workings of two of the most successful professional leagues with Nic Coward, General Secretary of the English Premier League and Don Garber, Commissioner of Major League Soccer.

• The women’s game is essential to CONCACAF’s plans for growth and development and Victor Montagliani, President of the Canadian Soccer Association, described exciting plans for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Canada in 2015.

• Former players from the region provided their perspectives including ex-Manchester United and Trinidad and Tobago striker Dwight Yorke and former United States national team forward Cobi Jones and former Honduras national team forward Carlos Pavon.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

FACTS AND FIGURES • CONCACAF has more women players per capita than any region in the world with 23% of the 26 million female players world-wide playing in the CONCACAF region.

• Mexico’s Liga MX is the fourth league in the world in terms of attendance.

• Major League Soccer is also part of the top ten leagues in the world in terms of average attendance.

We are close to the end of 2013 which has been a milestone year for our Confederation. There is no doubt that we have grown further and made significant progress in key areas. All of our stakeholders have been a central part of this success and I am really grateful for all the support and trust that I have felt throughout this year.

Over the past 12 months, through this joint effort, we have celebrated impressive triumphs including a wonderful Gold Cup, the first CONCACAF Under-15 Championship, the launch of educational programmes inclusive of the D- License coaching courses and Referee training courses and the establishment of strategic development and commercial partnerships.

Our inaugural Sports Summit, which is highlighted in this issue, was a world-class event which brought together so many major figures from the world of sport and government together with CONCACAF’s members and stakeholders.

Now we must face the challenges of 2014 and continue improving our results. Next year presents an exciting panorama on the

field at both the regional and global level.

We kick off the year with the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship that will take place in the Cayman Islands in January.

In addition, CONCACAF is hosting all of FIFA’s Women’s Youth World Cup events in 2014, starting with the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica from March 15 to April 4, followed by the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada from August 5 to August 24.

We rely on our Member Associations and strategic partners to continue our mission of elevating football and developing the game in our region. We are certainly looking forward to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

This is sure to be an exciting event, as the four CONCACAF teams showcase the best of our game during this festival of football.

I hope you have a happy holiday season.

Jeffrey Webb President CONCACAF

“We rely on our Member Associations and strategic partners to continue our mission of elevating football.”

- President Jeffrey Webb

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ON THE FIELD ON THE FIELD WOMEN’S U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW HELD IN CAYMAN November 5 Two attractive four-team groups are set to battle it out for the right to play in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Canada next year.

The eleven-day football festival will be disputed in the Cayman Islands, January 9-19, 2014 Cayman Islands -- seeded into Group B -- will kick off against Mexico, while defending CONCACAF women’s under-20 champion United States – seeded in Group A – opens against Costa Rica. Jamaica and Guatemala kick off tournament action on January 9, while Trinidad & Tobago and Honduras round out

Group B, which begins play the next day.

The two groups of four teams drawn will participate in round-robin play over the competition’s first six match days. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the semifinals, to be played on Friday, January 17. The semifinal winners will dispute the final, and qualify directly to join host Canada in representing CONCACAF at the World Cup. The winner of the third place match also earns a coveted ticket to the World Cup.

CONCACAF will host all of FIFA’s Women’s World Cup events in 2014 and 2015, starting with the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica from March 15 to April 4, 2014, followed by the FIFA U-20

Women’s World Cup in Canada from August 5 to August 24, 2014 and culminating with the FIFA Women’s World Cup from June 6 to July 5, 2015.

CONCACAF AT THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL Congratulations to the national teams of Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and U.S. that qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.

After a memorable and intensive qualification campaign, we now have four teams representing the best of our football at the 20th edition of the most important global competition.

Mexico reached Brazil after winning their Intercontinental Playoff against New Zealand with a 5-1 victory at the Azteca Stadium on November 13 and a 4-2 win in the return leg in Wellington a week later.

FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP UAE 2013 November 5 The Mexican team reached the final of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. Even though they lost to the Nigerians, 3-0, the Mexican team showed tremendous talent and ability as well as passion for the game.

Mexico’s outstanding results in the United Arab Emirates can be an inspiration to teams of all nations in CONCACAF as they look to achieve similar success in upcoming tournaments.

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GROUP A

GROUP B

GROUP C

GROUP D

BRAZIL

SPAIN

COLOMBIA

URUGUAY

CROATIA

NETHERLANDS

GREECE

COSTA RICA

MEXICO

CHILE

CÔTE D’IVOIRE

ENGLAND

CAMEROON

AUSTRALIA

JAPAN

ITALY

GROUP E

GROUP F

GROUP G

GROUP H

SWITZERLAND

ARGENTINA

GERMANY

BELGIUM

ECUADOR

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

PORTUGAL

ALGERIA

FRANCE

IRAN

GHANA

RUSSIA

HONDURAS

NIGERIA

USA

KOREA REPUBLIC

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CONCACAF WOMEN’S U-17 CHAMPIONSHIP November 9 The 2013 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship Jamaica, concluded with Mexico overcoming Canada 4-2 on penalty kicks, following a scoreless draw, in the final. Mexico outlasted Canada 4-2 on penalty kicks, following a hard-fought scoreless draw at Catherine Hall Stadium, to capture its first CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship title.

AWARDS GOLDEN BALL Jessie Fleming (Center Midfield, Canada)

GOLDEN BOOT Marie-Mychele Metivier (Forward, Canada)

GOLDEN GLOVE Rylee Foster (Goalkeeper, Canada)

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CONCACAF PRESIDENT HONOURED

SPORT DEVELOPMENT October 21 The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) named Webb first recipient of the “Protect the Goal” Award for the Diaspora.

The announcement was made by Dr. Djibril Diallo, Senior Adviser to the Executive Director of UNAIDS at the Sports Summit 2013. Webb was honored with the recognition award for his exceptional work in utilizing sport to advocate for social development.

The “Protect the Goal” campaign aims to raise awareness of HIV and mobilize young people to commit to HIV prevention. The special award, which is being bestowed upon for the first time to an individual, highlights the value of football as a tool for social change and emphasizes the importance of social responsibility, particularly advocacy for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention through sport.

The “Protect the Goal” Award ceremony will take place on January 15, 2014, in Dakar, Senegal, at a gala event during the fourth Pan-African Youth Leadership Summit.

FIRST ANNUAL CONCACAF AWARDS December 2013 The CONCACAF awards, which will be presented for the first time in 2013 and will continue on an annual basis, have been designed to recognize the top players, coaches and referees in women’s and men’s soccer competing in events within the CONCACAF region.

These awards will honor players and achievements in CONCACAF-sanctioned tournaments and competitions involving the Confederation’s national teams at all levels, including FIFA World Cup qualifying for both genders, in all age categories. Performances also eligible for recognition include those achieved in professional club football

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SINT MAARTEN CONTINUES ADVANCING October 19 At the IV Sint Maarten Soccer Association (SMSA) General Membership Meeting, CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb and General Secretary Enrique Sanz voiced their pleasure with the progress the federation has made over the last few months.

Webb announced that CONCACAF will bring referee and coaching training courses to the island in the near future to support the federation in fulfilling its goals of development.

The SMSA membership reiterated its commitment to the game by re-electing the

incumbent leadership – President Owen Nickie, Vice President Elton Jones and General Secretary Terry Woods – to another term in office.

The CONCACAF delegation was escorted to the Raul IIidge Sports Complex, the recently renovated national football stadium. The venue has received more than US$5 million in government investment for improvements, including the installation of artificial turf and the construction of new locker rooms, as well as other enhancements.

FIFA, CONCACAF DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR October 21 With the aim of improving football development skills, Presidents, General Secretaries and Technical Directors from 24 CONCACAF member associations met in Cayman Islands to participate in a four-day FIFA Development Seminar.

FIFA’s Development Committee announced in September 2013 the implementation of new projects in St.

Vincent & the Grenadines (headquarters), Montserrat (technical centres and mini pitches) and Panama (technical centre). Five other CONCACAF member associations will become new beneficiaries of Performance - FIFA’s football management programme: Cuba, Cayman Islands, Guyana, Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago.

Facts and Figures Since 1999, an investment of USD 260 million has been made by FIFA in the CONCACAF area.

FIFA GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY SEMINAR October 30 - November 2 of grassroots football, activities organised leagues within the CONCACAF Member Associations, as well as the CONCACAF Champions League.

The semifinal lists can be found at CONCACAF.com. Fans, media and the coaches from the 41 Member Associations had the opportunity to vote.

Final votes in each of the six categories will be tallied by mid-December, with three finalists elected in each category. Winners will be announced by the end of the year, via www.CONCACAF.com In this first edition, over 54,000 votes were cast.

FIFA held a grassroots seminar in St. Lucia to discuss a wide-range of subjects including the current status and potential

by the government focused on grassroots football and its impact on social and educational development programmes.

CFU, MLS INK PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT November 14 The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and Major League Soccer (MLS) entered into a partnership to host an MLS/Caribbean Player Combine in 2014.

The announcement was made by Gordon Derrick, President of the CFU; Everton Gonsalves, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association; and Alfonso Mondelo, MLS Technical Director.

The four-day combine will take place January 2-5 at the Antigua Recreation Ground. It will feature elite-level players invited from the Caribbean, ages 18-21, who will compete in front of League scouts for an opportunity to earn an invitation to the annual Adidas MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, later that month.

CARIBBEAN PLAYER COMBINE January 2-5 at the Antigua Recreation Ground

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APPOINTMENTS NEW DIRECTOR OF SPORTS INTEGRITY October 18 In an effort to preserve and sustain the integrity of our game and as part of our commitment to transparency, we announced the appointment of Dr. Laila Mintas as Director of Sports Integrity.

In the new role, Dr. Mintas will oversee the design and implementation of systems and processes to prevent, detect, investigate, and respond to match-fixing issues within the CONCACAF region.

Dr. Mintas brings extensive experience in the field as she served as Head of Legal and International Development for FIFA’s Early Warning System (EWS) in Zurich, working

in close collaboration with the FIFA Security and Disciplinary Divisions in matters related to match manipulation.

BIEN-AIME APPOINTED TO CONCACAF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE November 9 The General Secretary of the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA), Sonia Bien-Aime, was appointed a member of the CONCACAF Executive Committee.

Her experience and unique perspective will be invaluable as both CONCACAF and FIFA continues to evolve.

Bien-Aime is also one of three women on FIFA’s Executive Committee - joining Lydia Nsekera, who was a co-opted member before being voted to the full 25-person committee at the same Congress, and Australia’s Moya Dodd.

Bien-Aime also serves as Deputy Chair of the Women’s Technical Committee and is a member of the Women’s Championship Committee at CONCACAF. Furthermore, she serves on four key standing committees at FIFA: Organizing Committee for the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women’s Committee

GROUP STAGE Thursday, January 9, 2014 Guatemala vs. Jamaica (4PM) United States vs. Costa Rica (7PM) Friday, January 10, 2014 Honduras vs. Trinidad & Tobago (4PM) Cayman Islands vs. Mexico (7PM) Saturday, January 11, 2014 Costa Rica vs. Guatemala (4PM) Jamaica vs. United States (7PM) Sunday, January 12, 2014 Mexico vs. Honduras (4PM) Cayman Islands vs. Trinidad & Tobago (7PM) Monday, January 13, 2014 Jamaica vs. Costa Rica (4PM) United States vs. Guatemala (7PM) Tuesday, January 14, 2014 Trinidad and Tobago vs. Mexico (4PM) Cayman Islands vs. Honduras (7PM) SEMI-FINALS Friday, January 17, 2014 Game 1 (4PM), Game 2 (7PM) THIRD PLACE Sunday, January 19, 2014 Match (4PM) FINAL Sunday, January 19, 2014 Match (7PM)

and FIFA Women’s World Cup, Organizing Committee for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup and is the Deputy Chairwoman of the Organizing Committee of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.

Games will be played in Truman Bodden Sports Complex

COMMITTEE MEETINGS November 8-9 - Jamaica Executive Committee Annual Retreat December 13 - Miami Executive Committee

UPCOMING EDITION IN FEBRUARY 2014 For additional information: visit www.concacaf.com

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