KICK IT UP! Shoots In The Right Direction At FIFA World Cup

Raise your hand if you’re a devoted American soccer fan. OK…one…two…three, that’s four of you. In the land of Super Bowl commercials and March Madness brackets, we seem to go against the grain. Soccer (or football, if you will) is the world’s most popular sport, and non-profit Global Girl Media is using the largest international soccer event to help 20 young women find their voices.
Global Girl Media’s aim is to nurture “the voice and self expression of young girls by linking them with seasoned broadcast and print journalists, documentary filmmakers, and digital media professionals, empowering girls internationally to speak out about the issues that affect them most,” according to the organization’s Web site. Global Girl Media’s pilot project ‘KICK IT UP!’ is seeking to train these women to report on the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  Trek to Soweto, South Africa, the host of the 2010 cup. According to FIFA.com, soccer in South Africa can be traced as far back as the 19th century with play by British troops stationed in the area.
With the first association having formed in 1882, it paved way for the likes of other club teams, such as the Rangers club, which existed for nearly 100 years.
The first national team to represent South Africa debuted in 1897 as it traveled to England under the name Orange Free Bantu Soccer. But, South Africa’s final international match before sporting isolation took place in 1954 in Israel.
The South African Soccer Federation led the campaign against segregated athletics and was supported in Paris in 1955 when the International Olympic Committee acknowledged the discrimination of ‘non-whites,’ according to FIFA’s Web site. From there, professional soccer was introduced to the nation as the National Football League, with large amounts of spectators into the 1970s.
Fast-forward to 1990 at the end of apartheid, as the country hosted its first international match at FIFA World Cup Italy, and in 1998 it qualified for the World Cup Finals in France and again in 2002 in Korea.
Here we are in 2010, and the World Cup is on South Africa’s own soil. Global Girl Media has selected the 20 young women for the project from the East Los Angeles area to report on the cup and other issues. A promotional video below gives insight to the numerous stories the women will tell, interviews with South African women, and also showcases an interview with ESPN sportscaster, former U.S. Women’s Soccer Captain and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Julie Foudy. Foudy is Global Girl Media’s spokesperson and Global Mentor, and will be covering the World Cup for ESPN.

“It gives these women the opportunity to become citizen journalists and leaders in their community,” Foudy said in the video. “When you’re holding the camera and you’re telling the stories that people typically are not hearing, because think of all the stories out there that never get told.”
“You’re providing insight into your community,” she continued.
A second promotional video shows a straight view into Global Girl Media Academy – Los Angeles.  “I want my voice to be heard,” the first young woman in the video said. “I think I have a lot of new ideas.  Each young woman discussed what they love about journalism and expressed their excitement for their upcoming travels.  “When it comes to the World Cup, [the world] just always seems to reunite,” another young woman in the academy, Suzanne Nunez, said in regards to covering the event.  “Leadership, for all these other young girls who want to do the same thing, you’re giving them confidence,” Foudy said.  And that’s just it. They’re each one of 20 – a very select group of the obvious many who probably applied in East L.A. So, what exactly awaits them in Soweto?
On June 11, first match is South Africa versus Mexico in Johannesburg’s Soccer City and later Uruguay versus France to finish off Group A at Green Point at Cape Town. According to bleacherreport.com, no host country has ever reached the round of 16, whereas Mexico has advanced to the round of 16 in the last four World Cup competitions.
Group B kicks off on June 12, with Argentina pitting against Nigeria at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and Korea Republic versus Greece at Nelson Mandela Bay.
The United States plays in Group C with its first match also on June 12 at Royal Bafokeng in Rustenberg against England. The rest of the group, Algeria versus Slovenia, will play the next day at Peter Mokaba in Polokwane. Bleacherreport.com predictions send England to the finals against Group G’s Brazil, which will play its first match on the 15th at Ellis Park against Korea DPR.
Group D pits Germany against Australia and Serbia against Ghana on the 13th at Durban and Loftus Versfeld at Tshwane/Pretoria, respectively. Germany took at third place finish at the 2006 World Cup and has a chance to repeat success, once again, this year.
Group E kicks off on Monday, June 14 with the Netherlands versus Denmark at Soccer City and Japan taking on Cameroon at Free State at Mangaung/Bloemfontein.
Group F pits Italy on Paraguay and New Zealand on Slovakia on the 14th and 15th with play in Cape Town and Rustenburg, respectively. Slovakia has qualified for the World Cup for the first time, a great draw for defending champion, Italy.
Group G continues play with Cote d’Ivoire against Portugal at Nelson Mandela Bay.
Group H plays on June 16. Honduras will kick off against Chile at Mbombela at Nelspruit and Spain will battle Switzerland at Durban. Spain boasts an exciting team, packed with professional stars.
Group matches continue through June 25, with the round of 16 June 26-29. Quarterfinals will be played after two days’ rest on July 2 and 3. The final round kicks off on July 10, with the final game on the 11th.
The Global Girl Media Academy members have a month of games to report on, and can help spread the word of whether or not bleacherreport.com’s predictions rein correct, and where Team USA will complete its puzzle.
Perhaps the World Cup will ignite a passion for soccer in the land of the free and the home of the brave, much so as the Italian win in 2006 inspired Italian pride throughout their own nation and ours.

Fanatchicks.com will be following the reports of these special girls through the end of the FIFA World Cup.  Soccer fans, this is your paradise!

NBA playoffs and baseball season aside, will you be following the World Cup this June?