Netherlands Antilles women's national football team

 Netherlands Antilles

Association	Nederlands Antilliaanse Voetbal Unie
Confederation	CONCACAF (North America)
FIFA code	ANT
First colours Second colours
First international
Cayman Islands 1–2 Netherlands Antilles (Georgetown, Cayman Islands; 18 March 2006)
Biggest win
Aruba 0–2 Netherlands Antilles (Netherlands Antilles; 1 July 2007)
Biggest defeat
Suriname 7–1 Netherlands Antilles (Oranjestad, Aruba; 3 May 2006)

Netherlands Antilles women's national football team is the country's national team. They played in their first FIFA recognised match in 2006. They were not ranked by FIFA As of March 2012. The country has two youth national teams, Netherlands Antilles women's national under-17 football team and Netherlands Antilles women's national under-19 football team, who have competed in international matches. Development of the sport in the country faces challenges as football is the sixth most popular sport in the country.

History

In 1985, almost no country in the world had a women's national football team,^[1] including the Netherlands Antilles who did not play their first FIFA recognised match until 2006.^[2] The national team played 2 games in 2005 that were not recognised by FIFA.^[3][2] The Netherlands Antilles competed in the Women's Caribbean Cup 2006. In a preliminary round match against the Cayman Islands women's national football team in Georgetown, Cayman Islands on 18 March, the Netherlands Antilles won 2–1. On the return leg at home, on 25 March, they won 1–0. They were put into Group B for group play. Haiti women's national football team was supposed to be in their group but did not play in the Aruba based game because of visa issues. In their first game against Suriname on 3 May in Curacao, before a crowd of 200, they lost 1–7 with Thielman scoring the team's only goal in the 48th minute. In their second match on 5 May against Aruba women's national football team in Oranjestad, they won 2–1 before a crowd of 500. Soliana scored in the 50th minute and Demey scored in the 70th minute for the Netherlands Antilles.^[4][2] In 2007, Netherlands Antilles women's national football team competed in the Torneo Internashonal di Futbòl di Dama. It was a friendly tournament organised by the Nederlands Antilliaanse Voetbal Unie to fund raise for breast cancer. In the semifinals on 30 June, they lost 0–1 to Surinam. In the third place match against Aruba, Netherlands Antilles won 2–0.^[5] As of March 2012, the team was not ranked in the world by FIFA.^[6]

Under 17

Netherlands Antilles women's national under-17 football team played 2 games in 2006, and had two training sessions a week that year.^[3] The team competed in the CONCACAF Under 17 Women’s Qualifying Tournament 2010 in the Caribbean Qualifying part in Group B. On 12 October 2009, they lost 0–4 to the Dominican Republic. On 14 October, they list 0–4 to Aruba. On 16 October, they lost 0–16 to Jamaica. They finished last in their group, with three losses, scoring zero goals and allowing twenty-four goals.^[7]

Under 19/20

Netherlands Antilles women's national under-19 football team competed at the CONCACAF Under 19 Women’s Qualifying Tournament 2005/06 in Group B. They played the first round in Suriname. On 20 September, they played Anguilla whom they lost to 2–5. On 22 September, they tied Dominica 0–0. On 24 September, they lost to hosts Suriname 0–6. They finished last in their group with one tie and two losses, scoring only two goals while conceding eleven.^[8][9]

Background and development

Nederlands Antilliaanse Voetbal Unie was founded in 1921 and became affiliated with FIFA in 1932. Women's representation is not required on the board of the federation, which does have any full-time employees devoted exclusively to women's football.^[3]

The most popular sports in the country are softball and volleyball, with football ranking sixth. In 2006, there were 80 registered footballers: 60 senior players and 20 youth players. This was an increase from 2000; numbers of registered players went unrecorded from 2001 to 2004. In 2006, there were 40 football teams in the country, one of which was mixed gendered and two women only.^[3]

References

International association football
FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Cup U-17 U-20 Confederations Cup Olympics Youth Olympics Universiade World Rankings Player of the Year Ballon d'Or Timeline of association football
Africa	CAF – Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 Regional (CECAFA, CEMAC, COSAFA, WAFU)
Asia	AFC – Asian Cup U-23 U-19 U-16 U-14 Regional (ASEAN, EAFF, SAFF, WAFF)
Europe	UEFA – European Championship U-21 U-19 U-17
North America, Central America and the Caribbean	CONCACAF – Gold Cup U-20 U-17 U-15
Oceania	OFC – Nations Cup U-20 U-17
South America	CONMEBOL – Copa América U-20 U-17 U-15
Non-FIFA	NF-Board – Viva World Cup CONIFA - ConIFA World Football Cup ConIFA European Football Cup IGA - Island Games
Games	African Games Asian Games Central America Central America and Caribbean East Asian Games Francophonie Games Indian Ocean Island Lusophony Games Mediterranean Games Pan American Games Pan Arab Games Pacific Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games
See also Geography Debuts Codes Player of the Century Women's football

International women's association football
FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Cup U-17 U-20 Algarve Cup Cyprus Cup Olympics Youth Olympics Universiade World Rankings Player of the Year
Asia	AFC Women's Asian Cup U-19 U-16 Regional (ASEAN, EAFF, SAFF, WAFF)
Africa	CAF Women Cup of Nations U-20 U-17 Regional (CECAFA, COSAFA)
North America, Central America and the Caribbean	CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup U-20 U-17
South America	CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina U-20 U-17
Oceania	OFC Women's Nations Cup U-20 U-17
Europe	UEFA Women's Championship U-19 U-17
Non-FIFA	NF-Board Women's Viva World Cup
Games	African Games Asian Games Central America and Caribbean Central American Games Pan American Games Pacific Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games
See also Geography Codes Player of the Century Men's football