NZ: Hosts of U20s World Cup 2015
� Acknowledged Tahiti�s bid to host the FIFA World Beach Soccer 2011 and Oceania�s proposed bid to host the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015.
It was 1981, but I was only 4 years old, so it didn't come into my mind!
A few blokes from Australia's Under-20 teams have failed to kick on, or left the sport for other reasons.
One such bloke (Ian Rowden) has only recently returned to the game to head up the Western Sydney team. He had a good corporate career, but Johnny Warren and Co were trying to get him back for years.
Mark Koussas I've never heard of, check Google for info.
diego's son2009-12-07 05:20:50
From there, Canada had decent success at the 2003 U-20 World Cup in UAE, pushing a talented Spain side to the limit in the quarterfinal. As a so-called country on the rise, Canada was awarded the 2007 U-20 World Cup. Outstanding ticket sales and profitability looked good in FIFA's eyes for a minor league tournament. So Canada is already in FIFA's good books.
Next up for Canada is a bid to play host to the 2015 FIFA women's World Cup. Canada has been the favourite for quite some time. But now, Australia's seems like an underdog to win the men's World Cup in either 2018 or 2022, meaning they may decide to allocate promised soccer monies to bringing the 2015 women's game down under.
Regardless, Canada is very much on FIFA's map. And seeing Canadian Soccer Association general secretary Peter Montopoli and CSA director of communications Richard Scott as part of the FIFA setup in South Africa gives credence to that fact. Both men are intelligent and well respected in international soccer circles, boding well for the program and bringing hopes of FIFA getting behind the Canadian cause.
First things first. Canadians need to affirm their commitment to Canadian soccer. Why does our nation deserve to have the event and be granted an automatic bid when we fail to support our national program? South Africa was a similar case, with the masses not supporting Bafana Bafana. But the popularity of soccer could never be questioned on the continent.
Same goes for Canada, but the poor showing of our team leads to the illusion that nobody cares. A new Ipsos-Reid poll dispels that bunk, with 78% of Canadians finding it important for Canada to participate in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Supporting our professional sides is a step in the right direction, but it needs to grow from there. Heck, South Africans don't support their own domestic league, averaging around 7,500 fans in attendance per game.
Once a true soccer culture is cultivated in Canada, more infrastructures can be afforded and more top-class stadiums can be built.
As Montopoli pointed in conversation in Sun City a couple weeks ago, to bid Canada would require: "Ten stadiums at a minimum of 50,000 seats, modern stadiums and we have to do the math to tell what is needed."
Some estimate South Africa has spent $6 billion building and refurbishing stadiums and improving infrastructure around them. That's a lot of cake. Especially when you consider South Africa spent $137 million on the stadium in Nelspruit alone, which only played host to four World Cup games.
Are Canadian taxpayers likely to take that same financial burden simply to have the World Cup? Not likely, unless it can be proven Canada can play host to more major events, specifically soccer.
Regardless, the corporate community needs to continue coming on board with soccer. Canadian companies are slowly but surely starting to acknowledge there are other sports than hockey that can be profitable. Especially when it comes to soccer -- the earning power and reach of the game knows no border.
And if that day comes where Canada commits to it's soccer, we will make great hosts. Check that, the best hosts. Canadians are a lot like South Africans. We're kind, generous, proud and like to party. There's nothing wrong with putting on a good show, having a couple pints and making for a solid bar scene at these things. It's what helps create the atmosphere.
South Africans rave how multi-cultural they are, with the country having 11 official languages. I try to tell one and all how multi-cultural our nation truly is. For the most part, that falls on deaf ears. If the rest of the world knew how our cities looked during World Cup time, draped in the colours of all participating nations, we'd put any other nation to shame.
From a tourism perspective, guests and hosts couldn't' ask for anything better than Canada. The tangible benefit of supporters from 32 countries and casual fans from non-participating nations congregating inside our borders for a month is self-explanatory. And visitors would certainly feel at home in our various ethnic communities.
Canada is a vast territory and the expense of travel would be a challenge. But poor people don't travel across the globe to see the World Cup anyway.
So let's dream big Canada -- not only for our boys in red and white to compete in a World Cup for a second time, but also to play host to the world.
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Big Pete 652010-07-10 01:24:55I don't think that Tunisa is politically stable and safe enough to be considered atm. Wales might be there to appease the British Public after the voting disputes in the joint bids in England total failure. Dunno about Peru tho.
FIFA executive is totally nuts if they vote Zimbabwe . . .
FIFA executive is totally nuts if they vote Zimbabwe . . .
They already are totally nuts. And corrupt.
Zimbabwe it is then.
FIFA executive were totally nuts to vote Qatar
I've heard some concern that FIFA might want to give it to Zimbabwe a part of the whole "growing the game" trend, and perhaps work with the success of South Africa's tournament. That being said, it's still batsh*t crazy. And I'm not saying that out of bias. I'd rather Ghana succeed in one of their bids. Especially if most Ghanaian football supporters are as brilliant as the ones I watched Ghana v. Serbia with at Four Kings, had a GREAT time!
Canada was considered VERY close to winning the 2011 WWC hosting rights, however Germany had more government support. The 2007 Under-20s was considered a massive success, so in a fair world, I'd have a lot of confidence in Canada's chances. However as the 2022 voting showed, FIFA doesn't operate that way.
I don't think that Tunisa is politically stable and safe enough to be considered atm. Wales might be there to appease the British Public after the voting disputes in the joint bids in England total failure. Dunno about Peru tho.
Also bear in mind that Canada's bid plan is far from finalized, and the CSA (Canada's FA) is... less than competent. A lot of the motivation behind the bid is to access federal funding in order to build soccer-specific stadium as an infrastructure development project. No guarantee that external interests will align with that.
Australia never had the 2022 'sown up' - it was widely expected that USA would get it before the Qatar bolter.
Australia never had the 2022 'sown up' - it was widely expected that USA would get it before the Qatar bolter.
Meh. I'd heard it was pretty close between the two, but regardless the point remains the same. It was expected a sane bid would get it, and instead FIFA gave it to an insane one.
Australia never had the 2022 'sown up' - it was widely expected that USA would get it before the Qatar bolter.
Maybe Australians thought so. No-one else did.
This would rate very highly on the 'triffic-ometer.
The U17 Womens WC was great - these would be greaterer.
I just hope its not on around the same time as the Rugby World Cup
Announced 2.30am Friday morning NZ time.
Excellent news.