LIFE AFTER THE WORLD CUP!

[NC]

Guys, not sure what we are expecting from our current team ... however, what are we doing to help ensure that the next "highly qualified coach" have a better bunch of players/talent to work with.  I think it's Czechs who are donating a percentage of the income they are getting from the WC toward youth development in their country.  WHAT ARE WE DOING TO HELP TAKE CARE OF THE FUTURE???  ANY CONSTRUCTIVE THOUGHTS?

[Organic]

ye su right. we have to act liek a real footbalign nation and continue the mommentum now. the americans  did that in 89 and since then....they have been in every final. This should be an inspiration, instea dof we going to look for players, they should want o see if they have any trini linage and asking us to play. if we dont utilise this exposure and mommentum it might stagnat us. look at JA.  it seems they ahve to build form alsmot scratch every world cup now. we shoudl try to avoid that.

[leon]

The way concacaf is set up ie the preliminary rounds..and having to face Mexico in one ah dem rounds.....it wont be a walk in de park..

[kappy]

The development of the youth is essential ... the US is doing it successfully with their ODP program and the feeder leagues for the MLS.  they have done a great job of preparing the next generations of footballers from the US.  we need to model a program for talanted young players to start getting the experience from early.  also the local coaches need exposure to higher levels.  but the big thing is the money to make it work.  and that is where the marketing of the team with the help of govenment/ corporate will be greatest.  partnerships between the local clubs and foreign clubs is also a must.  we should start looking at south america as a potential target for sending our youth to develop.  Intercol is also a major factor in weeding out talent, the question is how do we balance that talent with getting an education, scholarships, sponsorships?

[pecan]

not sure what the answer is.  In Canada, there are more youth playing football (soccer) than ice hockey at the grass root levels.  Hockey was surpassed in the 90's yet that has not materialized into a National team that can get out of Concacaf.  There has to be a political will not only to invest in youth programs, but to set up infrastructure to allow talented players to advance and get international experience (scholarships etc).  Tough question!!

[AB.Trini]

not sure what the answer is.  In Canada, there are more youth playing football (soccer) than ice hockey at the grass root levels.  Hockey was surpassed in the 90's yet that has not materialized into a National team that can get out of Concacaf.  There has to be a political will not only to invest in youth programs, but to set up infrastructure to allow talented players to advance and get international experience (scholarships etc).  Tough question!!

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Well at the 'grassroots ' level the game is very popular; Parents eh like tuh see their lids stanidng and playing that boring baseball but leh meh tell yuh as the kids get older....... the media support and the general national support for soccer is not fully there as yet. I mean soccer going on and yuh could go in ah pub and them  continue to carry on as if it is ah flipping commerical on T.V.
   
  Fri, June 2, 2006   
 
 
   Soccer fever doesn't last in Canada

   
 http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/DallaCosta/2006/06/02/1611415-sun.html


 
There are thousands of soccer-loving fans who would like nothing better than to see the sport take off in North America.

That love of the sport is emphasized every four years when the World Cup is played. It captures the attention of sports fans even without Canada's participation.

"What soccer needs in this country is for us to make another World Cup tournament," national team coach Frank Yallop said. "That would spark the interest."

Yallop is right. In Canada, success breeds success. Four years ago when Canada's under-19 women's team almost won its world tournament in Edmonton, stadiums were jammed.

So a trip to the World Cup would be a boost for soccer.

But suggesting that a trip to the World Cup will cure the soccer woes in this country would be folly.

Even if that were to happen -- and with Canada competing in a region with the United States, Mexico and other Latin American nations, qualifying will be difficult -- there is no guarantee of long-term interest or success at the senior national level.

Soccer is a tough sell in a market so saturated with North American sports that there's hardly room for a sport that has had minimal association with this continent.

This is a country that calls soccer a boring sport, yet loves baseball. Go figure.

Major television networks only use soccer as a fill when they have nothing else to show. There are no major recognizable soccer stars. There is little marketing.

The United States is ranked in the world's top five soccer-playing nations. They've built a program that any nation would be proud of. Yet considering what they've accomplished, soccer is still looked at as a minor league sport.

A quick turn around the radio dial finds this conversation between radio announcers on WKNR, an all-sports radio station in Cleveland:

"Hey, the other day I was at a high school fastball game and kids were talking about this game between the United States and some other team in Cleveland," one announcer said. "These kids were planning to spend $45 to go see a soccer game."

"Yeah, the World Cup is coming up and it's a big deal in some countries," said another announcer.

"It just surprised me because I didn't think anyone knew anything about the sport and here these kids are talking about it. I haven't heard much about it."

The only thing missing is "and I don't care."

And that's the attitude that's so pervasive in North America and why the sport will forever struggle to gain recognition. While hundreds of thousands play the sport, marketing and media coverage remain only on an as-needed basis.

Baseball, football, basketball, car racing, horse racing, plus hockey in Canada -- all of these take up newspaper space and television time. While a one-month spectacle like the World Cup can sell, that about exhausts the limits of soccer marketing.

Canada lags far behind the United States when it comes to soccer program development. The next three years will go a long way toward developing the sport, especially with the under-20 World Cup being held in Canada, a new MSL team in Toronto and a new stadium.

But don't expect things to change drastically. There will be joy and celebration and six months later, it will be back to the same old grind.

 


 


 
 


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