Got mine -
NZ v UKR, QAT v COL, NZ v USA, QAT v PORT, HUNG v BRAZ, UKR v USA, FIJI v UZB.
Vroom vroom...
Haha, sounds like you got some good travelling around the North Island to do
Yeah. Part of the package.
U20s World Cup Draw
Was it just me or was the audio slightly out of sync at the beginning. Hayley Holt is hot but fudgeing hell she is fake. And what was with asking a netballer to help with the draw, what about Maia Jackman or another football fern.
The whole thing was embarrassing. No ferns player, Hay, Sumner, andRufer talking in clichés, Stan Walker performing.
At least they kept Woolliam in his barn.
Got mine -
NZ v UKR, QAT v COL, NZ v USA, QAT v PORT, HUNG v BRAZ, UKR v USA, FIJI v UZB.
Vroom vroom...
Our tour leader (camp mother) has us attending 23 matches...
FIFA know how to run a World Cup, 52 games over 22 days with games on 14 of the 22 days. Rugby and cricket take note.
Got mine -
NZ v UKR, QAT v COL, NZ v USA, QAT v PORT, HUNG v BRAZ, UKR v USA, FIJI v UZB.
Vroom vroom...
Our tour leader (camp mother) has us attending 23 matches...
As someone in Christchurch, I think it's a shame about some of the scheduling (and it applies to some games in other groups too such as Argentina vs. CAF 2 at 4 pm in Wellington on a working Thursday):
http://resources.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/c...
I doubt if the attractive game of Germany vs. Uzbekistan will draw many punters at 4 pm on a Thursday - while the second game that day at the better time of 7 pm involves the not so appealing matchup of Honduras vs. Fiji. TV viewing figures will suffer too.
The opening game of Germany vs. Fiji is at 1 pm on the holiday Monday which is fine - but how many punters will stay around for the second game that day of Uzbekistan vs. Honduras? Reversing those games would work better.
The Christchurch semi-final is at 4 pm on a Wednesday.
Some Round of 16 games in other centres are at 4 pm too on a Wednesday or Thursday.
Sure, some school kids will come to the 4 pm games -but how many adults would leave work at 3 pm to make a 4 pm game? Not many. And not many will take time off work for a game - only a handful of diehards.
Also TV viewing figures in NZ for 4 pm kick-offs on working days are going to suck.
So you want 7pm and 9pm games? ok then.
Also you can't rig the draw to suit what is best. Just going to have to suck it up.
I'd prefer 7 pm and 9 pm games - or 5 pm and 8 pm games.
As would most TV viewers I'm sure - and more Kiwis will watch games on TV than at the grounds.
Don't know anyone in Christchurch happy with the 4 pm weekday kickoffs.
Although thankfully it's only two 4 pm weekday kickoffs of the nine games, so it's not such a huge deal, it's a bummer one of them is the semi.
In Christchurch you have to consider not only the locals but also the rebuild workers - there are thousands of foreign workers from countries where football is a popular sport.
None of them will get time off for 4 pm kickoffs. It's good that the last group games are on a Sunday though since many of the rebuild workers work on Saturdays.
My friend's Russian flatmate is pissed off he won't be able to make the Germany v Uzbekistan or the Chch semi due to 4 pm kickoffs.
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FIFA in the past have certainly jigged the draw so that the popular games are played second. NZ's games at age group World Cups have usually been the first game of the double bill.
At the FIFA u-20 World Cup in Colombia 2011 popular teams such as the hosts, Brazil and Argentina were always in the second game of the many double bill group games.
All double bills for group games in Colombia were at either 5 pm and 8 pm or 6 pm and 9 pm.
That resulted in crowds of up to 45,000 for group games (involving Argentina, Brazil) - 36,000 for group games involving the hosts.
Interesting feature in the November "World Soccer" magazine about the North Korean investment in their youth football and how it's paying off with qualification for NZ etc.
Kim Jong-un has decreed that the country must improve in football hence the establishment of youth academies and sending the best young players to private football academies in Barcelona and Italy.
Most of the North Korean players coming to NZ have spent years in Barcelona and Italy.
Kim Jong-un went to school in Switzerland where he grew to love football and is a big Manchester Utd fan
He has decreed that Premier League football must be broadcast on state TV, especially Manchester Utd games - even though North Korea hasn't got the rights:
Interesting feature in the November "World Soccer" magazine about the North Korean investment in their youth football and how it's paying off with qualification for NZ etc.
Kim Jong-un has decreed that the country must improve in football hence the establishment of youth academies and sending the best young players to private football academies in Barcelona and Italy.
Most of the North Korean players coming to NZ have spent years in Barcelona and Italy.
Kim Jong-un went to school in Switzerland where he grew to love football and is a big Manchester Utd fan
He has decreed that Premier League football must be broadcast on state TV, especially Manchester Utd games - even though North Korea hasn't got the rights:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-...
Kim Jong-un was the leading scorer at the last World Cup wasn't he.
Interesting feature in the November "World Soccer" magazine about the North Korean investment in their youth football and how it's paying off with qualification for NZ etc.
Kim Jong-un has decreed that the country must improve in football hence the establishment of youth academies and sending the best young players to private football academies in Barcelona and Italy.
Most of the North Korean players coming to NZ have spent years in Barcelona and Italy.
Kim Jong-un went to school in Switzerland where he grew to love football and is a big Manchester Utd fan
He has decreed that Premier League football must be broadcast on state TV, especially Manchester Utd games - even though North Korea hasn't got the rights:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-...
Kim Jong-un was the leading scorer at the last World Cup wasn't he.
Sure he also said 'the essence of society is not on flashy lights' and that a 'functional power grid is overrated.'
Mainlanders....Dunners is looking far more attractive for group games than Chch: Sunday afternoon double header Mexico v CAF2 and Uruguay v Serbia; midweek Mexico v Uruguay and Serbia v CAF2; and Sunday Colombia v Portugal and Serbia v Mexico. All 6 macthes look superb. However after that Chch is the place to be. The Round of 16 SHOULD feature Germany as Group F winners v 2nd in Group E - I'm picking Brazil or CAF1. How good would either of those match ups be? Then Chch is a must for QF and Semi. Hopefully the weather comes to the party.
Mainlanders....Dunners is looking far more attractive for group games than Chch: Sunday afternoon double header Mexico v CAF2 and Uruguay v Serbia; midweek Mexico v Uruguay and Serbia v CAF2; and Sunday Colombia v Portugal and Serbia v Mexico. All 6 macthes look superb. However after that Chch is the place to be. The Round of 16 SHOULD feature Germany as Group F winners v 2nd in Group E - I'm picking Brazil or CAF1. How good would either of those match ups be? Then Chch is a must for QF and Semi. Hopefully the weather comes to the party.
I got all my tix for CHCH, but probo won't head anywhere else. $210 for 6 pool games, 1 round of 16, 1 quarter and 1 semi is a bargain!
FIFA know how to run a World Cup, 52 games over 22 days with games on 14 of the 22 days. Rugby and cricket take note.
FIFA are however scheduling our u-20 World Cup to clash with two other major international football tournaments.
Rugby and cricket wouldn't schedule a major tournament at the same time as other major international tournaments in their code.
FIFA are pretty crap with their tournament scheduling this year with the u-20 Men's World Cup in NZ on at the same time as the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada and the Copa America in Chile:
FIFA Men's u-20 World Cup NZ: May 30 - June 20
FIFA Women's World Cup Canada June 6 - July 5
Copa America Chile June 11 - July 4
The Copa America has to be played at that time for CONMEBOL to keep European clubs happy (clubs would want their players for pre-season training and lucrative exhibition games in July). It's in the middle of the South American league seasons but the clubs there are willing to break for the tournament.
I question whether our u-20 World Cup had to be played in the first three weeks of June which is the worst time to schedule it for clashes with the other two major tournaments. Couldn't it have been played in July?
And I question the timing of the FIFA Women's World Cup which overlaps with two weeks of our FIFA u-20 World Cup in NZ.
The Football Ferns' three group games are all during the u-20 World Cup (7, 12, 16 June) with the Football Ferns' first group game vs. Netherlands (1pm June 7 NZT) on at the same time as the u-20 World Cup games in NZ: Germany v Honduras, Christchurch 2 pm 7 June and Uzekistan v Fiji, Whangarei 2 pm 7 June.
The group games in the Copa America in Chile are scheduled for June 12 - 22 (NZT) - 16 games of the 24 in the tournament with all except three of the sixteen played during our u-20 World Cup.
There are group games in the Copa America on the day of our u-20 World Cup quarter-finals, semis and final (and 3rd/ 4th play-off), some finishing just before our kick-offs with the time difference.
Internationally most TV viewers will opt to watch the Copa America and viewing figures for the u-20's in NZ and the Women's World Cup won't be great.
In NZ it'll probably mean that Sky TV won't screen the Copa America this time as they did in 2011 because it would take NZ viewers away from the u-20 World Cup which they are the host broadcaster for and don't have to pay any rights for - and they will be showing the Football Ferns three group games from Canada plus some later round games.
Happy Big Pete
Kick-off time changes
The Local Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 would like to announce minor changes to the kick off times for some group stage matches of the tournament in Wellington and Christchurch.
In Wellington the kick off times for matches #15 and #16 on Tuesday 2 June have been reversed. Match #15 between Argentina and the CAF 3 (African) qualifier will now be played at 7pm, while match #16 between Austria and Panama will kick off at 4pm at Wellington Regional Stadium.
In Christchurch the kick off times for matches #23 and #24 on Thursday 4 June have been reversed. Match #23 between Germany and Uzbekistan will now be played at 7pm, while match #24 between Honduras and Fiji will begin at 4pm at Christchurch Stadium.
The tournament begins on 30 May and the final will be played at North Harbour Stadium on 20 June.
Individual match tickets are on sale from 10 March at www.fifa.com/nz2015
Happy Big Pete
Kick-off time changes
The Local Organising Committee for the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 would like to announce minor changes to the kick off times for some group stage matches of the tournament in Wellington and Christchurch.
In Wellington the kick off times for matches #15 and #16 on Tuesday 2 June have been reversed. Match #15 between Argentina and the CAF 3 (African) qualifier will now be played at 7pm, while match #16 between Austria and Panama will kick off at 4pm at Wellington Regional Stadium.
In Christchurch the kick off times for matches #23 and #24 on Thursday 4 June have been reversed. Match #23 between Germany and Uzbekistan will now be played at 7pm, while match #24 between Honduras and Fiji will begin at 4pm at Christchurch Stadium.
The tournament begins on 30 May and the final will be played at North Harbour Stadium on 20 June.
Individual match tickets are on sale from 10 March at www.fifa.com/nz2015
It's good they've one this.
Makes more sense having the bigger games last...
I put together an iCal of the tournament fixtures for you to add to your calendar to keep track of the tournament. It'll auto-update when the teams in the knockout games get confirmed.
