By Jason Logan
A rise in soccer interest at the grassroots level would be the ultimate spin-off should the federal government’s attempt to bring the 2010 World Cup to Canada come to fruition, says Kevan Pipe,chief operating officer of the Canadian Soccer Association.
The association, located in Centretown, reports soccer registration in Canada is already up 62,521 kids in the last decade. But Pipe says those numbers would increase even more, if the World Cup comes to Canada.
“The World Cup would transform the game at the local level just like it transformed the game in the United States in 1994,” says Pipe.
Karen Cairns, head of physical education at Lisgar Collegiate, agrees that the event garnered more attention among Canadian youths in 1994 than in any other year because of the event’s proximity to Canada.
She says soccer at the school is popular now. But she adds the World Cup could lure kids who currently aren’t interested in sports to soccer.
The Secretary of State for Amateur Sport, Denis Coderre, recently announced the government’s plans to bid for the 2010 World Cup after 15 months of negotiations with the Canadian Soccer Association.
But Morgan Quarry, director of communications with the CSA, says the government has only looked into the feasibility of hosting such an event.
“Nothing has been decided yet. The 2010 date was just kind of thrown out there, but we’re looking at a date after that,” Quarry says.
That’s because the 2010 event has been almost guaranteed to the African continent, he says.
Quarry also says that FIFA, the organization that governs international soccer, is discussing World Cups every two years on alternating continents. Currently the event takes place every four years.
The government study showed a number of hurdles to hosting the World Cup, Quarry says, most notably the lack of appropriate facilities in Canada. FIFA requires stadiums to have a natural grass playing surface and 45,000 seating capacity.
Frank Clair Stadium, one of the venues being considered, is one of many Canadian stadiums that does not meet FIFA requirements. But that wouldn’t be a problem should Canada be awarded the World Cup, says Lansdowne Park director Rick Haycock.
He points to the 1988 Grey Cup when Frank Clair was temporarily upgraded to 55,000 seats, an upgrade he says would cost about $1.5 million today.
Quarry says the biggest beneficiary will be soccer at the community level.
“This would be a massive jolt in the arm for the sport locally,” he says.