By Natalie Papulkas
With winter fast approaching, Ottawa’s indoor soccer leagues are scoring in a big way.
Over the last few years, soccer has quickly surpassed hockey as Canada’s favourite amateur sport.In fact, it seems as though more and more Canadians are lacing up their cleats instead of their skates.
According to the Canadian Soccer Association, located in Centretown, over 700,000 Canadians played soccer in 2000.That surpasses the approximately 500,000 Canadians who were playing hockey last year, according to the Canadian Hockey Association.
The increasing demand for soccer has translated into success for Ottawa’s indoor leagues, which carry the sport into the fall and winter once the outdoor season has finished.
Two of the city’s leading indoor facilities, Coliseum Indoor Soccer and Uniglobe Soccer League, say their numbers are growing.
Ian Martin, Director of Coliseum Inc., located at Lansdowne Park, on Bank Street, says his indoor soccer league is now made up of 325 teams. “For the past couple of years we’ve been booked to capacity,” he says.
“Registration for the season beginning in mid-November starts as soon as the season ends in May.”
Hassan Dayfallah runs the Uniglobe Soccer League, located on Heron Road. He says he started the league 12 years ago with only 10 teams, but that number has quickly flourished to almost 80.
“The popularity of soccer is mainly due to economic reasons,” Dayfallah says.
“Soccer is a lot less expensive to play than sports like football or hockey, which can cost up to a thousand dollars [per season].”
For instance, hockey skates range from $89 to $600 while soccer cleats range from about $39 to $260.
Martin says that although indoor soccer has only recently exploded in popularity, it’s been around for years.
He explains that most teams used to have to rent out middle and high school gyms before newer facilities became available to them. Martin also says that some clubs used to play out of hockey arenas once the ice had been removed in the spring.However, he explains that seven years ago, the game changed when Coliseum Indoor Soccer opened its doors.
“Although there are other indoor soccer facilities in the city, we are the only ones with real turf, and it’s what makes our place special,” Martin says.
Laura Brunet, part of a women’s team at the Coliseum called the Spitfires, says she enjoys playing indoor soccer because it allows her to practice year-round.
“You can’t improve if you’re only playing three or four months a year,” she says.
Brunet also expects the popularity of indoor soccer to continue.
“It’s a great sport,” she says. “It’s extremely competitive and anybody can play, no matter what level they’re at.”