On the heels of hosting the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the largest-ever women’s soccer tournament in the province, the B.C. government is announcing a provincial legacy project.

An investment of $100,000 will be used to specifically encourage more girls and women to take part in coaching and refereeing soccer at all levels of competition around the province.

The World Cup was a resounding success in B.C. with outstanding support and interest from both local residents and tourists from abroad. It is another example of the Province’s development of a five-year hosting strategy that is committed to ensuring B.C. remains the destination of choice for sport and cultural events.

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Close to 300,000 people attended the nine games that were held at BC Place Stadium, with four of those games either completely selling out, or falling just shy of a sellout. A new record was set during Canada’s quarterfinal match against England, with over 54,000 in attendance - the largest crowd ever assembled for a national team match in any sport in Canada.

To keep the momentum rolling on encouraging girls and women in soccer, the Province has launched this legacy to help ensure this world-class event will be remembered for years to come. It will focus on increasing the participation of female coaches and officials who are currently underrepresented in the sport.

Community workshops will be held throughout the province this fall. Each event will include a keynote speech by a prominent Canadian soccer personality and a professional development workshop focused on coaching, officiating and volunteer development. Each of the events will be free of charge to all participants.

British Columbia will also play host to a number of other women’s sporting events in the coming months, such as the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, the 2016 World Women’s Hockey Championships and the 2016 World Women’s Fastpitch Championships.

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Quotes:

Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes -

“The 2015 Women’s World Cup allowed viewers around the globe to see how incredible these athletes really are, but it was also the coaches and the female officials controlling the flow of the game that contributed to one of the greatest tournaments that B.C. has ever hosted. I am committed to seeing growth in sports amongst British Columbia women and girls!”

ViaSport CEO, Cathy Priestner Allinger -

“ViaSport is proud to be building a sport sector where women and girls are actively engaged in all levels of sport in every community. By capturing the energy of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, this legacy project will help to develop more female soccer coaches and role models to inspire future generations in all areas of B.C.”

Quick Facts:

• The base investment of $50,000 will be matched by $50,000 of in-kind donations from ViaSport and B.C. Soccer.
• Soccer is British Columbia’s most popular sport. Over 122,000 players are registered with the BC Soccer Association.
• While over 40% of athletes are female, only about 20% of coaches and officials are female.
• A similar gap was seen at the international level where, among the 24 teams who competed in the 2015 World Cup, only eight teams had a female head coach.

Learn More:

Check out the provincial government’s role in supporting communities, sport, arts and culture through the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development at: www.gov.bc.ca/cscd

Media Contacts:

Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
250 888-1462