Eight in ten agree it’s important for Canada to have a team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup™

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ nearing its completion, the Canadian Soccer Association reported the results of an Ipsos Reid study that found 78% of Canadians agree that it is important for Canada to have a team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup™. Further to this, if Canada had a team in the FIFA World Cup™ 86% would cheer for their country first.



New Canadians also supported this notion strongly with 83% saying that they would cheer first for their adopted country. The beautiful game is one with which New Canadians identify as 95% agree that the wonderful thing about soccer is that it is played in so many countries around the world. Another nine in ten (91%) agree that the language of soccer is universal.



Overall, two in three Canadians (64%) agree that if Canada had a team in the FIFA World Cup™ they would be even more proud to be Canadian. The desire to have Canada qualify for the FIFA World Cup™ is so strong among many that six in ten (61%) Canadians agree that Canada should do whatever is necessary to ensure that we have a team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.



“The Canadian Soccer Association has always recognized the potential impact that Canada participating in the FIFA World Cup™ would have for this country,” commented Peter Montopoli, Canadian Soccer Association General Secretary. He added that “we have always known that soccer provides a welcome environment for New Canadians and couldn’t be more pleased that this important group of individuals for the future of this country would also support Canada on the global stage.”



Funding is a key piece to realize this goal and six in ten Canadians (62%) agree that they would be more likely to support a company that sponsored Canada’s national soccer teams as they attempt to qualify for the FIFA World Cup™ competitions.



On the New Canadians front, eight out of ten agree that Canadians view soccer as a recreational sport with a focus on health benefits. A minority (45%) agree that Canadians encourage their children to participate in soccer with a long-term goal that one day they might represent Canada in international competition. The majority disagrees that this is the goal of Canadian parents (55%).



“The perception of soccer as a recreational sport persists in this country, even among New Canadians,” commented Montopoli. “However, the strong desire to see Canada on the international stage identifies a gap that needs to be addressed. We hope that increased opportunities for Canadian youth to watch our National Teams at home and on television will inspire them to represent their country and we will continue to work with our partners to provide the necessary programs for these youth to realize that dream.”



The Canadian Soccer Association, in partnership with its members and all its corporate partners, provides leadership in the pursuit of excellence in soccer, both at the national and international levels. The Canadian Soccer Association not only strives to lead Canada to victory, but it also encourages Canadians towards a life-long passion for soccer.



For a copy of the full Ipsos Reid Factum, please visit : www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/.



These are just some of the findings from the poll conducted by Ipsos Reid between June 25-30, 2010. For this survey, a sample of 1,033 adults from Ipsos’ Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe with an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 had the entire population of Canada been polled.