Posted by

Melissa Tan,

January 22, 2014 Email

Melissa Tan

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In the next two years, three major women’s soccer tournaments are taking place in Canada. Let’s take a look at what we know so far about the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 and the TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games Women’s Football Tournament.



FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014



Edmonton (Commonwealth Stadium), Moncton (Moncton Stadium), Montréal (Olympic Stadium) and Toronto (BMO Field) were announced on June 2, 2013 as host cities of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014. With the exception of Toronto, where opening matches are being staged on August 5, the other cities are also sites for the following year's FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015. The tournament caps off on August 24 in Montréal, featuring the third place match and championship final.



Qualifications for the 16-team tournament will be finalized in early 2014. Confederation of African Football (CAF) nations, Ghana vs. Equatorial Guinea (0-1 aggregate) and Nigeria vs. South Africa (6-0 aggregate), are playing the second leg of a home-and-away series on January 24, vying for two available berths. With Canada automatically qualifying as hosts, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Women’s U-20 Championship wrapped up on January 19 with USA, Mexico and Costa Rica earning their spots. Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is sending one nation through qualifiers taking place January 15-24, which New Zealand leads with 3 wins and 27 goals in their favour. Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay are the last teams standing, battling for two berths in the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) region January 13-31. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) are being represented by China, Korea DPR and Korea Republic, as well as England, Finland, France and Germany, respectfully.



The National Organizing Committee launched the Volunteer Programme on October 8 of last year, recruiting talent aged 16 and over to support the success of the 2014 and 2015 tournaments. Fans have been eager to be closely involved and over 1,700 applications were received in the first week. Of note, those who also volunteer for test events and both WWC are being given “priority role assignments and the opportunity to take on leadership positions”. For a detailed FAQ sheet and submitting an application, visit http://www.fifa.com/Canada2014/volunteers and www.fifa.com/Canada2015/volunteers.



November 28, 2013 marked the first phase of ticket sales. Venue Packs, available until the end of March, are set to save purchasers up to 20% off regular match tickets, while those for groups and clubs of 11+ can save up to 30%. With costs varying from city to city, Venue Packs are approximately $52-$109 in Edmonton, $60-$139 in Moncton, $84-$194 in Montréal and $61-$133 in Toronto. Those who purchase ticket packages are also able to opt-in to the priority list for WWC 2015 Venue Packs in the same cities.



More details on sales phases 2 and 3 are set to be announced this spring, corresponding with the Official Draw at Le Windsor Hotel in Montréal on March 1. Individual match tickets will be available starting in April. As a Visa-sponsored event, Visa card holders will enjoy an exclusive pre-sale period.



FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015



Twenty-four nations will be competing June 6-July 5 at the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015, spanning from coast-to-coast in Vancouver (BC Place Stadium), Edmonton (Commonwealth Stadium), Winnipeg (Winnipeg Stadium), Ottawa (Frank Clair Stadium), Montréal (Olympic Stadium) and Moncton (Moncton Stadium). Edmonton is hosting the opening matches and the third place match, while the championship final will be in Vancouver.



In the midst of site visits to stadiums and facilities, FIFA Women's World Cup Official Host Cities Workshops, last week’s National Planning Sessions and other aspects of the WWC organizing process, two national sponsors were announced in Bell Canada and Labatt Breweries. Another four national sponsorship deals are available and/or have yet to be announced.



Aside from automatic qualifiers Canada, all other WWC 2015 teams are yet to be determined. The top five teams of the AFC Women's Asian Cup Vietnam 2014, being held May 14-25, will advance to the WWC. Three berths are available in the African region, culminating with the CAF African Women’s Championship 2014 October 11-25. The group stage of the European qualifying process will see 38 nations dwindle down by mid-September this year, before 8 UEFA representatives will be determined October 25-November 27. The winner of Oceania qualifying September 10-20 will be the lone OFC nation advancing. Finally, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL have three and two guaranteed berths, respectfully, while the fourth place finishers of the former and third place finishers of the latter will compete in a play-off for the final spot.



The Official Draw of the WWC 2015 is set for late November/early December 2014. Tickets will go on sale in the second half of 2014.



To stay informed on the latest WWC news, sign up for e-mails from the Canadian Soccer Association , follow the official Twitter account and “Like” the official Facebook page.



TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games



Billed as "the largest multi-sport event in Canada" with 7,000 athletes and 36 sports, the 17th Pan American Games will be showcasing some of the best talent from Latin America, South America, the Caribbean and North America July 10-26. Among the sports is the Women's Football Tournament.



Matches will be played on “FIFA 2 Star approved artificial turf” at the CIBC Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium, which is being built on the former site of Ivor Wynne Stadium. Following the Games, the stadium will then be known as Tim Hortons Field, home of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.



Further details on the qualification process and tournament format are yet to be announced, as confirmed by Chelsey Gotell, TO2015 Communications Coordinator, which are “currently being finalized by the Technical Delegate and CONCACAF/CONMEBOL.” Similar to previous Pan Am Games, the eight team tournament will be featuring U-22 teams (with a maximum of three above age players) on the men’s side and open-ages for the women.



With the Canadian Women's National Team winning gold at the most recent Pan Am Games in 2011 (a 4-3 shootout win against Brazil), paired with the tournament’s close turnaround time from the WWC 2015, questions are looming as to whether the full squad or a youth team will be representing Canada at the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games.



“It will be up to the participating National Soccer Federations and their respective National Olympic Committees to determine how to select the best players for their teams,” said Gotell.



Michèle Dion, Acting Director of Communications at the Canadian Soccer Association, added, “this will be looked at closely by John Herdman to determine what works best with the overall vision he has for the Women’s program.”



CIBC, Lead Partner of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am / Parapan Am Games, is supporting the development of young Canadian athletes. Through the CIBC Team Next program, chosen athletes are receiving financial support ($15,000 over three years for training costs), mentoring ("annual workshops and advice on personal finances, post-secondary and career planning, sport leadership skills, media training and public speaking" as well as “exclusive ongoing access to eight athlete mentors”) and many other benefits.



Among the 67 CIBC Team Next athletes is 15 year-old Jessie Fleming of London, Ontario, who earned her first WNT senior cap against Chile at December's 2013 Torneio Internacional de Brasília de Futebol Feminino. The list of elite athlete mentors also includes Kara Lang, CanWNT veteran of the 2007 Pan Am Games, 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2008 Olympics, aiming to return to the pitch for the WWC 2015. Fleming is the youngest player since Lang to debut for the team and, fittingly, wore the #15 jersey that Lang once did.



With Canada hosting these women’s soccer tournaments, there’s great potential for building the legacy of the sport in this country.