What World Cup qualification for the men's team could mean for the future of Canadian women's soccer
Men's soccer success could bring in cash for a pro women's league, say experts
When the Canadian men's soccer team takes to the pitch in El Salvador later tonight, it'll look to accomplish something the team hasn't achieved in 36 years: qualify for a FIFA World Cup.
"There is just an electricity and an excitement and a reinvigoration into men's soccer," CBC Sports contributor Shireen Ahmed told The Current. "This is a testament to the coaches, the coaching staff and definitely the fans. I mean this is really, really fun."
"But … the women did do it first and … we've had high expectations of results in Canada because of the women."
Canada's women's team had long established itself as one of soccer's premier women's sides. It has qualified for every FIFA Women's World Cup since 1995, and they've made the podium in each of the last three Olympic Games — including a historic gold medal win at the 2020 Olympics.
WATCH: Canada wins first Olympic gold in women's soccer
But despite their successes, those that follow the women's team say there are structural inequalities that are harming women's soccer in Canada — and without financial support and outside action, it could reach a breaking point.
"I think the truth is the women can't make young girls across this country dream any bigger than they've been doing," said Diana Matheson, former women's national team player and two-time Olympic medallist.
"There's no point in making them dream anymore unless we're going to build somewhere for them to work."
Where's the merch?
One inequality that was brought to light following the women's team's 2020 Olympic gold medal win was the lack of customized women's team jerseys available for purchase.
A month prior to the start of the Olympics, Canada and sports merchandise retailer Fanatics agreed to a long-term retail partnership that saw the launch of Canada Soccer's new standalone e-commerce platform, CanadaSoccerStore.com.
The website was supposed to "provide fans with a best-in-class shopping experience" with the quickest access to new product offerings, according to an announcement on Canada Soccer's website.
But fans like Ahmed soon found they couldn't buy women's team jerseys on the website — not then and not now either.
"Christine Sinclair is the most widely recognized women's soccer player in the world … and we can't buy her jersey," she said.
"We can buy a girl's jersey with [men's national team player] Alphonso Davies on it, but we can't buy a jersey with [Sinclair] on it? Like, it's unacceptable to me at this point."
WATCH: Big demand, small supply for Canadian women's soccer team gear
Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis told The Current's Matt Galloway it's "disheartening" fans can't purchase player jerseys, but said supply-chain issues have affected availability.
"These things happen 12 months in advance, and we are hoping to rectify that problem," he said.
But Matheson said this has been a problem long before the Olympics and the pandemic.
"The women have been pointing out the problems with the jersey situation for two years, so [it] predates COVID," she said. "And … they've got the men's names on the back of the women's shirts on the website, which is clearly not a supply chain issue."
Time for our own pro league
But a bigger issue still is the lack of a professional women's soccer league as something that could hold back the next generation of Canadian soccer players, said Matheson.
"Everyone who's played for the national team on the women's side has to leave the country to find work, and we need to change that for the next generation."
Following Canada's Olympic gold medal win last year, team goalkeeper Labbé told Cross Country Checkup's Ian Hanomansing in August that players must "continue to push to have a professional league in Canada."
"The fact that we're Olympic champions and we don't have any professional teams in our home country is pretty unacceptable," Labbé said.
I have no doubt Canadian businesses will step up and invest in women's sports if there's somewhere to put it.-Diana Matheson
Bontis said having professional clubs and a professional league in Canada is "very, very important objective" for the Canada Soccer board, and it's the number one element in Canada Soccer's strategic plan for women's soccer.
But he said Canada Soccer is "yet to seek and attract private investors to fund professional women's soccer" in the same way private investors have funded Canadian men's professional clubs.
"Larry Tanenbaum, private investor, invested in having Toronto FC in the MLS. Bob Young, a private investor, invested money to have Forge FC in the [Canadian Premier League]," he said. So finding investors to start a professional women's soccer team or league is the step Canada Soccer's at now, according to Bontis.
But Matheson believes that's not the biggest issue.
"There's nowhere for anyone to invest," she said. "I have no doubt Canadian businesses will step up and invest in women's sports" if there's a club or league to put their money into, she added.
Depending on how the men's national team does in World Cup qualification, this could include includes financial assistance from FIFA, soccer's governing global body.
Although FIFA is yet to detail the breakdown of prize money for this year's World Cup, the federation offered a total purse of $400 million US at the 2018 tournament. Teams that were eliminated in the group stage were awarded $8 million US, while the champion, France, was awarded $38 million US.
This is in stark contrast to the 2019 Women's World Cup, which saw the champions, the United States, receive $4 million US for winning the competition and teams eliminated in the group stage receive less than $1 million US.
Bontis confirmed that when funding comes from governing bodies like FIFA, "we will then funnel that into a women's professional league."
That has Matheson feeling hopeful.
"What the men [are] doing is not just incredible because it's inspiring players across this country that they can play in a World Cup … [but] they are changing the game because they're bringing money into the sport system in Canada," she said.
But before the dollars can be counted, Matheson said a professional women's league in Canada starts with Canada Soccer taking real action by making a plan.
"If we look around the world to see how women's leagues have been built, it's really simple," she said. "The federations make it a priority, they start a women's soccer committee with experts … and they make a women's soccer strategic plan that involves building a league."
"So hopefully we see that soon, and then we can start to put the money that's going to be coming into this country back into the women's game because … they laid the foundation."
Written by Mouhamad Rachini. Produced by Kate Cornick and Idella Sturino.
