Be sure to mark Thursday Mar. 3 in your calendar. The events of that day could shake the foundations of soccer in this country to the core.
On that day, FIFA's executive committee will make several announcements, two of which will prove critical to the future of the sport in Canada.
First, the women.
FIFA will announce that the 2015 Womens’ World Cup will be awarded to either Zimbabwe or Canada, and it will be Canada.
The ramifications of this country holding one of the world's major events is huge.
The federal government has ear-marked at least $15 million to help fund the tournament. Much of that will go to stadium upgrades in the likes of Victoria, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Halifax and Moncton, with all showing interest along with the usual bigger cities where suitable facilities already.
I'm especially intrigued by Moncton.
Situated on the campus of the University of Moncton, the stadium there has 10,000 permanent seats and can be expanded to at least 20,000.
You may recall it hosted a CFL game between Toronto and Edmonton last September. Funnel some of that money into the place right away and it might be suitable for some men's World Cup qualifying matches by 2012 or 2013.
In 1985, a pro-Canadian crowd at King George V Park in St. John's, N.L. spurred the home side to victory over Honduras in the clincher to get Canada into the 1986 World Cup.
There could be similar possibilities in Moncton and it would resemble another sea of red, I'd wager.
And that brings us to the second announcement by FIFA Mar. 3. CONCACAF has gone public with their request for a guaranteed fourth spot at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. Currently this region gets 3.5. Trinidad and Tobago's Jack Warner, who runs the confederation with an iron fist, is also a FIFA vice-president.
The prevailing wisdom is that what Jack Warner wants, Jack Warner gets. That being the case, a fourth spot combined with a new qualifying structure only enhances Canada's chances of getting there.
It’s still unclear what that new qualifying procedure will look like, but we do know it means more matches, and therefore more chances.
So get ready.
Do not underestimate the importance of these announcements and the long-lasting impact they could have on the future of the sport here at home.
