German Soccer Women Upstaging the Men

For the past four years, the most successful national soccer team in Germany has won the European Championship and the World Cup. It boasts the game's leading scorer and two-time FIFA world player of the year. And now it finds itself on the cusp of winning yet another title.

The women's national team success in the past few years is something Michael Ballack, Oliver Kahn and co. can only dream about. Aside from the surprise second place showing at the last World Cup, the men's squad have had been mired in mediocrity since winning the European Championships in 1998.

The women, on the other hand, have risen to challenge the United States as the premier women's soccer side in the world. Led by striker Birgit Prinz, who two weeks ago became Germany's all time scoring leader, the German women have been routinely crushing the opposition at the 2005 European Championships Tournament in England over the past two weeks.

German women steamroll into final

On June 19, Tina Theune-Meyer's team will take on Norway in the final of the tournament. Up until now, Germany had beaten its opening round opponents of France, Italy and Norway by an aggregate score of 8-0. In the semi-final against Finland, they won 4-1. And Theune-Meyer had only one criticism.

"I wanted us to go the whole tournament without letting one in," she said. "Those things happen."

Led by a young attack of Inka Grings and Conny Pohlers, both of whom have scored three goals apiece in the tournament, Germany has not had to rely on the game-turning abilities of Prinz too often. Norway, on the other hand, has made a hard-fought trip into the finals, beating Sweden 3-2 on an extra time goal in a thrilling semi-final on Thursday. The Norwegians say they are ready for Germany.

"We only have two days of rest to prepare to play the best team in the world," said Coach Bjaren Berntsen. "Although we will not use tiredness as an excuse."

Soccer, a full time job

Germany's dominance in England is merely a confirmation of their status as world-beaters in their sport. And Theune-Meyer said sponsors are beginning to notice.

"They identify themselves with the attributes that make up women's soccer: sassy, open and likeable," she told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung ahead of the tournament. "The players, through the live game coverage, have gotten popular… for many players, soccer is a full-time job."

In contrast to the US, where a successful, but short-lived women's league folded in 2004, Germany's women's soccer league has slowly evolved into an established player on the German sporting scene. Aided by the success of Prinz (photo) and company, women's soccer is also one of the country's fastest growing sports. In 1994, the German Football Federation registered around 600,000 female players on 4,000 teams. A decade later, the numbers have risen to 800,000 women playing on nearly 7,000 teams.

Global acceptance?

The fever is starting to get contagious. The popular British movie "Bend it Like Beckham," about two women and their love for soccer scored big in the UK and the rest of Europe. A record 29,000 spectators showed up in Manchester to watch England beat Finland in the opening match of this year's tournament.

But for all its progress, the sport continues to struggle for the right kind of acceptance among some men, as illustrated by the president of UEFA, European soccer's governing body. Asked his thoughts on the future of women's soccer, Lennart Johansson gave this response:

"I think women's football should turn to the sponsors," he said. "There are so many companies who could make use of the fact that if you see a girl playing on the ground, sweaty, with the rainy weather and coming out of the dressing-room, lovely-looking, that would sell."