Great Britain women's Olympic football team

Great Britain
Association The FA
Head coach Hope Powell[1]
Captain None appointed
FIFA code N/A

The Great Britain women's Olympic football team (also known as Team GB; or occasionally Great Britain and Northern Ireland) represents the United Kingdom in the women's football tournament at the Olympic Games. There is normally no team representing the United Kingdom at women's football: separate teams compete for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. With the 2012 Summer Olympics scheduled to take place in London, an Olympic football team will be created to take the automatic qualifying place of the hosts.[2] Following an agreement between the British Olympic Association (BOA) and The Football Association (FA), which operates the England team, the FA will select the British team, which may include players from across the United Kingdom.[3]

Contents

Background

When the world's first football association, FA, was formed in 1863, its geographical remit was not clear: there was no specification of whether it covered just England, the entire UK or even the entire world. The question was answered when the Scottish Football Association (SFA) was founded in 1873. The third national football association, the Football Association of Wales was founded in 1876 and a fourth, the Irish Football Association, (IFA), was founded in 1880. Football therefore developed with separate national teams representing separate associations for each of the countries of the United Kingdom and no 'United Kingdom football association' was ever formed. Whilst a team selected by the FA, sometimes including players from outside of England, [4] did represent the UK at men's Olympic football between 1908 and 1972, the UK had stopped entering teams into the Olympic football tournament by the time of the first women's football competition at the 1996 Games.

London 2012

Due to London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the United Kingdom had the right to enter a team in the football tournament as host nation. The British Olympic Association stated it would enter a football team,[5] but the Scottish Football Association refused even to attend meetings at which the Home Nations were to discuss the possibility[6] and the Football Association of Wales withdrew from the negotiations.[7] In October 2007 the Irish Football Association (the association for Northern Ireland) also announced that they would not take part in a unified team, leaving the English FA as the only association willing to take part. It was reported that the other associations feared the loss of their privileged voting position within the International Football Association Board.[8][9]

Having reached the quarter-finals of the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, England qualified for the Olympic tournament, as they had in 1996. However, they were unable to take their place at the 2008 Games in Beijing after the national football associations failed to reach an agreement on whether they could play.[10][11] They were replaced in the tournament by Sweden. Nevertheless, the BOA decided that a women's team would compete in London 2012.

Following an initial announcement in May 2009 of a compromise, in which the FA would select a team of only English players to compete at London,[12] an FA statement in June 2011 claimed that after discussions with all British football associations and the BOA that they would enter a team selected from across the United Kingdom.[3] Although the announcement angered the other British football associations, who claimed not to have been consulted on the decision, the Scottish FA admitted that it would have no grounds for preventing Scottish players from competing in the team.[13] In November 2011 the Professional Footballers' Association had to warn the Scottish, Welsh and Irish FA's against trying to "intimidate" players into not taking part.[14]

In June 2011 Arsenal Ladies striker Julie Fleeting, Scotland's record goalscorer, ruled herself out of contention. She concurred with the opinion of her father Jim—the Scottish FA's director of football development—that participation may "jeopardise" the Scottish national team.[15] Fleeting's team mate for club and country Kim Little took the opposite view: "I don't see why anyone would want to stop a player from playing at a massive tournament like the Olympics, it's the biggest sporting event ever. If I get the opportunity I'll grab it with both hands – I would definitely play."[8] Fellow Scots Rachel Corsie and Jennifer Beattie also expressed interest,[16] as well as Everton's Welsh winger Gwennan Harries.[17]

In October 2011 Hope Powell was appointed head coach of the women's team.[1]

Forthcoming Fixtures

Great Britain are expected to play two friendlies prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics football tournament. [18] These matches must not take place at venues which will be used during the Olympics tournament. Villa Park in Birmingham has been suggested as a likely venue, [19] with the both friendlies taking place as part of a 'double-header' with matches from the men's Olympic team. [18]

During the Olympic tournament, Great Britain will compete at the following times and venues:

Olympic record

Olympics Record
Year Round Position GP W D L GS GA
1896 – 1992 No women's football tournament
1996 – 2008 Did Not Enter
2012 Qualified - - - - - - -
Total 0/4 - - - - - -

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b "Stuart Pearce and Hope Powell to lead GB Olympic teams". BBC Sport. 20 October 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/15382675.stm. Retrieved 20 October 2011. 
  2. ^ Team GB Olympic football deal angers nations BBC Sport. 21-06-11. Accessed 17-07-11
  3. ^ a b Team GB decision reached The FA. 21-06-11. Accessed 17-07-11
  4. ^ Modest Hopes of British XI at Melbourne The Times; 15 November 1956; Subscription
  5. ^ 'GB football team to enter Games', BBC Sport, 30 September 2006.
  6. ^ No Scots for GB Olympic football, BBC Sport, 11 November 2005.
  7. ^ Wales oppose GB Olympic football, BBC Sport, 6 December 2005.
  8. ^ a b Tony Leighton (4 September 2011). "Scotland's Kim Little wants to play for Great Britain at 2012 Olympics". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/sep/04/kim-little-great-britain-olympics. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  9. ^ Jere Longman and Sarah Lyall (18 September 2011). "A British Soccer Team? What’s That? Say Scots, Welsh and Irish". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/sports/soccer/even-for-olympic-soccer-uniting-britain-may-be-tough.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  10. ^ Caborn blasts women's Games snub, BBC Sport, 4 December 2007.
  11. ^ British Olympic Association's political own goal Mott, Sue. The Daily Telegraph. 18-12-07. Accessed 17-07-11
  12. ^ Nations pave way for 2012 GB team, BBC Sport, 29 May 2009.
  13. ^ "Great Britain Olympic football team agreement close". BBC Sport. 19 June 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/london_2012/13830342.stm. Retrieved 20 June 2011. 
  14. ^ "PFA warns against Olympic player 'intimidation'". BBC Sport. 11 November 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15692920.stm. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  15. ^ "Scotland's Julie Fleeting turns her back on Team GB for London 2012". The Guardian. 24 June 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jun/24/scotland-julie-fleeting-team-gb-olympics-2012. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  16. ^ "Glasgow City captain Rachel Corsie would accept Team GB call". BBC Sport. 15 October 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15321504.stm. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  17. ^ "FAW's Olympic stance frustrates Gwennan Harries". BBC Sport. 15 February 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/9397872.stm. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  18. ^ a b London 2012: FA ponders Team GB Olympic celebration games BBC Sport. 26-10-11. Accessed 10-11-11
  19. ^ Team GB plan pre-Olympic friendlies in Birmingham 27-10-11. The Independent. Accessed 10-11-11