Soccer's popularity soars to new heights as FIFA sets the stage for the 30th anniversary of its biannual U-20 (Under-20) World Cup. Canadians are coming in droves to catch a rare glimpse at the soccer superstars of the future.
At a press conference held in the luxurious InterContinental Toronto hotel on Thursday to kick off the games, the organizers expressed their enthusiasm for this edition of the games as Canada gears up to surpass the record set by Mexico in 1983 when 1.1 million tickets were sold. The Canadian games have already sold more than 940,000 tickets.
Speaking at the conference, Jack Warner, FIFA Vice-President, was very optimistic saying that "several records will be broken without a ball ever having to be kicked."
Since its inception 30 years ago, the FIFA U-20 competition has launched the careers of some of the brightest soccer stars, including Diego Maradona, Luis Figo and Ronaldinho.
Colin Linford, President of the Canadian LOC (local organizing committee) emphasized the importance for soccer fans of Canada hosting these games, "We're now providing an opportunity to people to watch soccer players at the highest level in this country."
He further expressed his optimism about the games, adding, "We believe we'll put soccer and Canada on the map as we've never seen before."
Youth participate in soccer more than any other sport, surpassing hockey, said Bob Waite of Canada Post. "Like many Canadians, we started out as chauffeurs and ended up as fans," he added while describing how he and his wife got interested in the game because of their son. Waite, who was at the press conference to launch a commemorative Canadian stamp to celebrate this event, described the stamp as encompassing all the fundamental elements and excellence of Canada and the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
"The initiative to create a special stamp is a clear reflection of the growing importance of soccer in Canada," said FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter in a media release.
"As Canada is hosting the world, the world is coming to Canada, and Canada can reach out to help the world", said Kelsey Lemon, a spokesperson for SOS Children Village, the official charity partner of the FIFA-U20 World Cup. As part of its "Let's Play, Let's Build" program, the plan is to build an SOS children's village in Namibia for children affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Their goal is to raise $2.3 million as part of this campaign.
The U-20 World Cup officially begins this Saturday, June 30 in Montreal and Ottawa and will run until July 22 across 6 cities in Canada, which also include Toronto, Edmonton, Burnaby and Victoria.
The games will be broadcast live in Canada, on the FIFA website, and also in over 150 countries around the world. For more info visit: www.fifa.com.
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