'Football festival'

With the women's World Cup kicking off in Germany, retired great Steffi Jones says she is on a high. The 38-year-old former Germany defender now heads the organizing committee for the upcoming tournament, and says she does not regard herself purely as a representative for the event - "a smiling Steffi who tours the country," as she puts it. On her global welcome tour, Jones has proven that she has a wealth of knowledge and professional expertise to offer.

Jones traveled 120,000 kilometers, visiting all 16 nations that have qualified for the World Cup, similar to Franz Beckenbauer's tour for the men's 2006 World Cup. Now, she is looking ahead to the three-week tournament's opening game, which opens to 75,000 spectators at Berlin's Olympic Stadium with titleholder Germany playing Canada on June 26.

"It’s not going to be a copy of the 2006 [men's] World Cup; it's a women's World Cup and it will be somewhat smaller," Jones declared. "But we want it to be just as wonderful a festival. We want to write our own history."

More than just a 'smiling Steffi'

Jones, the daughter of a US soldier and a German mother, grew up in a tough neighborhood in Frankfurt. She played 111 international matches with the national team, held the world championship in 2003 - even if a cruciate ligament rupture forced her to watch the final game from the sidelines - won three consecutive European Championships with Germany and twice won Olympic bronze. Her strength, she says, is "simply being authentic."

"I don't want to bend over backwards to be someone I am not. I know what I am capable of and I try to fulfill my job 100 percent," Jones says, adding that she is a very good-natured and cooperative person who strives for harmony, but that as organizing committee chief, it is impossible to always please everybody.

Sustainability the goal

The five-time German champion with 1. FFC Frankfurt says she hopes to help advance and advertize women's football worldwide. "Sustainability is our goal. We would like to see every girl who wants to play soccer given the chance to join a team," Jones says, adding that she has never regretted taking on the position at the head of the World Cup organizing committee, even if it takes up most of her time: "My unique job makes up for everything else I am missing at the moment."

Jones' job as committee chief ends on July 17 in her hometown Frankfurt - the day of the final match. "I wish time would move more slowly," she says. "Once the World Cup is over, I have to go back to my normal everyday life."

Well, that has to do with football, too. Beginning in September, Jones takes on the position of director of women's football at the German Football Association (DFB). She says she can even imagine moving up a notch and stepping into the shoes of DFB president Theo Zwanziger. But until then, she hopes Germany "can crown all the good work everyone is doing with a World Cup title."

Author: Arnulf Boettcher / db
Editor: Darren Mara