Without resources to develop players including funding for coaching and travel for competition, it is difficult for a national team to develop. In some cases the sport can be improved when a country hosts a major tournament as more funding may be made available in order for the home side to make a respectable showing. With the United States hosting the 1999 women s World Championship, the United States Soccer Federation provided more resources for the women s national team. The Australian women s national team is hopeful that it will receive more financial support when that country hosts the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. As the status of women advances and their opportunities grow in certain cultures, their participation in sports tends to increase.
Soccer is one sport that has seen a great rise in female participation.
More attention and formal organization have meant exponential growth in the sport at all levels. In comparing the teams participating in the 1991 world championship with the teams participating in the 1995 world championship and the 1996 Olympic Games, it is interesting to note which teams have made significant progress. For example, the English team made tremendous competitive strides in a four-year span. The team lost in the 1991 qualifying tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1995 world championship in Sweden. The Atlanta Olympics in 1996 marked the first time women s soccer was a medal sport.