Football is now the largest female sport in the world. An estimated 26 million women play the game in all of FIFA's 208 member associations (FIFA Big Count 2006). The growth of women’s football in New Zealand mirrors this trend with football being the most popular sport for New Zealand youth and every fifth junior player being a girl.

Women’s football has the highest participation levels for a sport for New Zealand girls under the age of 13 (SPARC). There are over 30,000 female players in this country (FIFA Big Count 2006) and the senior national team – the Football Ferns – have a world ranking of 24. Hosting this brand new FIFA event offers New Zealand a further opportunity to boost player numbers and raise the profile of the sport.