Women's soccer in Canada

Soccer is not traditionally a major mainstream sport in Canada,[2][3][4] but the sport is growing especially in places like Nova Scotia.[5] Up to 85,000 girls participate in soccer, which is 41% of all youth in the country.[6][7] The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was hosted in Canada.[8][9]

Women's soccer in Canada
The Canadian women's national soccer team in a soccer game against the Australian women's national soccer team during the 2016 Summer Olympics.
CountryCanada
Governing bodyCanadian Soccer Association
National team(s)Women's national team
National competitions
International competitions
Audience records
Single match53,058[1]

History

Women's soccer was first introduced in Canada in 1922.[10]

Soccer in Canada has often had to compete with ice hockey as a mainstream sport.[11] In 1986, the Canadian Soccer Association designed a women's soccer program in preparation for the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament in China.[12] Which acted as a qualifier for the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup which Canada failed to qualify for.[13] Canada won the 1998 CONCACAF Women's Championship tournament.[14] In the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, Canada played Japan in front off 23,000 people.[15] In 2002 Canada lost in final of the Gold Cup to the U.S.[16][17]

Canada reached the semi-finals of the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup and reached fourth place.[18]

In 2006, Canada again reached the final of the Gold Cup losing to the United States.[19]

Senior team
Main article: Canada women's national soccer team

The senior women's national soccer team's best achievement is gaining a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics, defeating Sweden.[20][21] The national team enjoys greater mainstream support than their male counterparts.[22][23]

Club soccer
See also: Canadian soccer league system § Women

As of 2022, there are no professional or national women's soccer leagues in Canada. There are three regional pro-am leagues: League1 Ontario, Première ligue de soccer du Québec and League1 British Columbia.

From 2013 to 2021, some Canadian national team players had their salaries partially paid by the CSA and other federal government athlete funding programs to play in the National Women's Soccer League in the United States.[24] The exact proportion of salaries paid by the CSA was negotiated with NWSL teams.[25] Unsubsidized Canadian players could also play in the league as part of the international quota while others play in Europe. Canadian players play in the NWSL although all franchises are located in the U.S.; no Canadian franchises play in this U.S.-based league. Financial remuneration varies in the NWSL; the four-month-long league is new as of 2013 and salaries for unsubsidized players are not high enough to support them without other outside income.[26]

See also

References
  1. Ramsay, Caley. "Attendance record set in Edmonton for FIFA Women's World Cup opening match". Global News.
  2. "Women's soccer growing in popularity". Toronto. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  3. "World Cup proves Canada not just a hockey nation". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  4. "Women's soccer takes main stage". Canada.com. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  5. "Girls' participation in soccer way up". CBC News. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  6. "Women's soccer takes main stage". Canada. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  7. Hall, M. Ann (19 November 2017). The Girl and the Game: A History of Women's Sport in Canada, Second Edition. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442634121. Retrieved 19 November 2017 – via Google Books.
  8. "Growing women's soccer in Canada after the World Cup". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  9. Ghonaim, Hala. "Girls soccer in Canada: from small beginnings to hosting the Women's World Cup". Gazette. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  10. Fan, Hong; Hong, Fan; Mangan, J. A. (March 8, 2004). Soccer, Women, Sexual Liberation: Kicking Off a New Era. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780714684086 – via Google Books.
  11. Hall, M. Ann (June 1, 2003). "The game of choice: Girls' and women's soccer in Canada". Soccer & Society. 4 (2–3): 30–46. doi:10.1080/14660970512331390815.
  12. "Canada Soccer from 1982 to 1992 | Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com.
  13. "Canada Soccer from 1993 to 1996 | Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com.
  14. "FIFA Women's World Cup 1999™ - News - Women referees only at the 1999 Women's World Cup in the USA - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018.
  15. Longman, Jere (June 22, 1999). "WOMEN'S WORLD CUP; Bigger Crowds Watching Better Play". The New York Times.
  16. Longman, Jere (April 25, 2003). "THE SARS EPIDEMIC: SPORTS; Citing Illness, China Decides To Postpone Soccer Season". The New York Times.
  17. "Canada Soccer from 2005 to 2008 | Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com.
  18. "Moment 3: Canada finishes fourth at FIFA Women's World Cup USA 2003" – via www.youtube.com.
  19. "Lilly's clutch penalty kick ices Gold Cup title for U.S. women". usatoday30.usatoday.com.
  20. "Canada beat Sweden on penalties to win gold". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  21. Jeff Blair (9 August 2012). "Canadian women's soccer team gets Olympic bronze medals". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  22. "Why the Canadian women's soccer team is more popular than the men's team". Yahoo. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  23. Armstrong, Laura (7 July 2019). "Canada risks falling behind in women's soccer without the opportunity to play professionally at home |". The Toronto Star.
  24. "Canada Soccer announces 2017 NWSL allocations". canadasoccer.com. Canadian Soccer Association. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  25. "Canadian allocated players announced for National Women's Soccer League". National Post. Canadian Press. April 5, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  26. Kassouf, Jeff (April 11, 2013). "A quick look at NWSL salaries". equalizer Soccer. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
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