Erin Leigh, a member of the co-ed soccer team The Green Machine, gets ready to attack during a game of pick-up soccer at Lansdowne Park.
Canada has been granted the bid to host the women’s 2015 World Cup and the preparations for the tournament are already in progress. In 2002, Canada hosted the U-20 World Cup and since then, interest in women’s soccer has risen significantly.
Richard Scott, the director of communications at the Canadian Soccer Association, has been observing this growth.
“If you look back to 2002 when we hosted the inaugural youth world cup, women’s participation in the sport was probably around 20 to 21 per cent, whereas today it is about 44 per cent. And that is just over the last seven years.”
Seven cities were involved in the 2015 bid: Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa, Moncton, Halifax, Winnipeg and Montreal.
Six cities will be chosen to host games at the tournament, meaning one of them might be eliminated.
The association will be working with FIFA for the next number of years to prepare for the tournament. Between now and next year the task will be looking at which cities will play host to the games. A minimum of six cities are required for the 2015 event while four are needed for the initial 2014 qualifiers.
“Whether we use more than seven will really come down to what is best for the tournament.”
Scott says that although interest in women soccer is very strong, it is not just the women’s game but soccer in general that Canadians seem to be embracing.
“Without question, we feel that it is probably the number one summer sport that everyone seems to identify with.”
Meanwhile, an elite, Ottawa-area soccer player says it would be “unbelievable” to be able to play a Women’s World Cup soccer match in this city if Ottawa is chosen to host part of the high-profile, international tournament.
“I think it’s great for women’s soccer,” says national team member Christina Julien, an Ottawa Fury star from Williamstown, Ont., near Cornwall.
“As soon as people start seeing us play they’re going to want to come out and support us, because we’re getting better and becoming one of the top teams in the world.”
The major hurdle that Ottawa must clear is the redevelopment of Frank Clair stadium as part of the controversial Lansdowne Park redevelopment.
City officials expect renovations to be complete by 2013, but a lawsuit over the bidding process has threatened to delay construction.
Ottawa Centre MPP Yasir Naqvi says he believes Ottawa will be ready.
“In my conversations with the City of Ottawa and the mayor’s office it’s clear that they feel very confident that we have the facilities and the sites to host the matches,” says Naqvi.
The city has pledged to contribute $400,000 in cash and services if the bid is successful. Naqvi says the tournament can help bring a lot of money to the city.
“It’s a great boost for our economy, for small business,” says Naqvi. “It brings a lot of people in town from surrounding communities.”
In 2007, Ottawa hosted several games of the Men’s Under-20 World Cup at Frank Clair Stadium.
Marie-Eve Nault, a member of the women’s national team and the Ottawa Fury, says the men’s U-20 and especially the 2015 World Cup can bring soccer to new heights in Canada.
“This is really exciting to be able to watch such high-level soccer in Canada,” says Nault. “It can only have a positive impact on the sport.”
The Canadian women’s team was playing in the 12-team Cyprus Cup when FIFA made the announcement earlier this month. Canada went on to win that tournament, and the players are already looking forward to 2015.
“I can only imagine how exciting it will be to play in front of the Canadian fans and in front of my friends and family,” says Nault.
There is another World Cup before 2015 and it will be held this summer in Germany.
Canada will face the host country – a two-time defending champion – in the opening game, playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000 people.
For the first time in the history of the tournament, there will be 24 teams competing for the coveted prize.
In its inaugural year in 1991, only 12 teams participated. Sixteen teams are registered for the 2011 edition of the tournament to be held in Germany.
The sport does seem to have peaked in popularity. According to CSA, there are 400,000 registered female soccer players in the country, compared with 85, 000 in hockey.
Canada’s successful bid also coincides with the national team’s emphatic climb to sixth position in world rankings.
“The skill levels are changing here in Canada,” says Leigh. “Each successive generation is just getting better and better.”