FIFA 2015 Women's World Cup Trophy Tour to Inspire Canadians Across the Country

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 1, 2015) - Department of Canadian Heritage and Public Health Agency of Canada

Minister of State (Sport) Bal Gosal and Parliamentary Secretary Cathy McLeod, on behalf of Minister of Health Rona Ambrose, were on hand at Ottawa's City Hall for the kick-off of the FIFA Women's World Cup Trophy Tour.

With just two months to go before the start of the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015, excitement is building around the largest and most prestigious women's soccer tournament in the world.

This tournament, a signature event during the Year of Sport in Canada, will give Canadians the chance to see our best female soccer players perform on the world stage. Canada's national women's team will look to again capture the hearts of all Canadians just as they did with their inspiring run to a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games.

At today's event, Minister of State Gosal encouraged Canadians to show their pride and enthusiasm in cheering on Canada's national women's team.

Parliamentary Secretary McLeod spoke about the power of sport and how it provides many health benefits to individuals and helps build healthier, stronger communities.

The Trophy Tour will visit 12 cities across Canada: Ottawa, Montréal, Québec City, Halifax, Moncton, Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.

The FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 will be held from June 6 to July 5 with matches to be played in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, and Moncton.

Quick Facts

• The Government, through Sport Canada's Hosting Program, is providing up to $15 million to support both last year's FIFA U20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014 and the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 this summer.
• Through the Public Health Agency of Canada's multi-sectoral partnership approach, the Government of Canada invests $20 million each year to help Canadian children get more healthy and active. This includes innovative partnership initiatives where federal investments are matched by private sector partners in order to reach more Canadians, including:
  • The Play Exchange with Canadian Tire;
  • Build Our Kids Success (BOKS) with the Canadian Football League and Reebok;
  • AIR MILES Reward Program with AIR MILES for Social Change and YMCA's in Canada, and with the Royal Bank of Canada and ParticipACTION on the RBC Learn to Play Project.
• The Government of Canada, through Sport Canada, is the single largest investor in amateur sport in Canada contributing almost $200 million to:
  • Canada's national and multisport organizations to strengthen our national sport system and to assist our Canadian athletes and coaches, at all levels of their development, to pursue excellence.
  • approximately 1,800 high performance athletes, providing them with monthly financial assistance to cover living, training and education expenses to help them to focus on the path to podium.
  • support the Canada Games, as well as our national sport organizations in their efforts to host world-class international single-sport events in communities all across the country.
• The Government is committed to helping Canadians, and especially children, become and stay more active. The increase in the Children's Fitness Tax Credit to $1,000 will help parents offset the costs of enrolling their children in organized sports.

Quotes

"The FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015, a signature event during the Year of Sport in Canada, will give us the chance to see our best female soccer players perform on the world stage, as they inspire all Canadians, especially women and girls, to participate and excel in sport. I invite Canadians from coast to coast to have their moment with one of the most prestigious trophies in women's sport. "

-The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport)

"We all know that being physically active is an important part of our overall health and well-being. However, only four percent of Canadian children and youth are getting the recommended daily amount of physical activity. We must continue to work together to inspire our children and youth to be active and remain active throughout their lives. It is my hope that events like the FIFA Women's World Cup will build a lasting legacy for sport and will hopefully inspire more Canadians to take part in sport and physical activity throughout the country."

-The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health

Associated Links

Canada.ca/FIFA

FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 (Official site)

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