The B.C. government is backing Vancouver’s bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada in 2015 with $2 million in funding.
Vancouver is vying with Edmonton, Montreal, Moncton, Ottawa and Winnipeg to host the soccer event, which is the largest women’s sporting event in the world. It is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators.
“The Canadian Soccer Association is thrilled to have Vancouver amongst the candidate bid cities and is confident that, if called upon, it would once again demonstrate its support for the beautiful game,” said Canadian Soccer Association general secretary Peter Montopoli.
Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development, said, “Our government is proud to support this endeavour, which would allow British Columbia to once again shine on the world sporting stage.”
In 2011 – the year the Canadian women’s national soccer team won a gold medal at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico – the Canadian Soccer Association won the right to host the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In February, Vancouver City Council unanimously endorsed bidding on hosting the event.
The federal government will match funding provided by provincial governments to help host the event. Should Vancouver win the bid, games would be played in BC Place.
The B.C. government expects to recover its $2 million investment through tax revenue and revenue generation by the BC Pavilion Corp., which runs BC Place.
