Good afternoon, Madam Chair and honourable committee members.
In Canada we have the third-largest player pool in the world. Globally, the women's sports market and the women's player pool is growing faster than the men's market. Attendance and viewership are up. The commercial value of the women's soccer game is expected to increase sixfold in the next decade.
Canada Soccer is supposed to be responsible for the development of women's soccer in Canada. However, Canada Soccer treats the women's game as an afterthought. It has failed to put in place any structure, resources or plan for the development and future success of the women's game in this country. Instead, it has diverted significant resources to men's soccer in Canada, including through its support of the Canadian Premier League.
The division of resources deeply impacts the support and future development of players in our youth program. Our staff have been forced to cut youth programming, leaving our youth national team with only one camp for this calendar year, which puts the future of the women's program in jeopardy. Fewer camps mean less opportunity, which means we're less competitive on the global stage. The system for developing players is broken, and women are making the national team by chance, not by design. What kind of message are we sending to the youth who dream of representing Canada?
Our passion and commitment have always strived to grow the game of soccer at home and to be a world leader in women's sport. As a team, we have looked to inspire Canadians as we strive to be the best in the world with values of respect in the pursuit of being world-class humans and players, and a top contending soccer nation.
Currently, Canada Soccer does not reflect similar values on how it is planning, growing and governing. The opportunity for Canada to lead the way is here and now, but it can happen only with real change and the right leadership.
Thank you.