Canada Set to Host CONCACAF Women’s U-19 Qualifying Championship

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that it expects its bid to host the 2004 Under-19 CONCACAF Women’s Championships will be successful.
The event would bring together the eight best under-19 women’s teams from across the North and Central America and Caribbean region to participate in the event that the CSA plans to host at both Ottawa’s Frank Clair Stadium and Montreal’s McGill University Molson Stadium from May 28 – June 6, 2004.
The CONCACAF Executive Committee is expected to make its formal decision on the host nation during it’s meeting on November 4, 2003 but so far Canada is the only CONCACAF member nation to have indicated it
would like to host the event.
“Hosting this event will be a great way to follow-up on our success in the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup in USA,” stated Kevan Pipe, Chief Operating Officer of the CSA. “While we now start preparing for our Olympic qualifiers with the Senior Team in Costa Rica in February, this Championship being staged in Canada will provide the opportunity to intensely focus on our next group of young players about to burst on the national scene and we are certain fans in both Montreal and Ottawa will thoroughly enjoy this spectacle.”
CONCACAF General Secretary, Chuck Blazer in New York confirmed, “Of course the decision as to who will host the under-19 women’s event will be made by our Executive Committee in their meeting on November 4th. However, I can confirm that Canada is currently the sole bidder. Given their success in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the great support women’s soccer enjoys in Canada, I have no doubt that the CONCACAF U-19 Women’s
Championship would enjoy huge success were Canada to host it.”
The Championship is set up as two groups of four nations each, with each group led by Canada and United States. Each group will play a round robin tournament from May 28 to June 1. Cross over semi-finals involving the winners of each group playing the runners up in the other group will take place in Montreal on Friday June 4, 2004. The winners of these semi finals will achieve two goals; they will both qualify for the FIFA Women’s U-19 World Championship set for Thailand in November 2004 as well as meeting for the CONCACAF Championship final in Ottawa on June 6, 2004.
Canada’s Women’s U-19 team will include current Women’s World Cup Team players such as Kara Lang (36 caps/21 goals), Brittany Timko (28 caps) and Tanya Dennis (8 caps) who have just returned home after starring at the FIFA Women’s World Cup last week. The team will also include other U-19 players who have already garnered senior caps including Veronique Miranda, Josee Belanger, Myriam Gousse as well as returnees from the 2002 FIFA silver medal squad such as Katie Thorlakson and Robyn Gayle.
“I am delighted that Canada will have the chance to host this World Championship qualifier next year,” stated Women’s U-19 Team Head Coach Ian Bridge. “This is another exciting opportunity to showcase our young players as we did so well last year and to qualify for the FIFA U-19 Championship. We will have a most exciting team led by such experienced players like Lang, Timko, Dennis and Miranda and we have already begun our preparations for this qualifier.”
CSA now awaits for final approval from CONCACAF on November 4 and will release further information at that time.