August delivered memorable month of soccer

 It was quite the month of soccer in Canada through 32 matches at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014, played in the four host cities of Edmonton (Alberta), Toronto (Ontario), Montréal (Québec), and Moncton (New Brunswick).

The competition culminated with the Final Match on 24 August in Montréal, with Germany winning 1:0 after extra time over opponents Nigeria. The 32-match competition attracted 288,000 spectators as well as a world-wide television audience of more than 200 countries and territories.

Among the 15,822 fans attending the Final Match was Pierre Mailhot, a long-time soccer fan who attended all the matches held at Stade Olympique in Montréal.

“I was impressed by the calibre of play for the U-20 players,” said Mailhot. “It augurs well for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. I’m probably going to buy myself tickets for the Montréal games for that one, too.

“The quality of play was very good. This tournament has allowed a lot of youngsters to attend a high-level international tournament,” continued Mailhot, something he sees as a positive step contributing to soccer’s continued growth in popularity.

Tara Quinn brought an AA level U13 team from suburban Dollard-des-Ormeaux to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup’s final day, both the Match for 3rd place (which France won 3:2) and the Final Match.

“For them it’s pretty special,” said Quinn. “They’re having a really good year themselves and they’re looking to go AAA next year so seeing what these girls were able to do really had a direct impact and shows them that it is attainable. How they play and seeing how these girls play, it really helps them to learn some technique but also to understand and reinforce that what they’re doing is the right thing.”

Tickets to next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 go on sale this 10 September 2014, with the initial phase to feature Stadium Passports (featuring tickets to every match at a particular venue) and Stadium Half Passes. For more information on ticket pricing, please visit FIFA.com/Canada2015.