Association thanks fans, partners for successful tournament in Vancouver

The Canadian Soccer Association would like to thank the fans, sponsors and the competing teams for a wonderful tournament of women’s football in Vancouver, BC. The Canadian Soccer Association also wishes to extend its appreciation to CONCACAF, the Government of Canada, the province of British Columbia, the City of Vancouver and the British Columbia Soccer Association for providing the necessary support to host the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament from 19-29 January at BC Place. 

“The past 11 days have been an incredible success for the sport of soccer and the Canadian Soccer Association both on and off the pitch,” stated Peter Montopoli, General Secretary of the Canadian Soccer Association.  “We could not be more proud of the Women’s National Team and their world class performance that has resulted in their qualification for London 2012.  The record crowds and nation-wide attention generated during the tournament is indicative of the country’s passion for the beautiful game.” 

Eight teams from across the confederation took part in the 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament. Both Canada and USA qualified for the London 2012 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament with semi-final victories on Friday night. 

The overall attendance record for the tournament will surpass 160,000, including what is expected to be a sold out championship final on Sunday 29 January. The Sunday attendance will also surpass Friday’s record-setting attendance for a CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying match. 

Average attendance for the group stage was 8,135 while overall average has been close to 15,000. The Saturday 21 January double header reached 12,417, a high for the group stage. The semi-final Friday double header drew 22,954. Before this year, the highest attendance for any Canada women’s “A” match in British Columbia was 6,210. 

Based on the capacity for the championship final, the attendance on Sunday is expected to be the second-largest ever for a women’s international “A” match in Canada. The standing record is 29,953 fans on 31 August 2003 at Commonwealth Stadium, an international friendly tune-up match before the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003. 

The 2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament has been supported by eight national sponsors: Amway, Canon, CIBC, Del Monte, General Motors, Look Company, Powerade and Teck. All 15 matches have been broadcast live on Sportsnet.

Canada 2012: Concluding Statement from Peter Montopoli