7th FIFA Women's World Cup ~ Eniola Aluko, lawyer player !!

The  7^th FIFA Women’s World cup – [2015 FIFA Women's World Cup]  is being held in Canada now.  For this tourney, there are 24 teams from 16 in 2011. Goal-line technology is in place for this too. For the 2015 FIFA Women’s WC, Adidas unveiled official match ball – the Conext1,  designed using the same groundbreaking technology that was used so successfully in Brazuca.  

The first goal in the FIFA Women’s World Cupwas scored by China PR’s Ma Li in the 22^nd minute of the tournament’s opening match between the hosts and Norway on in Nov 1991. Ma Li gave the Chinese a 1-0 lead going into half-time in Guangzhou, and the hosts ultimately ran away with the match as it finished 4-0.   Among the sports-women, there is a lawyer too.  England striker Eniola Aluko has told how she's finally been able to put her job as a sport and showbiz lawyer on hold to fulfil her dream of bringing home the World Cup for The Three Lionesses. The 28-year-old Chelsea forward used to juggle football with negotiating commercial deals for the likes of One Direction, David Beckham and Eden Hazard.

From One Direction to the Women's World Cup is certainly her desired way.  The 28-year-old has scored 32 goals for her country.  Nigerian-born Eniola, who moved to Birmingham when she was a year old, believes huge changes in the sport have meant she is now able to focus on lifting the coveted trophy in Canada this summer. Ahead of the team's opening game against France on 9 June, she told The Sun: 'One of the reasons I really stuck at law is that I didn't know if being a professional footballer could ever be an option for me.'During her career Eniola, who was called into the England set-up at the tender age of 14, has seen massive advances in the sport that enables young girls to chose it as a potential career.

For eight years Eniola lived a 'double life' as a striker and trainee solicitor. It usually takes five or six years to qualify but after she spent time studying and playing in the United States, Eniola's journey took a little longer.Writing in her BBC Sport column she said that 'it's taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to this point' and 'after a tough training session, the last thing you want to do is go into the office'.Eniola said she has worked for 'understanding law firms' who have given her a varied taste of the sports and entertainment world, 'from working on commercial deals for David Beckham through to divorce cases and the hacking trial'.

Being able to put law on the backburner coincides well with the biggest year of her football career. After a 'really successful qualifying campaign' Eniola said the main thing for her and the squad is to 'believe we can win the World Cup'. She was the top scorer in the World Cup qualification with 13 goals and England topped their group by winning every game.  The 2015 World Cup is the third she has played in and she hopes the team can surpass the quarter finals - their furthest feat so far. She told the BBC that she plans to return to sports law when she finishes playing and occasionally gets team-mates asking her opinion on their deals with clubs.

She added:  'Women's football is still quite young so players aren't always that savvy when it comes to their contracts. 'After I retire from football, representing female players is something that might appeal to me.'Aluko says she was inspired by fictional lawyer Atticus Finch in the book To Kill a Mockingbird.  Both have given me a wide and varied taste of the sports and entertainment world, from working on commercial deals for David Beckham through to divorce cases and the hacking trial.

Scoring goals  inspires this lawyer and England hopes she does more of that for the Nation … and Chelsea. Liverpool's Fara Williams bagged the decisive goalas England Ladies edged out Colombia 2-1 to progress to the knock-out stage of the FIFA Women's World Cup.The Reds' midfielder scored a crucial 38^th minute penalty to put England 2-0 up at the time and ensure that they finished second in their group, ahead of yesterday's opponents but just behind table-toppers France on goal difference.The Lionesses will now go on to face 1995 champions Norway in the next stage of the competition in Canada on Monday.

Fara said - They (Norway) are a strong team. They can play very direct, they can play a compact game and they have got good individual players. But we are confident, we are building momentum throughout the tournament and we are looking forward to Norway.  Fara Williams has been a Liverpool player since 2012, when she made the controversial move across the Mersey divide from rivals Everton after eight years with the Blues.Williams is England's most capped player with 143 caps and she has scored 38 goals since bursting on to the international scene as an exciting 17-year-old in 2001.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

19^th June 2015.