The six 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Canada official host cities were announced May 4th, including Edmonton, AB (Commonwealth Stadium); Moncton, NB (Stade Moncton 2010); Montreal, QC (Saputo Stadium); Ottawa, ON (Frank Clair Stadium); Vancouver, BC (BC Place) and Winnipeg, MB (Investors Group Field).
The inaugural WWC in China 1991 featured 12 teams. After expanding to 16 teams and 32 matches for USA 1999, Canada will be first to host 24 teams in a 52 match schedule.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter spoke at the press conference in Parliament Hill and boasted that the 2015 WWC will be the "biggest international event for Canada, even [compared] to the Olympics."
Seven cities were included in the initial bid process, but Halifax opted out in March due to funding issues related to building a new stadium. Three years prior, the City of Halifax announced a $100,000 feasibility study of the proposed project.
Toronto, on the other hand, will not host due to 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games commitments, which were awarded to the city in 2009, two years prior to the WWC bid submission. The PanAms will run from July 10-26, which overlaps with the WWC's expected mid-June to mid-July schedule. Local stakeholders, such as Tourism Toronto, elected not to submit a WWC bid.
The press conference was hosted by former Canadian Women's National Team member Kara Lang, and Canadian Soccer Association Long-Term Player Development Manager and former WNT coach Sylvie Béliveau. They spoke about the impact of hosting a WWC on boy's and girls' youth soccer.
FIFA reports that 29 million women and girls around the world play soccer, including 350,000 in Canada.
"It's beneficial for [soccer] in Canada to spread the game from coast-to-coast, the first time that it's ever happened," said Jason de Vos from TSN studios in Toronto. "If you spread [the matches] from coast to coast, you give young players from around the country an opportunity to see live international football, the best players in the women's game on Canadian soil."
In 2011, TSN became the official Canadian broadcaster of FIFA soccer (rights for 2015 to 2022), which were previously held by CBC.
CanWNT players Karina Leblanc and Rhian Wilkinson were also in Ottawa. The pair met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper earlier in the day.
In addition to the WWC, Canada will also stage the U-20 WWC a year prior. Host cities for that tournament are yet to be announced.
The CanWNT is currently on break from residency camp. The seventh-ranked team in the world will play China in Moncton in Stade Moncton 2010, a host venue of the 2015 WWC, May 30 in their London Olympic send-off match. They will then face the USA June 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, as well as Switzerland prior to the Olympics.
While pursuing a career in non-profit event planning and fundraising, Lissa provides in depth coverage of the CanWNT for All White Kit and RedNation.
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