Posted by

Aaron Nielsen ,

July 8, 2015 Email

Aaron Nielsen



Twitter

@ENBSports

Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device





For the 2015 Women’s World Cup, you probably would want a closer final. However, for most of those who watched the final game and the tournament organizers, a dominant American win in the end is the best result you could have after Canada’s elimination to England in the Quarter-Finals. Four goals in the first sixteen minutes tends to make you want to turn off a soccer game with the result already secured, but in this situation most of the TV audience for the game and in the stadium stuck around to cheer. This was mostly thanks to the careers of great American women players, such as Carli Loyd, Lauren Holiday, Hope Solo, Megan Rampone, Abby Wambach and Christie Rampone - a well-deserved applause for the effort they put towards the game of women soccer. Despite my very early prediction of an American win in this World Cup, and through following the Women's game over the last couple of years, I thought this tournament would be the start of a changing of the guard. This would be from players coming from the traditional national team and development at schools, to the new developments of Women’s professional leagues that are growing in European countries like Germany, France, Spain, England and Sweden. Clubs such as Bayern Munchen, Paris St Germain, Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona are increasing the amount of money they are putting into the Women's game, are seeing the Women's game as a viable soccer business and adding Women's soccer success to other successes such as the Men's and Youth programs. With France hosting the next World Cup, my early prediction would be these new leagues will represent the success in that tournament. First Canada, and in some ways the United States, will not be given the easier draw that they received in this tournament. As well, it’s going to be difficult for the Americans to replace their great players, and although Canada has some very exciting prospects, no one has the pedigree or an ability to impact a game like Christine Sinclair. However, the other impact will be the culture of soccer, with the women's game becoming more financially viable in Europe. Clubs will be playing full schedules each year of domestic and continental tournaments, while on off days training as professional players being in a state of constant preparation for the next World Cup. The United States and Canada do have a professional league in the NWSL, although it does not have the support system of the new European leagues and on its own is not financially viable. For example, the total attendance of the NWSL this season is less than the attendance the World Cup achieved in the Semi-Finals and Final alone, and at ticket prices at a quarter the cost. The worst attended Women's World Cup game in the tournament was four times higher than the average attendance of a NWSL game, and again with ticket prices again at a four times higher than the averarge NWSL ticket. Looking at the numbers, FIFA and CSA probably generated more revenue from the final game than the NWSL does an entire season, and the NWSL has the added costs of paying their players. As a supporter of the game, and one who has followed Women's soccer closely for 20 years, I would hope we can run a viable league in North America. However, if I was giving my honest opinion I think there is a better chance of the league folding by the next World Cup than it being viable for the next four years, unless something major happens like an MLS takeover. An example of an MLS run league is the league in Australia that runs a women's league in conjunction with their men’s professional league as part of their overall soccer package. It is a financial loss for teams in Australia, but they feel it’s needed to help grow the game in that country. To be honest, of all my issues with Toronto FC, the one that upsets me as a fan of the game the most is there lack of interest in the women's game. This season League One Ontario started a women's league covering Ontario including teams in Vaughn, Woodbridge, Durham, North Mississauga and three academy clubs. Yet no sign of a Toronto FC team who have a club in the Men's version of the league as well as PDL and USL and at the MLS level. They are all part of their development program, which is more marketing now than results, and will promote these teams as a way of them showing they care about soccer in our community, yet they have no interest in the women's game. What is likely to happen in the future, as we see in sports such as Women's Basketball, is the elite players in the United States and Canada will be recruited by the big European teams while the rest will struggle to find competitive soccer after their time in college. It could also potentially lead to players with options regarding nationality to change allegiance from Canada and United States, especially if it helps them attaining a EU passport so they have more options playing professionally in Europe. Although the biggest worry from a North American perspective is it will give us a disadvantage in keeping players motivated in playing the game, compared to Europe where countries can offer players a ten to fifteen year career as a professional soccer player if they wish to go in that direction. It's not all doom and gloom as I still feel regarding youth soccer the academy and college system is still better now here in North America and will remain competitive with any other system in the World. For those who do go on and play in the biggest professional leagues in the World, it should improve the overall quality of the player which can give Canadians hope. For example, if Kadeisha Buchanan signs with Bayern Munich, her career will probably develop more strongly than waiting for Canadian National team games and playing club soccer once her college career is over. The United States and Canada also possess a great passion for the Women's game at the youth level and with the college option it will mean that both countries will produce a large number of quality players each year to make both competitive in the World game for many years to come. The 2015 World Cup will go down as a successful event. The 1,353,506 who watched the tournament is over 500,000 more than watched the tournament in Germany four years ago. Ticket prices were on average almost $20.00 more per seat than in Germany and the World Cup in Germany generated the country soccer federation over $10,000,000 in profit. My cynical nature dealing with soccer in Canada is that the CSA will announce, even though it doesn't seem possible, a lower profit and I also don't have much trust in them in terms of what they will do with this money. The suggestion of using the money to start a true women's league is intriguing, but to be honest I don't think there is an appetite with League One Ontario Women's Soccer League attracting less than 500 a game. My hope is they support the players as best they can as well as provide an option to all girls and boys in Canada, the dream of one day being a professional soccer player is a possibility as well as playing for team Canada. The game of soccer is growing in the United States as the popularity in the sport also grows. I have always said if Soccer was the United States number one sport they would be a dominant country in the sport and the pipeline of players both in the women's and Men's game should make them a top 10 country in the sport for a number of years, with the only outstanding concern is creating the elite players in the men's game like they have done for the women's game. In terms of Canada, like the women's performance in this World Cup, it’s one of frustration. Yes we compete, but our role tends to now be more of a participant than of a leader, and we tend to wilt under pressure situations. Part of this is caused by our administration who runs the game opposed to soccer specific people. The other issue is, to most Canadians soccer is a game you participate in not a sport you win at. Like the United States, this is slowly changing, however, unlike the States we don't have the population or infrastructure for change to happen naturally and my hope is we use the success and return from this World Cup and make significant changes in the next few years so this past month is not just a blip but a true legacy.