FIFA Women's World Cup Soccer Emblem Launch for 2015

On Friday, December 14th, the emblem for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 was launched from BC Place and I was there.  I worked in the VIP hospitality area.  This was an invitational event only with the VIPs and media.

I arrived at 7:30am that morning to start my shift at BC Place on behalf of FIFA/Soccer Canada.  As I walked in, I saw a lot of girls soccer teams.  Apparently we had 230 girls from soccer teams from all over the mainland to help with the launch.  They spent the next two and a half hours rehearsing.  But before they could do that, we had to help cover up any logos on the teams outfits that weren't adidas with duct tape.  Fun.  I know.  Once that was done, I went to the hospitality lounge with a group of volunteers I knew and we awaited the VIPs to arrive.  The lounge itself was like a mini freezer.  There was no heat.  Just like the rest of the building.  BC Place does not believe in heating the building entirely unless there is a Whitecaps or BC Lions game on that day.  We tried to layer our clothes but the cold air was hard not to notice.

My duty was to keep the VIPs contained in the lounge so they didn't get a sneak peak of the field where the girls were rehearsing.  Most  of the VIPs were running outside of the building cause it was warmer outside than it was inside the lounge, even though I had asked catering to turn up the heat.  Too little, too late.  But they drank their coffees and tried their best to keep warm.  The Canadian National Womens Team was also in attendance.  They were part of the presentation.

This is a video of Don Hardman, FIFA Event Venues Manager, who we work closely with.  He speaks about the Women's World Cup and what to expect.

Here is the video we were shown at the presentation.

Youtube is being a pain and won't show the video presentation so I'm putting up a link.

Colorful Canada 2015 Emblem Revealed

After the presentation was all done, we headed back into the ring road and organized shirts by sizes for the girls to grab as a souvenir and could maybe get signed by the Canadian  National Women's Team.  The whole event took 5 hours and then we were done for the day.  It was a great experience and although it was just a handful of us volunteers, which was all we really needed for this event, it went really smoothly.  I can't wait for the FIFA events to start rolling in this city.  I will be involved in the management side of things...not sure in which way yet though.

By the way, I really love the logo!

Womens Olympic Soccer Team 2012 Win BRONZE!

Photo by COC Mike Ridewood

Seriously, how sweet was this game!  After that heartbreaking loss to the United States by unbelievable calls made by FIFA ref, Christina Pedersen of Norway.  The girls really deserved to be playing in the gold medal game instead of the bronze.  Some people thought this match would be a tough one for our girls as they had to face France for the medal.  I woke up at 5am to watch our girls win although at times it looked like it wasn't a game going the Canadian teams way with France getting chance after chance at our net.  Their very best could not put the ball in the net.  They managed to kick it everywhere else around the net but never inside.  The Canadian team waited patiently and played defensively for most of it.  But once Diane Matheson found an opening, she made sure they nailed it in the last minute of play.  How dramatic was that! 

The wave of emotion I felt for these girls was overwhelming for me.  Fourteen of these girls once played for the Vancouver Whitecaps when I worked as an Usher at Swangard.  My connection to them goes as far back as 2006 when I first started volunteering for them.  Watching the women play were always a treat for all of us ushers.  I got to be around them again for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament held earlier in this year in January at BC Place.  I can't tell you how awesome it was to see Christine Sinclair smile when she won the Bronze medal.   She's always been my favourite and she's a super nice person too.

The girls flew back after the closing ceremonies and were greeted at YVR wtih a throng of fans to welcome them back.  It was amazing to see that.  They truly were the shining light in the Olympics for Canada!  Way to go girls!

Being welcomed back at YVR

Diana Matheson scored the only goal and winner of the Bronze Medal game.

Kalyn Kyle, former Whitecaps player and Bronze medalist.

Christine Sinclair, Captain and Bronze medalist of the Canadian Women's National Soccer Team.

The Vancouver Whitecaps held a ceremony for the CWNT on August 15th.  I had the pleasure of running into Sophie Schmidt and Karina LeBlanc in the suites at Gate H while helping an another men's alumni player a the time.  The two had just come through the gates to go to suites after signing autographs in the Bell Box during the Kick Off festivities on the Plaza.  As they walked in, they saw my alumni, D'arcy Boulton, who played for the men's team in 2006.  They gave each other hugs and then I had the opportunity to see their medals and congratulate them.   I truly am very happy for these girls.  I hope to see them again in 2015 for the FIFA Women's World Cup which I will also be a part of. 

Here's  the game winning goal by Diana Matheson, incase you missed it.

Re-Cap of Women's Olympic Qualifying Games So Far..Day 1

JANUARY 19, 2011

Costa Rica vs Cuba 2-0
Canada vs. Haiti 6-0

So, the first day of the tournament kicked off on Thursday evening with a double header.  It was Costa Rica vs Cuba.  I got the stadium at 2pm as I was scheduled to work til the end at 10pm.  There wasn't much to do at 2pm so we sat around and waited for a bit and chatted with other volunteers until it was time to get my team organized and head on up to the area we were working that day.  My area is Hospitality and I am a Team Leader.  My crew and myself meet and greet the VIP's of the tournament in the Hospitality area and help them find their way to their suites, bathrooms and concession areas.  We also try to answer any questions they may have.  Its a fairly easy and simple job compared to the other volunteers at the event.  Smile and be Friendly.  That's it.

So, at 3:50pm, 10 mins before doors opened to the public, I took my crew of three and headed on up to the other side of the stadium where the Hospitality suites are located.  I showed them how to get there from the bowels of the stadium and thru the 2nd floor concourse where the concessions were and up the ramp to our suites.  The doors opened at 4pm and we waited for the VIPs to come streaming in.  This, however, was not the case.  We waited and waited and then waited some more.  A few people showed up eventually towards the start of the match and we were more than happy to show them to their seats and to their suites.  Then more started to trickle in.  So once the match started, we all sat and watched it unfold on the tv screens provided outside the suites.  We were also able to take sneak peeks at the match from the tunnels standing next to the Ushers.

First up was Costa Rica vs Cuba.  We didn't know much about these two teams other than they have the same colors in their flags and they like to play soccer.  So this was interesting to watch.  Costa Rica won the match 2-0.  It wasn't a blowout but they were able to play and defend with great skill. They both had a decent showing of fans.  Not a whole lot, but the diehards did come out. Which was really nice to see.  Goals in this match came from Saudy Rosales and Wendy Acosta.

The VIPs were starting to come in a little faster throughout the last half of the first match.  These were the people who were there to see the Canada vs. Haiti match up.  The suites were filling up fast after the first match ended.  There was a 30 min break between the two matches.  I ran into a few Whitecaps Managers I know quite well who also came to see the Canada match.  It was great seeing my current and former team leads again.  I'll be working with them again come March. After some catching up, they headed off to their Whitecaps Suite.

Then the match started. It was obvious early on that Canada was the stronger team.  They had ball possesion almost throughout. Canada won this match with a blowout score of 6-0.  Christine Sinclair was the star of the show.  She had the Canadian team up 3-0 going into the second half of the match.  She got her fourth goal at the 55 minute mark.  The other two goals came from Christina Julien and Kelly Parker.  The dejected Haitian team didn't put up much of a fight in the second half as they knew they were being outplayed by Canada.  I'm sure they were just hoping the match would end soon for them.

If things weren't bad enough for Haiti, it just got worse.  There was a collision with their goaltender, Ednie Limage and teammate Samantha Brand in the second half.  Limage was carried off the pitch on a stretcher and later taken to Vancouver General Hospital where she stayed overnight.  Reports seem to indicate that she has suffered a spinal cord injury. She was unable to move her legs last night but has since regained some of the feeling back this morning.  She is still recovering at VGH and is speculated not to return to the tournament.  Wishing Limage a speedy and healthy recovery.  You never want to see a player go down this way. 

In the pictures above by the Vancouver Sun, you can see Limage colliding with her teammate Brand.

So that was how the first day ended.  There were 7,600 in attendance to watch Canada and Haiti play.  The Whitecaps SouthSiders were also there to support the Women's team.  They were all placed in their regular seating area and they came armed with re-worded song sheets to cheer on Team Canada.  Instead of Blue and White, they all donned their Red and White.  They even sang O'Canada TWICE!!  The crowd was energetic and fun.  It was a great match and it was even nicer to see so many people come out and support the Women's team.  Hopefully, the numbers will grow as the team makes their push towards their goal on the 29th!