Here come the girls!

Here come the girls!

The girls were out in full force in the UK and Norwegian MTG United for Peace tournaments both held on 18th June.

In the first of 2 tournaments in Norway, AIL Skjetten Sportsklubb saw an impressive performance from girls Team Nittedal, who are the first players to join the mixed team that will represent Norway in the MTG United for Cup 2011 in Oslo in October. The remaining places on the final team are still up for grabs in the second tournament on 24th August.

Meanwhile, in the UK, wet and rainy conditions did nothing to dampen the girl power on the pitch. A nail-biting penalty shoot-out in the final match ended with victory for the Tower Hamlets. Not bad for a team who have only been playing together for 6 weeks!

And while the girls are getting our adrenalin running for the MTG United for Peace Cup 2011 in Oslo in October, it’s looking like girl power could play a big part in the selection of the Nobel Peace Prize winner. A record 241 candidates have been nominated for the prize this year, 53 of which are organisations. Amongst them is the controversial Wikileaks and its founder Julian Assange.

Of the last 10 Nobel Peace Prize winners, only 2 have been women. But Kristian Berg Hapviken, Director of PRIO (Peace Research Institute Oslo) thinks the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to a female leader or activist, who has been an innovator of new tools for bringing about peace. Possible front runners include Memorial and founder Svetlana Gannushkina, Leymah Gbowee and Ory Okolloh, all of which, with creativity and courage, have fostered peace through non-violent means.

So, could 2011 be the year to set a trend of more female Nobel Peace Prize winners?  Yet another historic moment awaits our junior footballers in Oslo at the MTG United for Peace Cup 2011!