Canadian Soccer Association welcomes Government of Canada’s support for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™

The Canadian Soccer Association confirmed today that the Government of Canada through Sport Canada’s Hosting Program has committed up to $15-million to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™ and the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup if Canada is successful in its current bid process to host the largest women’s sporting event in the world.



“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am pleased to support the Canadian Soccer Association’s bid for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™,” said the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of State (Sport). “Soccer participation in communities across Canada has grown steadily from year to year while interest and pride in our national teams is at an all-time high. We look forward to working with the Canadian Soccer Association to support a successful bid process.”



“We will put forth a tremendous bid to FIFA with the support of the Government of Canada,” said Dr. Dominic Maestracci, President of the Canadian Soccer Association. “Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™ will not only help strengthen women’s soccer in Canada, but also help elevate the game at the global level.”



Canadian Soccer Association General Secretary Peter Montopoli said, “the Association would like to thank the Government of Canada for this outstanding support which is critical to our efforts in securing the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™. On the heels of hosting a record-breaking FIFA tournament in 2007, Canada wants to invite the world back for the premier women’s football event in 2015. We would like to recognize the key role of the Government of Canada in helping us move closer to us reaching this goal.”



Canada is currently preparing its Bid Book to present to FIFA by 11 February 2011. In November 2010, the Association welcomed participants to bid information sessions to provide information for potential host cities of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015™. The Canadian Soccer Association is working closely with the federal, provincial and municipal governments to provide necessary information to ensure a successful bid is forwarded to FIFA.



The FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is hosted every four years, with the next event scheduled from 26 June to 17 July 2011 in Germany. For 2015, the event will expand from 16 to 24 participating countries and from 32 to 52 matches. As it is the new practice, the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ host nation will also host the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in the preceding year, so both the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ are awarded together to the same nation.



Canada has a strong history of hosting FIFA events, starting with the FIFA U-17 World Cup Canada 1987. Canada has since hosted the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2002 (inaugural event) and the record-setting FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007, attracting close to 1.2-million spectators to the 52 matches and generating an estimated $259-million in economic activity. It delivered an excellent return for the government at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, supporting more than $43-million in taxes at those three levels.



Canada has also enjoyed success on the international stage, winning CONCACAF women’s championships in all three age categories since 2008. Those three titles were the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifier (which qualified Canada for its fifth consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup™), the 2008 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, and the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-17 Championship.



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.