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FIFA Under-20 Soccer: Genuine or Artificial Interest?  A rant by: Rigel I know this tournament is supposedly a big deal worldwide and I know over 800,000 tickets have been sold, but how much real interest exists for soccer at this level in Canada? These guys are in the same age bracket as junior hockey which has, I think, 54 teams at the top (Memorial Cup)level across the country and 123 in the Tier 2 (Royal Bank Cup)category. But how many teams exist at the Under-20 soccer level, and I'm not talking about those in the various city leagues where there are a large number. I mean ones that can compare with their hockey counterparts by representing an entire town or part of a large city and compete against each other as in hockey. If there are any, they're Canada's best-kept secret. So what's the big deal about this tournament? Naturally there's plenty of TV exposure, but this is a slow time of year for television, and there are plenty of time slots available. Better yet, how much of a following does this tournament get here when it's held in some other nation? It's much like the Pan-Am Games which was over-hyped when it was in Winnipeg in '99; yet I wonder how many people would know where they're being staged (Brazil) this year. I think soccer is a great game, maybe the best team sport of all. However when you consider there are a million registered players in this country and Canada's international record is abysmal, it's obvious there's a serious disconnect between the lower and upper echelons of the game here. The interest and degree of competition just takes an incredible nosedive as the players get older. So I maintain the organizers and sponsors are trying to flog an event that has only passing interest for Canadians. << Back Add a Comment Comments ( Add a Comment ) IJustWannaSayThis says: 2007-07-03 12:43:54 Mostly a rhetorical question, but which do you think enjoys greater support - soccer or women's hockey? I'd suggest that it's not the sport itself so much as it is the marketing of the sport. Canadians (mostly parents) will support kids' hockey. And of course we'll support the NHL. But when it comes to university-level hockey or women's hockey you will find a huge number of empty seats. I firmly believe if soccer was marketed in a big way it might catch on, although I agree it will take several years (I'm talking 10+ years, not a year or two). And then only if there are quality teams across Canada, not simply one token team in Toronto. Rigel says: 2007-07-15 16:18:49 I know the US was upset by Austria yesterday and didn't look particularly good in losing, but I heard a European coach or official point out that now that the Americans are taking soccer more seriously and devoting more resources to it, they can be expected to be more of a contender in future. He said that in the late '80s Canada was ranked ahead of the US at the international level. Since then we haven't made the World Cup tournament since 1986, while the Americans have qualified for the last five in a row (1990-2006).Similarly at the Under-20 level, the Canadian team was thoroughly outclassed, losing all three games by shutouts when the US at least made the quarter-finals. I maintain it's a case of Canada putting far too many resources into hockey, an expensive sport to begin with, and leaving little for any other team competition. All anyone has to do is examine our performance at any of the major team international events such as basketball, volleyball, baseball and soccer, and they'll see how far back we finish. So unless there's some kind of shift in emphasis, we'll continue to bring up the rear. It can be done because until 1992 Canada did poorly at the Winter Olympics as did the US. Since then the two countries started backing their athletes much better resulting in both finishing among the top five consistently. In fact, the US was runner-up to Germany at the last two Winter Games, while Canada finshed a strong third last year in Italy. So improvement in team sports isn't beyond our capabilities, but a much better commitment will be necessary. Rigel says: 2007-07-22 19:59:42 Now that this tournament has finally ended, we still hear talk shows (the CBC in particular) asking what Canada's chances are in future competitions like this or at the World Cup. I'd say they're slim for two main reasons. First, Canada is highly unlikely to make it to the next Under-20 championships scheduled for Egypt in 2009 because the team will have to qualify on the field in the pre-tournament matches. It won't get an automatic spot as it did this time as host country. Then since it won't qualify and since the games will be held in a time zone 7-10 hours ahead of ours, few people except the ethnic fans will be watching. So any motivation to improve will be squelched largely because we're not represented and the cycle of sub-par performance will continue. And as I've said before, since there aren't any Under-20 leagues in the country, interest in what these players are doing at home will be non-existent. Just look at the Pan-Am Games which are presently underway in Brazil. Even with Canada doing well---though the competition is generally 2nd or 3rd rate---how much media coverage or fan interest exists here, particularly when most of the events don't attract that much participation anyway. It's the same with soccer where a vicious circle exists: poor international performances lead to lukewarm interest and effort and these lead back to poor international performances, etc. So it will be many years, maybe 30 or more or maybe never, before Canada becomes a major player in this sport |
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Your average Canadian isn't into soccer. But the majority of Canadians with roots to other countiries are. I myself find the game incredably boring to watch. But the majority of people seem to be into it. And it is cheaper to operate then all other sports