1. The snowball effect: (adj.) descriptive of an entity or situation where something once small and relatively insignificant grows exponentially at a swift pace, engulfing everything in its path.
The CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament will kick off a new era in women’s soccer in Canada. The next three years will see the country host several FIFA international matches and major tournaments, and the best players in the women’s game will showcase their talents in our backyard.
It’s been a long time since Canada has hosted a women’s tournament like this one. Canadian fans don’t often get the chance to be this close to international soccer action. In turn, the Canadian women’s team seldom gets to play in front of crowds that are actually cheering for them.
For Canadian players Christine Sinclair, Erin McLeod, Brittany Timko, Candace Chapman, Robyn Gayle and Carmelina Moscato this tournament will probably evoke memories of the 2002 U19 World Cup in Edmonton. That was the first time Canadians paid attention to women’s soccer and the first time these ladies represented Canada in a major tournament.
Programming alert: Be sure to tune into Sportsnet to watch live coverage of every game of the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament. Consult our broadcast schedule HERE
For the younger set — Kaylyn Kyle, Sophie Schmidt and Desiree Scott — dreams of one day representing their country were spurred on by that tournament.
Playing in an international competition in a stadium filled with screaming Canadian fans will provide a truly measurable sense of validation and accomplishment for them. It was almost ten years ago when they watched from home as a group of teenagers stole the hearts of soccer fans across the country. Now they have the chance to do the same.
Nostalgia aside, this team’s main goal is to qualify for the Olympics. Nothing else should really matter. Who scores the goals, or how pretty it all looks, how many people come out to the games, or tune in on T.V. — these details will be irrelevant.
If they finish first or second in their group and then win the semifinal crossover match, the Canadian women can book their tickets to London. And that’s all anyone cares about, right? Well actually… not exactly.
The truth is there is so much more on the line here. Redemption after a disappointing World Cup being a big one; regaining the faith of Canadian soccer fans being another; and finally, the future of the women’s game in our country, perhaps the biggest of all.
Dig a little deeper and it’s easy to see how this tournament could be the catalyst for a revival of women’s soccer in Canada.
If last summer’s World Cup taught us anything, it’s that the women’s game has evolved. The quality level is improving, the competition is stiffer and new countries are emerging as surprise powerhouses. As a result, nations that were once completely oblivious to their women’s side are starting to pay attention.
As the popularity of the women’s game continues to grow everywhere else in the world, it’s hit a quite a lull in North America.
The constant battle to keep the WPS afloat is a perfect example. The league boasts some of the world’s best talent, such as Abby Wambach, Christine Sinclair, Marta, and Hope Solo. Yet, the American Women’s Professional League struggles to attract the necessary fan-base to make any money whatsoever.
Although after an impressive World Cup performance by the U.S. last July, things do appear to be on the upswing south of the border. Maybe now it’s Canada’s turn…
The young girls that tuned in to the U19 Women’s World Cup in Edmonton are all grown up and looking for adult incarnations of their childhood heroes to admire. Not to mention they’re now armed with disposable incomes of their own and the freewill to spend it on tickets to games and Christine Sinclair jerseys.
Then there’s the entirely new generation of impressionable could-be soccer fans, just waiting to be enthralled by a set of positive female role models. For parents, the allure of their child emulating someone other than Miley Cyrus or the cast of Twilight should be more than enough motivation to get on board. There’s a market out there to be tapped.
With Canada hosting both the U20 Women’s World Cup in 2014 and the Women’s World Cup in 2015, the next few years hold a tremendous amount of potential for the growth of the game. From a marketing standpoint, this scenario probably seems almost too good to be true for the Canadian Soccer Association and its sponsors.
Here’s how the ideal story line goes:
Cue aforementioned snowball.
It all starts when the Canadian women qualify for the Olympics and successfully bolster their fan following through this qualifying tournament.
The stage is then set for London. Fans tune in all across the country as the ladies aim for the podium.
A positive performance in London then secures the sustained popularity of the sport, just in time for the 2014 U20 tournament and 2015 World Cup.
End scene.
It’s all about momentum. The literal and metaphorical ball starts rolling on Jan. 19 when Canada plays Haiti at BC place.
It’s a foolproof plan, really. Except for one thing — it’s entirely dependent on this team qualifying for London. The ball will undoubtedly come to a screeching halt or at least slow down significantly if step one fails.
With no Canadian team in the London 2012 Olympics the outlook would be very grim. Winning back the already waning faith of Canadian soccer fans in time for 2014 and 2015 would be very challenging. If not near impossible.
So let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
It’s tempting to imagine the potential for this tournament to pick women’s soccer up off the floor and set it back into the hearts and minds of Canadian sports fans. But none of that will be possible if Canada doesn’t first take care of business. It all comes down to that semifinal game on Jan. 27th. We can’t forget the one thing that matters most for this Canadian team: a berth to the Olympics.
For now, it’s the only thing.