Canada still finding football identity
WOMEN’S SOCCER: Many countries taking the field at the World Cup with colourful nicknames, but not hosts
EDMONTON — You gotta love the FIFA Women’s World Cup team nicknames.
The Australians call themselves the Matildas. As in “Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, I’ll come a waltzing Matilda with you.” China answers to The Steel Roses. The Netherlands goes by Oranje Lionesses.
New Zealand’s girls call themselves the Football Ferns.
Nigerians refer to their team as Super Falcons.
Norway goes by The Grasshoppers. Mexico is El Tricolor. Germany is Die Nationalef (National Eleven).
Brazil is As Canarinhas (Female Canaries). France is Les Bleues. Switzerland is La Nati. Japan goes by Nadeshiko, which comes from the phrase “Yamato Nadeshiko,” which translates to “Ideal Japanese woman.” England is Three Lionesses. Spain is La Roja (The Red One). South Korea goes by Taegeuk Nangia (Taegeuk Ladies).
Colombia is Las Cafeteras (The Coffee Growers)
So why has no nickname stuck for Canada?
There have been a few tossed around in second references over the years.
Reds. Canucks. Maple Leafs. Northern Girls. Snow Birds. But nothing has really caught. Not that Canada is alone in this. The Americans sometimes get Stars And Stripes. But they’re mostly referred to as just the U.S.A.
Could be worse. Ivory Coast calls both the men’s and women’s teams Les Elephants, but the girls aren’t crazy about that.
Thanks a million
Before the first walk-up ticket was sold in Montreal and Moncton on Tuesday, the FIFA Women’s World Cup hit the million-ticket total.
“As soon as the games come on TV, we’ve noticed definite spikes in ticket sales for the other games. We went past the million mark and after the first round of group-play games we can say we’re at 1,025,471,” said Peter Montopoli, secretary general of the Canadian Soccer Association.
The all-time total attendance record was set by the U.S. in 1999 at 1,194,221. Four years ago in Germany, the event drew 845,751 fans from beginning to end.
“I would say during the group stage we should get to the 1.2-million mark,” Montopoli said.
For the next Canada game against New Zealand Thursday in Edmonton, “of all our tickets, they are selling the fastest,” reports Montopoli.
But this game started at just under 20,000 at game time Saturday. The count hit 27,500 on Tuesday evening, with expectations of about 35,000 on a 29 C day, perhaps higher.
Using the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos as a reference point, last year the football team averaged 34,000 a game and $1.36 million a gate. The gate for the opener was over $5 million and this one is already pushing $3 million.
Last season, the Eskimos’ total ticket revenue was $8.9 million. The Women’s World Cup will match that in Canada’s three group games alone. The third Canada game, in Montreal June 15 against the Netherlands, hit the 30,000 mark Tuesday.
“The TV numbers have been incredible. It just came out on FOX that they had 3.6 million for the Monday game against Australia in Winnipeg. That was three times the audience in 2011. And that was on Fox Sports 1. The next two games will be on FOX national,” said Montopoli, who doubles as CEO of the organizing committee.
“So they’re going to get some significant numbers out of Winnipeg for their second game and Vancouver for the third game.”
New Zealand F.Y.I.
It will not be news to the players on the New Zealand team which faces Canada at the FIFA Women’s World Cup that Jerry Collins, one of the most decorated All Blacks rugby players of all time, was killed in a car accident in France on Friday.
But it may be of interest that he’s being mourned in Grande Prairie, Alta., a city 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Collins moved to Grande Prairie to “disappear.”
He met his wife Alana, a Regina girl, in Grand Prairie. She was killed in the accident as well.
Collins had become so well-known he was being stalked by nefarious influences and had to arm himself to protect his own life — the reason he moved to Canada.
Last Saturday, Grande Prairie and Edmonton rugby teams met and after the matches gathered for a haka — the Maori war dance designed to intimidate opponents, which Collins performed as captain of the All Blacks many times — in his honour.