Canadian Soccer Association salutes Government of Canada’s support

The Canadian Soccer Association commends the Government of Canada for its continued support for athletes, sports organisations and major international sporting events, as highlighted in the announcement made on 21 March by the Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport).

“The Canadian Soccer Association is grateful for the sustained investment in sports from the Government of Canada,” said Victor Montagliani, President, Canadian Soccer Association. “With this support, we have been able to build a strong Canada Soccer brand that revolves around focused grassroots initiatives, competitive National Teams, and the hosting of major international events. The sport of soccer has experienced tremendous growth and momentum in the past few years. We are pleased to have the support of the Government of Canada as we look forward to continue developing our nation’s passion for the beautiful game.”

The Canadian Soccer Association will be hosting the 24 best women’s soccer teams in the world for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015TM. It will mark the first major sporting event hosted in Canada from coast to coast, with matches to be played in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montréal and Moncton. The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 will be preceded one year earlier by the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, one of two FIFA women’s youth competitions.

In 2012, the Canadian Soccer Association received valuable government support to host the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament in Vancouver in January. Canada’s Women’s National Team also benefited from targeted support from the Government of Canada through Own the Podium to prepare for its Olympic journey, from which the team came back with the country’s first-ever Olympic medal in Women’s football and Canada’s first summer Olympics medal by a traditional team sport since 1936.