May Newsletter

Excitement builds ahead of Draw Ceremony

International guests will be treated to an inspired welcome in Wellington next month for the Official Draw Ceremony of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Among the entertainers on June 1 will be Elizabeth Marvelly – an 18-year-old of rare talent being hailed as the new singing sensation in the mould of Hayley Westenra. Marvelly performed at the final of this season's Dancing with the Stars on TV1 and toured with British opera singer Paul Potts last month.

Other performers will include the Whitireia Performing Arts – a professional cultural group who perform internationally and at many New Zealand events – as well as the Lochiel Marching Team – New Zealand’s top marching team. Plus there will be stilt dancers and wearable arts to look out for.

The Draw, to be at Te Papa Museum, is the most highly anticipated pre-competition event for the 16 teams that have earned a berth at this year's tournament starting 28 October.

It sets the stage for the tournament by determining the opponents that each team will face during the group stage and identifying the venue and date for each match. During proceedings, Draw participants will take a place on the stage and pick balls out of the bowls which will determine who and where teams will play. This ceremony will be followed by the Draw banquet.

In attendance will be FIFA committee members, heads of delegations from the 16 participating nations, four mayors from Chile as well as other international VIP guests.

The ceremony is expected to generate significant international and domestic exposure for Wellington and New Zealand.