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On Thursday the Germany women's national team open their UEFA EURO 2013 campaign in Sweden against the Netherlands. The team coached by Silvia Neid are going in search of their eighth European Championship triumph. Naturally enough, DFB director of women's and girls’ football Steffi Jones is thoroughly looking forward to the tournament.
The 40-year-old won the European crown with Germany in 1997, 2001 and 2005. In the DFB.de interview of the week, the woman capped 111 times by her country spoke to Thomas Hackbarth about the challenge facing Germany, the loss of key individuals to injury, the talented youngsters called up as replacements, the favourites for the EURO in Sweden, and the future of women's football in Germany.
DFB.de: Steffi Jones, according to a poll in kicker magazine, 39% of readers think Germany will fail to retain the European title, with only 33% thinking it can be done. Are you surprised by this pessimism?
Steffi Jones: Some well-known players have had to withdraw. Germany will have an average age of just under 23. Replacements such as Leonie Maier were very convincing in pre-tournament friendlies, but kicker’s well-informed readership knows that younger players can blow hot and cold at a tournament. Anything could happen.
DFB.de: Germany are without Bresonik, Kulig, Peter, Popp, Faißt and Odebrecht. Which loss hurts the most?
Jones: All the players are important, and the six you've mentioned were key personalities in their positions. On the plus side, it means the up-and-coming youngsters will be quickly bedded in.
DFB.de: Which young players could step into the spotlight?
Jones: I'm a huge fan of Dzsenifer Marozsan, because she combines so many positive attributes. She's inventive, she plays decisive passes, she's always composed in possession, and she has an elegant touch on the ball. She always has good ideas, she's one of our most creative players. But we shouldn't make the mistake of loading everything onto one pair of shoulders. Leonie Maier is receiving all the attention at the moment, but let's be honest: she's only 20 and has nine caps. We should tone it down a bit.
DFB.de: Did you enjoy the 4-2 victory over world champions Japan?
Jones: Very much. We passed the ball extremely well, and as always we were very committed. We were convincing in attack, we expressed ourselves and took some risks. There’s a spine to the team, with Nadine Angerer, Saskia Bartusiak, Lena Goeßling and up front Celia Okoyino da Mbabi, although Nadine Keßler was outstanding as well. The losses to injury have obviously boosted team spirit. Simone Laudehr came off the bench and immediately made her mark. Melanie Behringer and Bianca Schmidt are still there in reserve, and Lira Bajramaj came on as a sub. We have strength in depth despite the absentees, and there's very healthy competition for places.
DFB.de: Only two of the top five teams in the world come from Europe. Where does the Women's EURO in Sweden rank as a tournament?
Jones: It still has a very high standing. Especially in Europe, the other associations are on the move, with increasing investment in youth development in England, France and Scandinavia.
DFB.de: Who are favourites to win the EURO?
Jones: Hosts Sweden, France and us. England have an outside chance.
DFB.de: The Swedes are coached by Pia Sundhage, FIFA’s World Coach of the Year in 2012.
Jones: She's a strong-willed and quite authoritarian coach, something you don't suspect at first, because Pia laughs a lot, and once sang Simon and Garfunkel's “Feeling Groovy" at a press conference. But once she gets to work, she's strict and focused. It's a good blend. Pia Sundhage is one reason Sweden are such dangerous opponents.
DFB.de: You contested four European Championships, and won the trophy three times. You were also named best defender of the tournament in Norway back in 1997. Was that your best tournament?
Jones: It was certainly when I made the breakthrough in the national team. I was extremely proud to represent Germany at a European Championship. I was named player of the match in three, or it might even have been four of our five matches, and then I won the accolade as best defender at the tournament.
DFB.de: The average attendance for the Women's Bundesliga has slipped back below the 1,000 mark again, and this after 18 million viewers watched the 2011 Women's World Cup on TV. Has women's football entered a recession?
Jones: Women's football always has to overcome dips in popularity. Not being at the 2012 Olympics hurt us, because tournaments like that give women's football a big boost. But we've just had more than 46,000 spectators for the Japan international in Munich, and not everyone thought we'd manage that. We at the DFB, the regional associations and the Bundesliga must keep working together and help the women's game make progress. 2011 was an exception, because it's all mainly down to daily effort.
DFB.de: Is it possible the women's Bundesliga lacks quality, at least in a broad sense?
Jones: No, it's not as simple as that. There are a lot of interdependent factors. The TV companies are put off by the small crowds, and by some of the clubs not having suitable infrastructure for TV, but the sponsors demand more TV coverage. Compared to when I was playing, the game is much faster and more attractive, and the structures and overall environment are much better now. But sweeping statements don't help us very much. All you can do is aim for new highlights over and over again. Work at the core level, especially the local level, brings us forward. The players need to show off their charisma and personality. And we also have to keep things in perspective. Women's football has grown enormously in popularity over the last 20 years. It's considered completely normal for girls to play football nowadays. At the DFB, we set up a separate directorate for women's football, which to the best of my knowledge, no other association in Europe has done. And just look at how much women's football makes it onto TV compared with other women's team sports. If you keep things in perspective, we've achieved a huge amount.
DFB.de: How important would winning the trophy in Sweden be?
Jones: I won't beat around the bush: winning the trophy would give the women's game another unbelievable boost, although the account we give of ourselves is important too. And I'm awarding top marks for the pre-tournament phase.
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On Thursday the Germany women's national team open their UEFA EURO 2013 campaign in Sweden against the Netherlands. The team coached by Silvia Neid are going in search of their eighth European Championship triumph. Naturally enough, DFB director of women's and girls’ football Steffi Jones is thoroughly looking forward to the tournament.
The 40-year-old won the European crown with Germany in 1997, 2001 and 2005. In the DFB.de interview of the week, the woman capped 111 times by her country spoke to Thomas Hackbarth about the challenge facing Germany, the loss of key individuals to injury, the talented youngsters called up as replacements, the favourites for the EURO in Sweden, and the future of women's football in Germany.
DFB.de: Steffi Jones, according to a poll in kicker magazine, 39% of readers think Germany will fail to retain the European title, with only 33% thinking it can be done. Are you surprised by this pessimism?
Steffi Jones: Some well-known players have had to withdraw. Germany will have an average age of just under 23. Replacements such as Leonie Maier were very convincing in pre-tournament friendlies, but kicker’s well-informed readership knows that younger players can blow hot and cold at a tournament. Anything could happen.
DFB.de: Germany are without Bresonik, Kulig, Peter, Popp, Faißt and Odebrecht. Which loss hurts the most?
Jones: All the players are important, and the six you've mentioned were key personalities in their positions. On the plus side, it means the up-and-coming youngsters will be quickly bedded in.
DFB.de: Which young players could step into the spotlight?
Jones: I'm a huge fan of Dzsenifer Marozsan, because she combines so many positive attributes. She's inventive, she plays decisive passes, she's always composed in possession, and she has an elegant touch on the ball. She always has good ideas, she's one of our most creative players. But we shouldn't make the mistake of loading everything onto one pair of shoulders. Leonie Maier is receiving all the attention at the moment, but let's be honest: she's only 20 and has nine caps. We should tone it down a bit.
DFB.de: Did you enjoy the 4-2 victory over world champions Japan?
Jones: Very much. We passed the ball extremely well, and as always we were very committed. We were convincing in attack, we expressed ourselves and took some risks. There’s a spine to the team, with Nadine Angerer, Saskia Bartusiak, Lena Goeßling and up front Celia Okoyino da Mbabi, although Nadine Keßler was outstanding as well. The losses to injury have obviously boosted team spirit. Simone Laudehr came off the bench and immediately made her mark. Melanie Behringer and Bianca Schmidt are still there in reserve, and Lira Bajramaj came on as a sub. We have strength in depth despite the absentees, and there's very healthy competition for places.
DFB.de: Only two of the top five teams in the world come from Europe. Where does the Women's EURO in Sweden rank as a tournament?
Jones: It still has a very high standing. Especially in Europe, the other associations are on the move, with increasing investment in youth development in England, France and Scandinavia.
DFB.de: Who are favourites to win the EURO?
Jones: Hosts Sweden, France and us. England have an outside chance.
DFB.de: The Swedes are coached by Pia Sundhage, FIFA’s World Coach of the Year in 2012.
Jones: She's a strong-willed and quite authoritarian coach, something you don't suspect at first, because Pia laughs a lot, and once sang Simon and Garfunkel's “Feeling Groovy" at a press conference. But once she gets to work, she's strict and focused. It's a good blend. Pia Sundhage is one reason Sweden are such dangerous opponents.
DFB.de: You contested four European Championships, and won the trophy three times. You were also named best defender of the tournament in Norway back in 1997. Was that your best tournament?
Jones: It was certainly when I made the breakthrough in the national team. I was extremely proud to represent Germany at a European Championship. I was named player of the match in three, or it might even have been four of our five matches, and then I won the accolade as best defender at the tournament.
DFB.de: The average attendance for the Women's Bundesliga has slipped back below the 1,000 mark again, and this after 18 million viewers watched the 2011 Women's World Cup on TV. Has women's football entered a recession?
Jones: Women's football always has to overcome dips in popularity. Not being at the 2012 Olympics hurt us, because tournaments like that give women's football a big boost. But we've just had more than 46,000 spectators for the Japan international in Munich, and not everyone thought we'd manage that. We at the DFB, the regional associations and the Bundesliga must keep working together and help the women's game make progress. 2011 was an exception, because it's all mainly down to daily effort.
DFB.de: Is it possible the women's Bundesliga lacks quality, at least in a broad sense?
Jones: No, it's not as simple as that. There are a lot of interdependent factors. The TV companies are put off by the small crowds, and by some of the clubs not having suitable infrastructure for TV, but the sponsors demand more TV coverage. Compared to when I was playing, the game is much faster and more attractive, and the structures and overall environment are much better now. But sweeping statements don't help us very much. All you can do is aim for new highlights over and over again. Work at the core level, especially the local level, brings us forward. The players need to show off their charisma and personality. And we also have to keep things in perspective. Women's football has grown enormously in popularity over the last 20 years. It's considered completely normal for girls to play football nowadays. At the DFB, we set up a separate directorate for women's football, which to the best of my knowledge, no other association in Europe has done. And just look at how much women's football makes it onto TV compared with other women's team sports. If you keep things in perspective, we've achieved a huge amount.
DFB.de: How important would winning the trophy in Sweden be?
Jones: I won't beat around the bush: winning the trophy would give the women's game another unbelievable boost, although the account we give of ourselves is important too. And I'm awarding top marks for the pre-tournament phase.
