Ambassador: Steffi Jones
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Article summary
Steffi Jones won all there is to win as a player and continues to take a key role promoting the game.
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Clubs: SG Praunheim (three times), FSV Frankfurt (twice), TuS Neiderkirchen, SC 07 Bad Neuenahr, Washington Freedom, 1. FFC Frankfurt
UEFA honours
UEFA European Women's Championship: winner 1996, 2001, 2005
UEFA Women's Cup: winner 2002, 2006
• Daughter of a German mother and an American soldier father, Jones won worldwide acclaim as a central defender and as an ambassador for the women's game.
• Her Germany debut came in 1993 and she was to help them to three European titles, Olympic bronze medals in 2000 and 2004, and their first FIFA Women's World Cup crown in 2003 (though she was injured during the tournament). Having also played in 2007 qualifying, she retired before the final tournament due to injury. In all she won 111 caps.
• At club level Jones's first German title came in 1998 with FSV Frankfurt. From 2000 she would spend the summer in the United States with Washington Freedom and in the winter return home to play for 1. FFC Frankfurt, claiming domestic doubles in her first three years from 2000/01 until 2002/03. She also aided them to glory in the first UEFA Women's Cup in 2001/02, her goal in the 2-0 final win against Umeå IK making her that season's tournament top scorer on nine.
• Also lifting two WUSA titles with Washington in 2002 and 2003 before the league's demise, her time at Frankfurt included another German championship in 2004/05 and a second UEFA Women's Cup the following year.
• After ending her playing career in 2007, Jones took the presidency of the 2011 Women's World Cup organising committee, promoting the tournament around the globe and overseeing a successful event attended by more than 800,000 people. Also a qualified coach, she then accepted a role as German Football Association (DFB) director of girl's and women's football. She has also written an acclaimed autobiography, Der Kick des Lebens (The Kick of Life).
• In October 2011 she was named as ambassador for the UEFA women's football development programme and later took that position for the 2012 UEFA Women's Champions League final in Munich and UEFA Women's EURO 2013 in Sweden.