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OSA President’s Message: Less Than 100 Days Until Women’s World Cup Canada

By OSA News, 03/02/15, 8:30PM EST

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Though we are working our way through another long, cold Ontario winter, it’s easy to get excited already about what will be, starting in June, one of the soccer world’s most spectacular events: the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™.  

Ontario support for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ is building, and we can do even more

Ticket sales for the games that will be played in Ottawa have gone very well, with tickets being purchased not only by our Ottawa-area Clubs in the Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association but by Clubs throughout the province.

While Ottawa is currently leading the way in soccer club group sales compared with the rest of the country, we can do even more in Ontario as a soccer community by supporting this wonderful event at the Club level. We all talk about the need to “grow” the great sport of soccer in Canada. We all want to support and truly develop the young boys and girls who will be the future of the sport. This is an opportunity to host, on the women’s side, the best players in the world. Let’s take advantage of it.

District visits from the Venue Organizing Committee

Throughout the week of March 16-21, representatives from the Ottawa Venue Organizing Committee (Community Outreach Coordinator Khanh Be and Ticketing and Hospitality Manager Josie Pingitore) will visit our Districts to provide ticket information and answer your questions in person. Their cross-Ontario tour will take them from Kingston to London with many stops in between. Please promote these opportunities and find out how we can all help boost support for the World Cup.

It’s about what Canada can achieve now but also building a legacy for the future

Canada has a world-class coaching staff and world-class players now preparing for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be played in six locations across the country. Expectations for our women are high, but we are facing the world’s best. They need our support! Back in 2002, three western Canadian cities hosted the 2002 FIFA U19 Women’s World Championships.

The fan support was remarkable and players from that team still talk about the impact the home crowd had. Last year Canada, including Toronto, hosted the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup and our team showed that the future for women’s soccer in Canada is very bright indeed.

Our Canadian women will soon play on the soccer world’s biggest stage and this year’s games will leave a lasting impression on a new generation of boys and girls who will fall in love with soccer. They will be watching the players on the field, but will also be witnessing how passionate the support is and how much fans care.

Those vivid images will impact the future of our game in Ontario and right across Canada. The opportunity to help “grow the game” is right in front of us! Let’s do everything we can to support the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ in Ottawa.

Ron Smale | OSA President