Canada "remains underwhelmed" by the FIFA Women's World Cup, with a "combined total of 21,861 fans showing up for four opening-round games in two cities" yesterday, according to Kevin Baxter of the L.A. TIMES. Empty seats were "especially noticeable at Montreal's massive Olympic Stadium, where attendance for a doubleheader ... was just 10,175." At about the same time, a France-England and Colombia-Mexico doubleheader "failed to fill a 15,000-seat converted track and field facility in rainy Moncton, New Brunswick." Four days into the tournament, "only two venues and four games have sold out: Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, where a Canadian-record crowd of 53,058 saw the tournament-opening doubleheader featuring the host country, and Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, where 31,148 saw the U.S. play Australia" (L.A. TIMES, 6/10). In Montreal, Jack Todd notes the WWC kicked off there yesterday "to empty stands, in an Olympic Stadium rendered even more gloomy than usual by the combination of the grey-green artificial pitch and fans cleverly disguised as empty seats." For the 4:00pm ET Spain-Costa Rica match, there were "perhaps 1,000 people in the stands," and by the time the match ended, there "were perhaps 2,000." That is "still a wretched turnout for an event of this magnitude." The official total for both games yesterday "was 10,175 -- but that would be if you combined the turnout for both and added FIFA workers and security people." An event of "this magnitude should draw the fans," and after "pretty good crowds for other matches across the country Montreal has produced an epic crowd fail" (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 6/10).
OFFSIDE POSITION: In Winnipeg, Bartley Kives writes it is "uncomfortable to hear tourists say they're less than impressed by the magnitude of the World Cup buzz in Winnipeg, given the prominence of the event on the world stage." Thousands of locals have "purchased game tickets," but it is "fair to say FIFA fever hasn't gripped the city." This is "partly because soccer still isn't as popular as hockey or three-down football." It also is because the games "are taking place on a handful of non-consecutive days." It appears "nobody took on the task of creating a festival atmosphere for these games, at least outside the arrivals area at Richardson International Airport and the immediate vicinity of the football stadium." When comparing the "buzz downtown during last year's Juno Awards -- a small event, in terms of tourist numbers -- to the Women's World Cup, you have to acknowledge there is less of an event presence in the city's commercial and cultural core" (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 6/10).
MORE IS LESS? The TAMPA BAY TIMES notes FIFA's decision to expand the WWC by eight teams this year "has led to inevitable lopsided scorelines." Germany had 10 goals "against newcomer Ivory Coast and could have scored 15," while Ecuador, another debutante, "conceded six to Cameroon, a first-timer that is among the lowest-rated teams in the tournament." FIFA hopes "short-term pain will result in long-term gain for the women's game." The number of World Cup slots "has grown along with the number of countries fielding women's teams and trying to qualify for the sport's premier competition." The aim is to "not only reward more teams with a place on the world stage, but provide incentive to countries that have underfunded women's soccer" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 6/10).
