YANGON (8 Sept 2013) – The AFF AYA Bank Women’s Championship which kicks off tomorrow at the Youth Training Centre here in Yangon will be a perfect, golden opportunity for teams to test their standings in the region.
For the first time, there will be more than just teams from ASEAN taking part for the meet slated for 9-22 September where other than recently-inducted ASEAN member Australia, there will also be powerhouse Japan and also West Asian champions Jordan.
Australia, who have brought along their Under-19 squad, will be out to improve their quality as they look for a place in the Women’s World Cup.
“It is a fantastic opportunity to play against some of the best teams in Asia and we are looking forward to polish this team ahead of the Women’s World Cup qualifiers,” said Australian team manager Keane Marshall. “The humidity will be an issue, so it will be a real challenge to adapt.”
For Japan, they might not be bringing their World Cup winning squad to these parts, but a Japanese Selection side should have enough quality from the Nadeshiko system.
“We have prepared well for this tournament,” said Japan team manager Kazuo Hondo, who is also the president of the Japan Women’s Football League. “It is a great opportunity to test our players against teams from the different countries in Asia.”
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
“We lost to Vietnam in the final last year, so we are very determined to make up for that loss. We have been preparing very hard for this championship, so it is time to show our quality against very tough opponents.” – Yoshinori Kumada, Myanmar coach
“We are preparing this team for the World Cup qualifiers and also for the SEA Games in Myanmar at the end of the year. It will be an interesting tournament considering the oppositions we will be up against.” – Phan Anh Tu, Vietnam team manager
“We did not do well last year, so we have been preparing a long time for this meet. Our sponsor has been very kind and supportive so we would like to return that belief and win this tournament this time round.” – Sawita Thumvitee, Thailand’s team administrator
“This is really a good opportunity for us to play against quality oppositions. So we are grateful to the AFF for inviting us. I hope that we can show what our girls can do, so I hope to have the support from the home fans.” – Masahiko Okiyama, the coach of Jordan
GROUPINGS
Group A: Australia Under-19, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Jordan
Group B: Japan Selection, Myanmar, Laos, Philippines, Indonesia
