By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup will bring out the best of women's football, German national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg said.
The tournament, which kicked off on Friday, will give proof of the rapid development of women's football, the 51-year-old commented in advance of Germany's curtain raiser against China this Saturday evening in Rennes.
The 125-cap former midfielder said excitement for fans couldn't be bigger, as up to eight teams are among the favorites. Voss-Tecklenburg is expecting the fastest women's football in history, and nail-biting games, "as many nations have gained experience and quality."
Taking over Germany last November, the coach demanded growing courage "in our game." The German World Cup squad is the fifth youngest among the 24 competitors, with an average age of 25 years and 10 months. Three players are under 20, and some still attend school or have just passed graduation, while several experienced performers have left the squad after being excluded by Voss-Tecklenburg.
15 of Germany's squad face their first major tournament on the international stage, after the 2016 Olympic champions had to go through hard times with the team's early exit at the 2017 European Championships.
12 years after the country's last World Cup victory, "things will change for the better if we deliver our best performance. Nothing less than that is necessary," Voss-Tecklenburg said.
To cross swords with China is far from a piece of cake, the German coach emphasized. "China is a well prepared, physically strong side. We need to be at our best to beat them."
The eight-time European champions are aiming to win their group and end up among the first three European teams, as this would mean qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games.
"A satisfying start is vital for the progress of the tournament," Voss-Tecklenburg underlined.
When it comes to self-confidence, Germany seems well prepared, as the ambitious squad attracted worldwide attention with a powerful campaign promoting women's football and hitting back against stereotypes.
A video advert received widespread praise for its thought-provoking message of female empowerment. Despite their success over the past decade, Germany's women's football still needs to fight against cliches.
"Since we started out, we haven't just fought against opponents, we fought against prejudice. But you know what? We don't have balls, but we know how to use them," the advert said.
It admits that not enough was invested in marketing the team, with much of the public not knowing who any of the players are. "We play for a nation that doesn't even know our names."
The video pokes fun at the fact that after the country's first title triumph in 1989 at the European Championship, the team didn't receive any monetary rewards but were given tea sets instead. It might just be a minor detail showing how far they have come, underlying an exhilarating point without taking themselves too seriously.
"Don't worry, you don't need to know who we are. You just need to know what we want. We want to play our own game to our own tune," the advert continues.
"I'm completely blown away by the ad. It was done with self-confidence, irony, a wink, and a clear message," the German coach said, adding the team is well aware of the support from millions of German fans.
The 2019 World Cup, she added, will help to receive the recognition women's football has been battling for for decades. The final message looks convincing enough: Women love football just as much as their male counterparts do.
