Brooking Says Olympics Will Be Bigger

Tony Leighton reports Sir Trevor Brooking’s view that a home Olympic Games in 2012 will do more for women’s football in England than the 2011 World Cup finals in Germany. The FA’s Director of Football Development, who watched Hope Powell’s side complete their 5-2 aggregate play-off win over Switzerland, calls the World Cup a big event but says the Olympics is the big one: on home soil, with players who are great role models, reaching the parents who do not realise football is now the biggest female sport in the country. Brooking warns that the platform created by two massive years is an opportunity that must not be squandered, and argues that qualification opens a door for players who have done well at younger age groups to gain tournament experience. The Olympics, he predicts, will be a life-changing experience for everyone involved.