Official 2015 Women's World Cup Thread

[troutman]

What I could find on Vancouver Olympics:

http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Gam...y_2011_eng.pdf

Vancouver 2010 reached a record potential audience of 3.8 billion people worldwide and approximately 1.8 billion viewers.

That would be over the course of the whole event.

Montreal had the highest Summer Olympic US TV ratings up to 2008 (eventually beat by London):

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/wp-...summer2008.jpg

[craigwd]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

I live about a 10 to 15 minute walk from Commonwealth.

Parking is limited at the best of times and it is worse now. There is also considerable road construction and repair in the area. There is zero doubt that LRT is your best route.

Ticket sales now up to 46,000 for game 1.

Good news. Transit is free with your ticket stub.

http://www.edmonton.ca/transportatio...p-service.aspx

[Acey]

Originally Posted by troutman

More than Montreal or Vancouver Olympics?

Not even comparable. For perspective, the Super Bowl is around 160 million viewers worldwide, mostly in the US; well over double the Vancouver hockey final and obviously dwarfs any hockey game ever.

A run of the mill English Premier League game is four times bigger than the Super Bowl.

Not enough TVs to justify looking up Montreal Olympic numbers.

[Acey]

Cathal Kelly of The Globe and Mail just DESTROYED Edmonton in one of the most demeaning articles I've ever seen written about any Canadian city by a Canadian writer. Edmonton is no good and as a soccer fan I hate it here too, but Jesus Christ...

[The arena is] actively ugly. The field is circled by a track – the perfect bush-league touch that says “high school.”

The global audience is used to seeing this level of event played on landscape architecture so pristine it makes Versailles look like urban farmland. Canada’s version is going to look like the house that gets cleaned by piling all the junk behind the couch.

Edmonton, God love you. In some ways you are the romantic home of soccer in Canada. But when the whole country has to stand up in front of the rest of the world, you can’t be the first one talking. We just need you to stand there quietly, looking supportive.

No, no, not in front. They’ll see you. Stand behind Vancouver. No, on the other side of Montreal. All right, why don’t you just crouch down behind Halifax and we’ll hope everyone thinks you’re Ottawa.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...ticle24817480/

It's true that there's not enough buzz around town, but I don't particularly care for this section...

The locals don’t seem all that interested. As of Thursday, the game was 5,000 seats short of a sellout according to organizers.

...given that Commonwealth seats 30k more than BMO Field in Toronto where he wants the opener played, and Edmonton is 1/5 the size of Toronto.

Thoughts?

[WCW Nitro]

Originally Posted by Acey

Cathal Kelly of The Globe and Mail just DESTROYED Edmonton in one of the most demeaning articles I've ever seen written about any Canadian city by a Canadian writer. Edmonton is no good and as a soccer fan I hate it here too, but Jesus Christ...



http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...ticle24817480/

It's true that there's not enough buzz around town, but I don't particularly care for this section...



...given that Commonwealth seats 30k more than BMO Field in Toronto where he wants the opener played, and Edmonton is 1/5 the size of Toronto.

Thoughts?

What a ridiculous article. There is not one person who will be thinking why the opener was not in Toronto. As an opener, you make more of an impression with crowd size and BMO field can't deliver that. If I had a choice, I might have gone with Montreal, nice link with the Olympic Stadium being the venue for the last major truly worldwide sports event and you get the optics of 50,000+ fans. But Edmonton should be fine

[GirlySports]

What a terrible article. Even as a position paper (where the position is irrelevant), if I were to grade this as a high school paper I'd give it an F.

How can he start a paper with the last World Cup opener was in a famous place like the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, crap on Commonwealth and then say it should be placed at BMO Field? What is BMO Field? What famous event has it held?

[Magnum PEI]

LOL, The Berlin stadium has a track around the field too. I actually think BMO is kind of bush league. The sidelines are cramped, it only holds 20,000, and it has field turf too. It would be kind of like England playing their games at White Hart Lane instead of Wembley.

[Addick]

Where to start?

1. The glamorous Olympicstadion has an iconic blue track.
2. Commonwealth is a legacy stadium that is a bit of a cougar in terms of stadia. Compare this to the younger BMO that looks temporary and began to fall apart during its first season.
3. Commonwealth has a larger capacity and a higher percentage will actually be cheering for the host opposed to the smaller pro-opposition crowds at BMO.

[GirlySports]

He article would make more sense if he argued the opening game in Montreal.
But of course it has to be Toronto.

[Tyler]

I think Edmonton is perfect city for women's soccer.

[Ruttiger]

I know dumping on Edmonton is the thing to do on this board - I get it. I've never lived in the city and I do think it gets a bad rap, but I get rivalries. So I appreciate that even contributors to this board recognize the idiocy of that article.

Anyone with even a cursory understanding of sporting history in this country knows Edmonton will do a spectacular job. They always do with large events - the venue will be full (only 900 seats remaining as of this morning out of 50,000 - think about that for a moment as it relates to women's soccer in Canada), people will be supporting the appropriate team, the weather forecast is perfect. BMO field in Toronto would arguably be no better than the 4th choice in this country to showcase the opener for the world.

[Moderator]

A word to the wise: don't even think about turning this thread into a bashing women's sports or Edmonton. Discussing the article is fine, but this is the first and final warning about looking down on both or either.

[Ozy_Flame]

There are a #### ton of people going to this game. All the hotels are booked up in Edmonton (my friends are coming to the game, couldn't find anything last minute except on the extremities of town), and 5000 short of a sell-out at Commonwealth? That's Grey Cup or Heritage Classic level commitment, probably more.

I went to the U-23 Women's game last year between Canada and Germany, and it was an absolutely blast - Commonwealth is a great place to be in live when it's full. It's going to look amazing on TV and people are going to wonder how Canadian soccer games can fill up that big of a stadium.

Like it or not, Edmonton is way more of a soccer town than most people give it credit for, especially Calgarians - if we can make it to the same level of pro soccer support here in Calgary within 10 years, I'll be impressed.

[shermanator]

I hate Edmonton as much as the next guy, but that article is just pathetic trollbait from a terrible writer. Not to mention, Toronto isn't exactly known for its raucous support of the national teams.

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Like it or not, Edmonton is way more of a soccer town than most people give it credit for, especially Calgarians - if we can make it to the same level of pro soccer support here in Calgary within 10 years, I'll be impressed.

+1 to this. Edmonton has been a soccer hub for the national teams for years, and while some of the luster is off their support as of late, folks in Calgary would kill for the soccer scene they have there. As far as I've scene there are 750 soccer mom and kids and 15-20 rowdies currently, we have a long way to go to get to Edmonton levels of support.

Plus, I think this actually looks pretty good myself. Can't wait to share photos from the Voyageurs section!

[browna]

While the article is terrible, though part of me thinks there's a large aspect Kelly trolling for the response he is now getting, when strictly taking about Commonwealth, he's not wrong.

Not that he is remotely right about Toronto or any other aspects of that article. As much as I like to pile on Edmonton due to many many experiences there over the past 30 years, taking pot shots at the support, before the event starts, is offside.

But as a stadium, for a world class event, it's adequate at best. I've been to Commonwealth to watch soccer a bunch of times, Brazil Canada about this time in June 21 years ago and the odd friendly and WC qualifying match since, and among other issues, there is no atmosphere there,likely as the seats are removed from the field so much.

Also, recall the British writer who also ripped the stadium (and city) for the World Track Championships up there so many years ago.

Problem is, there are no world class stadiums for soccer in the country (and not withstanding the fact that none are grass) . Haven't personally seen the refurbishment to BC Place, but that's maybe as close as there is. But it's in a Dome. Montreal is like playing in a parking garage, and Molson field is too small even for the CFL (the field dimensions I mean). Winnipeg's stadium may be new, but to me, looks clumsily laid out or 3/4 complete. Toronto has Sky dome which doesn't host soccer because of its wierd layout, and BMO field which is perfect for Mls, and CFL, but not much more,and nowhere near the capacity of BC Place or Commonwealth.

So, Commonwealth may not be the best pick in the country, but it's not the worst pick either, and piling into the city on top of that, in favour of Toronto as if the the writer wishes he didnt have to go on a plane to do his job, is ridiculous.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by browna

While the article is terrible, though part of me thinks there's a large aspect Kelly trolling for the response he is now getting, when strictly taking about Commonwealth, he's not wrong.

Not that he is remotely right about Toronto or any other aspects of that article. As much as I like to pile on Edmonton due to many many experiences there over the past 30 years, taking pot shots at the support, before the event starts, is offside.

But as a stadium, for a world class event, it's adequate at best. I've been to Commonwealth to watch soccer a bunch of times, Brazil Canada about this time in June 21 years ago and the odd friendly and WC qualifying match since, and among other issues, there is no atmosphere there,likely as the seats are removed from the field so much.

Also, recall the British writer who also ripped the stadium (and city) for the World Track Championships up there so many years ago.

Problem is, there are no world class stadiums for soccer in the country (and not withstanding the fact that none are grass) . Haven't personally seen the refurbishment to BC Place, but that's maybe as close as there is. But it's in a Dome. Montreal is like playing in a parking garage, and Molson field is too small even for the CFL (the field dimensions I mean). Winnipeg's stadium may be new, but to me, looks clumsily laid out or 3/4 complete. Toronto has Sky dome which doesn't host soccer because of its wierd layout, and BMO field which is perfect for Mls, and CFL, but not much more,and nowhere near the capacity of BC Place or Commonwealth.

So, Commonwealth may not be the best pick in the country, but it's not the worst pick either, and piling into the city on top of that, in favour of Toronto as if the the writer wishes he didnt have to go on a plane to do his job, is ridiculous.

There are only two problems with BC Place. The cost, and the turf.

They spent $500 million plus, basically to put a retractable roof on the old BC Place. The soccer viewing is pretty darn good, but again, it's turf. Turf will never be grass no matter how hard they try.

Commonwealth is probably the best soccer stadium in Canada. I've been to BMO it's kinda sucky. And small.

I don't agree there is some conspiracy gender equality issue with this world cup, it's more of a "Canada is more of a CFL country than a soccer country" and that is the reason all the stadiums are turf not grass.

[browna]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

There are only two problems with BC Place. The cost, and the turf.

They spent $500 million plus, basically to put a retractable roof on the old BC Place. The soccer viewing is pretty darn good, but again, it's turf. Turf will never be grass no matter how hard they try.

Commonwealth is probably the best soccer stadium in Canada. I've been to BMO it's kinda sucky. And small.

I don't agree there is some conspiracy gender equality issue with this world cup, it's more of a "Canada is more of a CFL country than a soccer country" and that is the reason all the stadiums are turf not grass.

Well who cares about the cost to the paying public? BC Taxpayers (and probably all of us taxpayers, I assume the Feds kicked in for some of those BC Place renos for Vancouver 2010).

Grass could be brought in (like they do in Phoenix for NFL, and as they did at the Silverdome for World Cup 1994) to BC Place if required. The seating configuration and I assume concourses are miles ahead of Edmonton (where grass could be brought in too) where the seating isn't ideal.

[shermanator]

With the complete lack of support for pro soccer in this country everywhere (arguably Vancouver and Toronto as well), is it really a surprise that we don't have any world class soccer stadiums?

The turf vs grass thing is a moot point really. Grass does not grow well in this country for long enough due to our climate to make it viable for the majority of teams. Does anyone remember CFL games in the fall at Commonwealth? The grass was brown and players said it was like playing on concrete. Did anyone watch the TFC home opener last year in March? The turf was brown and there were divots everywhere.

So, while grass is obviously the preferred option, it's just not realistic in Canada.

[GirlySports]

yeah it sucks that there is no grass for this tournament but that was the Canadian bid. The only other bid was Zimbabwe.

The Europeans sat out this time because they got 2011 and 2019 (France). It's kind of weird that Korea bid against France in 2019, if they had bid against Canada in 2015, they probably would have won.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by browna

Well who cares about the cost to the paying public? BC Taxpayers (and probably all of us taxpayers, I assume the Feds kicked in for some of those BC Place renos for Vancouver 2010).

It wasn't renovated until after the Olympics.