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Canadian Women's Club Soccer


Vic

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I read the other day something from John Herdman saying he wants two professional teams in Canada.  

That's great for our national team members.

What does it do for the rest of the girls and women in Canada?  Give them something to cheer for?  We already have a national team for that.

What are we doing for the girls paying $5-8K a year across the country (to subsidize the development pool) who turn 17 and have nowhere to play?

What are we doing for the women who want to play the game at an elite level?  We are one of few developed countries in the women's game where there aren't year-round women's club teams that train more than once or twice a week.

It's great that John Herdman is looking out for his players.  And Pellerud and Morace before him doing the same.  We have residenced and given salaries to our women for a decade.  Our national team has advanced leaps and bounds since the 80's.  

The question is who's looking out for everyone else?  Because not only hasn't it changed much in decades, there are markers it's gone backwards.

I've been watching this monopolistic approach (to elite development) my whole long life and am really tired of it's inefficiency.  And I'm dreaming of the day as a country we actually value having elite women's club teams across the country.  Not a half-dozen national team players on a WSL team in Montreal or Vancouver.  Teams with 30 Canadians, great Canadian coaches, scouting 14-15 year-old talented Canadian girls.  Dreaming of the day like other countries we can get past the contextual issues and roadblocks to offer them something that, at least in my mind, they fully deserve.

Step onto a field with very young girls anywhere and watch the excitement and spirit with which they play the game.  Then walk away and think about the options they have to play the game seriously as they leave their teens.  If that doesn't get you mad you either don't understand it or you're in the wrong game.

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Mmm..someone else is also having similar thoughts

Ever since I have started writing for RedNation Online, one of my most brought up points has pertained to all the new resources in Canadian Soccer that have been generated from the three Major League Soccer clubs. However, with that in mind, it is a shame Canada doesn't have a professional women's club. 

http://www.rednationonline.ca/articles2016/WomensProfessionalSocceroverdueinCanada.aspx

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  • 2 weeks later...

[ 1 ] November 1, 2016 . The inaugural launch of the (sponsored) Tanzania Women Premier League with television broadcasts:

http://www.soka25east.com/tanzanian-women-league-set-kick-off-30-matches-live-tv/

http://allafrica.com/stories/201611010383.html

http://www.soka.co.ke/news/item/azam-to-sponsor-the-tanzania-women-premier-league

[ 2 ] Livestreams:          http://www.azamtv.com/tan/livestream

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I know it's not the PC thing to say, but I seriously doubt that any women's club in Canada would draw well enough to justify the costs right now, even with salaries that are to the point of being exploitative when you get to the depth players. That's going to kill any interest that a Canadian MLS club has in starting up a women's team IMO.

 

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Great women's programs exist around the globe, and hardly any of it draws well.  By that standard none of it would exist.  It exists because women just want to play the game seriously, and because there are great people everywhere who love the women's game and get involved in supporting programs.  That doesn't necessarily involve large or even medium salaries, or crazy costs.  It means give them good coaching and a good program and value them and they will return it in spades.  They do it all over the world.

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  • 2 weeks later...

From the FIFA website: 

More investment 
We are significantly increasing our financial support for member associations and football development to 5 million USD per four-year cycle for each member association from 1.6 million USD per cycle.

This means each association has access to 750,000 US dollars per year for football projects such as pitches, competitions and women’s football.

And every association also receives up to 500,000 US dollars per year for running costs in areas including administration and governance

So an added 1.25 million dollars a year to CSA from FIFA, what will the fund be used for ?

Put to supporting "Women's Soccer" we could see many more players pushing for National Team spots. A $25,000 subsidy to 50 Senior Women's clubs would fund travel for Regionalized Women's leagues in BC, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes  ( ten clubs per regional league ). That kind of subsidy would help to create a Vibrant level of Women's senior soccer with leagues running May to October.

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On 11/5/2016 at 10:47 PM, Vic said:

Great women's programs exist around the globe, and hardly any of it draws well.  By that standard none of it would exist.  It exists because women just want to play the game seriously, and because there are great people everywhere who love the women's game and get involved in supporting programs.  That doesn't necessarily involve large or even medium salaries, or crazy costs.  It means give them good coaching and a good program and value them and they will return it in spades.  They do it all over the world.

I honestly believe that the CPL should be looking to add female teams to the equation. As many would be NCAA-based, the league would be semi-professional. Leverage the infrastructure, look at double-headers, create a festival atmosphere for matches, etc..

 

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I see great private organizations and individuals all over Europe running fantastic programs for women with great training and turning out high quality players.  We have completely utterly and massively failed to enable and assist these people.  Talented women should not have to "play the game" and kowtow to a monopolistic system.  This is not China and that is not the way this country runs or was meant to be.

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  • 1 month later...
1 hour ago, shermanator said:

Until I hear an official announcement, I'm going to assume this is BS. Just like all the other "I'm hearing X is happening" or "a source has told me Y is happening" that we've been hearing all over the place the last few months.

Yes, but without these constant rumours, the turbine that's powered by the falling hopes of Canadian soccer fans would stop spinning and the website would shut down.

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Obvious gain for the Whitecaps, but unless it gets the women off the dole - nationally the gain from this would be slim to very slim.  The women it would draw are all playing anyway.  Very curious to see the funding if it transpires.

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