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Posted by
Steve Bottjer,
August 13, 2012 |
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Email Steve Bottjer
Twitter @BottjerRNO |
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The London Olympics have come to a close and in some quarters the debate has already broken out among many Canadians as to whether Canada’s medal haul of one gold, five silver and 12 bronze constitutes a solid success or something of disappointment. However, for those of us that follow Canadian soccer with an unbridled passion, there can be no doubt that the bronze medal winning performance of the Canadian Women’s National Team this summer was an unmitigated success and something momentous to build upon.
Sure, some people are still probably disappointed with the path that the semifinal game took, but overall the national team achieved its goal of coming home with a medal and the two final matches of the tournament against the United States and France were two of the most thrilling, well played and dramatic matches in the history of the national team program.
The Canadian Women’s National Team deserves major applause for the manner in which they played throughout the tournament as a whole and represented both themselves and their country on the world stage. They played with passion, character, skill and strength and showed that they have it within themselves to defeat any team in the world as they overcame obstacles that likely would have caused lesser teams to pack it and point to bad luck and unfair circumstances as the reason for failure.
Instead, Canada went head to head with their arch rivals and eventual goal medal winners the United States and showed that they are arguably every bit that team’s equal, with Christine Sinclair leading her team in what was probably the best ever performance by the national team. Add in the fact, that Canada rebounded from what many perceive to have been a grossly unfair display of officiating in the semifinal to defeat the France team that knocked them out of the last World Cup to earn a bronze and it is hard not to be inspired by the character and mental strength of the Canadian squad.
The Canadian players returned to Canada yesterday to a hero’s welcome and were greeted by crowds of adoring supporters at the international airports in Canada. They fully deserved to bask in the glow of what they have achieved, but Sinclair did allude to opportunities that are now there to build upon the team’s success as the national team, the Canadian soccer association and the country prepare to host the Women’s World Cup in 2015.
“I’m hoping that what our soccer team has done for the sport in Canada, that it will be better than the medal,” said Sinclair.
So how does the Canadian Women’s National Team program and the Canadian Soccer Association work towards ensuring that a decent percentage of those Canadians who were engaged in the Olympic run become long term supporters of the national team program and the foundation of a successful Women’s World Cup in Canada? It’s not going to be easy. Attention spans are shorter than ever and a number of the players on the Canadian team face an uncertain future at the professional level due to the demise of the WPS in May.
One idea that has been discussed is to send the Women’s National Team on a cross-Canada tour, playing exhibition matches in cities across the country. Such an endeavor would keep the team playing together and would function as a promotional mechanism that would piggyback on the success that the team enjoyed at the Olympics. Certainly, a rematch against the United States is something that could be a great success in any market in Canada provided it is promoted correctly.
That said, if some type of tour can be set up, it should not be limited to friendly matches only. Instead, the organizers should look to make each match the centerpiece of a raft of activities from autograph and meet the player sessions, to coaching clinics for young players and some type of charity tournament for weekend warriors and amateur players. Engage not only fans but also young athletes. Looking for the next Christine Sinclair or Melissa Tancredi? They just might be out there and, if so, were likely genuinely inspired by Canada’s Olympic performance. Maybe they are in Montreal or Halifax or Saskatchewan? Inspire them to strive for level that the current team has reached.
Of course, all of the aforementioned will cost a lot of money. And in this economic environment it is easier said than done to just get corporations to foot the bill for this type of endeavor. That said, the Olympic success likely now has corporations and their brands even more aware of the inherent value in being associated with the Canadian national team and there is no doubt that many will want to be part of the Women’s World Cup in 2015. Therefore, the sales pitch to organizations must be to get on board now and that concurrently promoting the Women’s National Team and their brands over the next three years leading up to 2015 is a win-win situation for both the team and its sponsors.
As great a success as Canada was in winning a bronze medal in London, it’s not a stretch to say that the work of everyone involved – the players, coaching staff, administrators, sponsors, media and the supporters themselves - has just begun. The Women’s program has very strong momentum now and it is the responsibility of everyone involved in the game in Canada to play a part in building on the success that Sinclair and company achieved at the 2012 summer games.
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