A countdown to how the FIFA Women’s World Cup is achieving positive impact through Legacies for Canada
With only 30 days left to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ kick off in Edmonton, AB, the National Organising Committee is pleased to begin its countdown for Legacies for Canada with the announcement of its 18 training sites. Legacies for Canada will have a positive impact on Canadians long after the final whistle is blown.
A number of key objectives will be reached for:
“The FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is the largest women’s sport competition in the world,” stated Victor Montagliani, Chair of the National Organising Committee for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™. “As hosts, Canada has the opportunity and responsibility to welcome the world. We are pleased that at 30 days out we have surpassed half of our goal of 1.5 million spectators. Key matches are selling out and interest continues to build. We are extremely proud that the impact of this competition will extend far beyond the competition through Legacies for Canada as we strive To a Greater Goal™.”
The Sport Development & Excellence programming for Legacies for Canada has made significant investments in stadiums and training sites across Canada which will live on to serve the residents of each official host city long after the competition. This investment includes new surfaces for stadiums in Vancouver, BC, Edmonton, AB, Montréal, QC, and Moncton, NB as well as 18 training sites that are either new or have been upgraded in 2014 or 2015. Each official host city will feature three artificial surface training pitches, with each one meeting the FIFA 2 Star RECOMMENDED seal – the highest standard of football turf which FIFA developed specifically for professional football. FIFA introduced the term “football turf” as the designation for products installed as part of the FIFA Quality Programme. The surfaces used for the training sites will be the same quality as those in each of the official host city stadiums, to ensure teams are provided with consistent, high quality surfaces for all activities during the competition. This investment will ensure world-class surfaces for players of all ages for years to come.
“As part of the legacy from this competition, the renovations, upgrades and new installations create sustainable sporting infrastructure for all our communities to remain active well beyond the Final Match in 2015,” said Peter Montopoli, Chief Executive Officer for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™. “The primary concern of any team during FIFA Competitions is to be able to prepare for their matches in a comfortable and secure playing environment,” said Montopoli. “We have worked with FIFA to ensure all training sites meet FIFA’s infrastructure requirements so each of our venues for the competition, whether in stadiums or at training sites, meet the highest professional standards for this great sport.”
The National Organising Committee also organized a Football Surface Maintenance Seminar in March, ensuring city and maintenance staff had the most up-to-date information and skills to guarantee pitches will be in optimal condition for the international competition starting in June.
The list of Training Sites for all six official host city venues include:
Vancouver: Empire Field (North & South)-2901 East Hastings St; Wolfson West Field-3250 East Mall
Edmonton: Clarke Stadium-11000 Stadium Rd; Clareview Park-3804,139 Ave; Edmonton Soccer Complex (Field 12)-14940, 142 St. NW
Winnipeg: Memorial Field-5 Fermor Ave; Shaughnessy Field-709 Keewatin St; Waverley Soccer Complex-900 Waverley St.
Ottawa: Algonquin College-Building Z, 1385 Woodroffe Ave; Richcraft Recreation Complex-4101 Innovation Dr, Wesley Clover Parks-411 Corkstown Rd
Montréal: Complexe Sportif Multi-Sports de Laval-955 av. Bois-de-Boulogne; Parc St-Laurent-11614, Salk; Stade de soccer de Montréal-9235 av. Papineau
Moncton: Bernice MacNaughton High School-999 St George Blvd; Harrison Trimble High School-80 Echo Dr; Rocky Stone-77 Centennial Park Rd
Browse the brochure to learn more on Legacies for Canada.