Leszek (Shek) Borkowski

Happy New Year Haiti WNT!
Compared to other nations, we lack in resources. Human, financial, technological. That’s our reality.
We don’t have to like reality…just accept it and overcome it.
Technological, scientific and tactical advances in women’s football should never be underestimated. The advancements of the last 5-10 years are impressive. A technology and scientific advantages cannot be overcome by someone who does not respect its capability. We have to respect our opponents, their strengths and advantages. That said, in the end, titles are not won and qualifications achieved with shiny gadgets alone. In the end, all competitions are decided by a primary driver; force of will.
Who has the strength of spirit to endure the longest? Who has the intelligence to outwit the technology and opponents. Who knows exactly what they are playing for and why? These questions decide triumphs, not analytical software, computers and resources.
Force of will. Wearing down the opposition. A Manchester United great Roy Keane called it the Law of Cumulation. “First tackle, first pass, first touch, everything counts. A lot of little things add up to the thing that matters: breaking the opposition’s hearts – but first their minds, their collective mind.”
No game is unwinnable, no qualification impossible. But you have to know the odds, prepare accordingly and be prudent.
In the past we have tasted defeat but defeat is a teacher. It shows what we are made of. It demonstrates whether we have what it takes to improve and to win. If we fail the tests of defeat, then we shall never be worthy of victory.
Force of will.
Happy New Year!

Watching the Euro 2013 playoffs, one gets an indication that the technical and tactical sophistication of previously marginal teams such as Austria, Scotland, Iceland and others is growing. The work done with small player pools available in these countries is impressive.
Spain, which qualified over Scotland, looks to have loads of talent at the senior level. Coupled with their successes in the UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship in 2010 and 2011, as well as their third place finish at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, it is apparent that when Spanish FA really decides to support the women’s game, it will only be a short time before Spain’s women duplicate their male counterpart’s international achievements.
Seeing the progress made in Europe by women with only a tiny fraction of the incentives their male counterparts routinely have, makes one wonder how far they would be if they received half or even a third of that level of attention.

The next two years, I believe, we will see women’s football transition into a third cycle of international development of the game.
Prior to the FIFA’s 1991 establishment of the Women’s World Cup, several unofficial world tournaments took place in the 1970s and 1980s, but it is 1991 that most fans of the game recognize as the beginning of the modern women’s game.
The growth of the game since 1991 is marked by three distinct cycles.
1991 – 2002 is marked by USA dominance and only minimal investment in women’s football by most national FAs.
2003 – 2013 is marked by increasing investment in the game, especially by UEFA member nations, narrowing the gap between the USA and other countries.
2014 – on, and specifically 2013 and 2014, I believe will be characterized by a growing competitiveness of the UEFA (aided by growth in the competitiveness, popularity and stature of UEFA WCL) and AFC member nations. These two years will bring the game closer to parity among the top tier nations.
There is a tremendous latent potential in South America, but it will require focused investment by CONMEBOL members to be unleashed.
The Caribbean and Central American regions have been very late in developing the game and are now playing catch up. Talent is there but the infrastructure required to move forward in big steps needs attention and focus.
Oceania is destined to be dominated by New Zealand for a long time.
The African women’s game finds itself where the men’s game was 20 years ago: an abundance of raw individual talent, still needing leadership and a better collective approach. However, as more and more Africans find their way to European leagues, their collective performances will improve.

There are clear challenges ahead when it comes to women’s football. Investment in women’s sport lags behind men’s and as little as two per cent of sports media coverage is devoted to the sport.
Attracting fans and media attention can only be achieved by having an exciting product with technically and tactically proficient players entertaining stadium goers and television audiences. To that end both UEFA and AFC member associations lead the way.

Big margins of victories in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament have generated criticism of the qualification process and calls for a change in the process, including giving top teams an automatic bye to semi-finals.
I have a different view.
Having been involved in this game for a long time, I am encouraged by what I have witnessed so far.
Yes 14-0 and 13-0 results make it appear that progress is not taking place, however, the technical and tactical standard of participating teams had undoubtedly improved.
Writers, bloggers and fans attracted to the game in the last four years would have been shocked to see the level of this competition prior. There simply is no comparison.
Is there a lot of work that needs to be done? The answer is categorically yes.
Still, instead of changing the qualification process, the CONCACAF should aid and encourage development. Give the Haitis and Guatemalas of the region a tool for players, coaches and teams to continuously learn and gain experience. Through quality competition by sponsoring a CONCACAF Women’s Champions League (CWCL) it would be possible to duplicate what the UEFA is doing in Europe.
I’m a firm believer that the UEFA Women’s Champions League had a significant impact on the growth of the sport in Europe.
Currently, the UEFA is comprised of 49 national women’s teams. There are 136 nations fielding women’s teams in the FIFA system.
According to latest FIFA rankings 12 in the top 20 (60%) teams are UEFA members.
17 in top 30 (56%)
24 in top 40 (60%)
27 in top 50 (54%)
The CONCACAF numbers are not encouraging.
2 in top 20 (10%)
3 in top 30 (10%)
5 in top 40 (12%)
5 in top 50 (10%)

While I concede that financial resources and the game’s tradition in Europe have contributed to UEFA members’ success, I submit that the existence of the UEFA Women’s Champions League has aided it greatly.
Through the competition, top European teams and players gain valuable exposure to tactical developments, styles of play, and have an opportunity to test their progress against other top European teams.
Utilizing this experience, participating teams serve as catalysts for change and models in their own countries. That perpetuates progress.
The existence of competitive isolation in the CONCACAF region hampers development of the game. CONCACAF club teams and players have minimal exposure to tactical developments, competition vs. top players and teams in the region. This, and not the qualification process, stunts growth and development.
Few would argue that Mexico’s progress in great part is attributable to playing annually 4-6 matches vs. American college teams for the past 8 years. It gave Mexican players opportunity to frequently play against Americans and to test their physical, technical, tactical and psychological progress. Creating the CWCL will have a similar effect on development in member countries.
The CONCACAF does not need a change to the qualification process, it needs to establish and sponsor a CONCACAF Women’s Champions League to foster progress.

Tell you a little story – I call this “living below your revenue” story:  I know a small club owner in another country.
He operates his club in a town of 10,000, competing at a third or fourth level of competition. Promotion and relegation is a constant but my friend concentrates on successful runs in cup competitions, being relevant in the community and occasionally on selling promising young players to wealthier clubs. His family has done this profitably for nearly 30 years now.
How does he do it? He never gambles his club’s future on one player, he is frugal in player compensation but very willing to share 60% of cup revenue with playing and coaching staffs. He was never tempted to moving to a bigger stadium, prefers full house (2,000 capacity) than playing in a more expensive 5,000-seater 10 miles away.

Women’s football in the US could learn a lesson from my friend. You can either “rent” the “highest” possible club and players you can afford on a day-to-day basis, or you can organically operate way under income, increase revenues until you can grow your club and increase your spending.
It takes time, there is no such thing as instant success.
Sometimes, people forget the value of hard work, sweat, and planning long-term.
For all of us involved in women’s football we have simple tasks on our journey:  Collect as many good experiences (and memories) as possible, take a long term approach, develop sound strategy and be patient.
Getting trapped into the baseline spending is dangerous stuff and always ends badly.
We all know clubs spending $2,000,000 and struggling to survive, yet I occasionally run into women’s club owners operating successfully on $100,000 who really “get it” down at a core level. You can only spend it once.
Given a decade or two of hard work it’s absolutely amazing what skills/ experiences a person/club can accumulate. The secret is in doing it organically.

Oh! And Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year of the Big Dreams variety. 

“There is no racism [on the field], but maybe there is a word or gesture that is not correct,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter told CNN. “The one affected by this should say this is a game and shake hands.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15757165.stm

Blatter’s reply came as a result of a recent claim by Anton Ferdinand that he was racially abused by John Terry.
Blatter’s answer has created a social media furor and accusations against Sepp Blatter.
To understand this anti-Blatter sentiment better I went to Wikipedia to consult as to what is the commonly accepted definition of racism.

“Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term “racism” is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet.
Racism is popularly associated with various activities that are illegal or commonly considered harmful, such as extremism, hatred, xenophobia, exploitation , separatism, racial supremacy, mass murder, genocide denial, vigilantism, terrorism, etc.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism

To say that either the FIFA or Blatter are involved in hatred, xenophobia, exploitation, separatism, supremacy, murder, terrorism is very difficult for me to comprehend.
Does racism exists in the world? Definitely.
But does the FIFA or Blatter practice or condone racism? Perhaps, but I can’t infer this from Blatter’s quote.
Most reasonable people will agree that the FIFA has done as much if not more to combat racism as any international organization. Players and coaches, regardless of race, religion, sexual preference, political views or ethnicity can receive very good money and fan adoration doing what they love.
While it is possible that it happens, I have never met an owner, a coach or a player who would not sign, coach or play with a player just because of their race. Never.
I have been passed over for jobs, which I believed I was qualified for, it never occurred to me that it was because of my race or ethnicity.
In football, winning and losing can make a huge difference in the bottom lines of federations and clubs. All sane individuals attempt daily to give themselves and their organizations the edge which will allow them to win and to make money.
In football racism will inevitably lead to sporting and commercial failure. Anyone practicing or condoning racism is insane and doomed to failure.
Are there individuals or groups of people in the terraces who use racial slurs? Yes. Those must be controlled by clubs and leagues and not by Sepp Blatter.

Greek philosopher Plato wrote “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.”
All the statues, rules, codes, decrees, and financial resources spent by FIFA on the ‘Say No to Racism’ campaign could not stop John Terry from allegedly using racial slurs directed at a fellow professional.

Should Blatter be blamed for this? I submit that in this particular case John Terry, Chelsea, the Premier League, and the FA are far more guilty of racism than Sepp Blatter.