 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Favourite Links:
| |
|
SOCCER SCUTTTLEBUTT:
WOMEN'S SOCCER NEWS AND VIEWS, BITS AND PIECES
The word "Scuttlebutt" originates from reference to a keg of water on board ship, around which sailors would gossip. Hence it has come to mean gossip, rumour or idle chatter. News coverage of the women's international soccer scene has grown and ranges from fan views on soccer forums to newspaper reports to press releases and articles. These Scuttlebutt pages," give a quick overview of the gossip, trends, changes and ideas that are out there.
The ideas and reports written here no way reflect Rhian's opinions and thoughts. They are merely stories found on the web and the world's press; some may be true, some may be idle chatter. __________________________________________________ 7th September 2010 CANADA TOPS GHANA AT FIFA U 17 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP From: TheCanadian Press
Haisha Cantave scored in the 54th minute as Canada recovered from a flat first half to defeat Ghana 1-0 in their opening game Monday night at the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.
The young Canadians looked sluggish and failed to record a shot on goal in the first 45 minutes at Larry Gomes Stadium, located 25 kilometres east of Trinidad's capital Port-of-Spain.
But Canada came out sharper to open the second half. The goal came when Cantave, a forward for the Ottawa Fury, beat her marker to angle a header in off a Chantale Campbell corner. Cantave had engineered the corner, taking a pass at midfield and racing the length off the field before a defender poked the ball away.
Canada had another chance after a goalmouth scramble in the 58th minute but Campbell blasted the ball high. Canada plays Ireland on Thursday in their second Pool D match. The European runners-up lost 2-1 to South American champion Brazil earlier Monday.
WPS LAUNCH NEW TEAM FOR 2011?
At the same time that RUMOURS ARE SWIRLING about financial problems in the WPS league, a new team seems to be entering for 2011. The team is reputed to be the Buffalo Flash from New York . The Flash have been playing in the W - League during 2010.
4th September 2010 CSA ANNOUNCES CANADA-CHINA MATCH TO BE BROADCAST ON ROGERS SPORTSNET
The Canadian Soccer Association has announced that the 30 September Canada-China
home match will be broadcast live on Rogers Sportsnet. The Canada-China Women's
International Friendly match, presented by Winners, will be broadcast on Rogers
Sportsnet East and Rogers Sportsnet Ontario at 19.30 ET / 16.30 PT.
4th September 2010 LSK DRAW WITH TRONDHEIMS-ORN AND GET GOOD NEWS
Rhian and Diana's Norwegian Club LSK managed a tie with Trondheims-Orn, the team one place below them in the League.
The game started well for LSK. They scored 1-0 when Marit sent Ida Elise on a
run with a brilliant pass. Ida made a hard shot and Ingrid Moe Wold popped up
to put the ball into an open goal. LSK continued to press an d had full control
of the game. But, the opposition had a throw-in deep in the LSK half. Line
Bredesen sent a weak header towards goal and the LSK keeper fumbled it into the
goal.
LSK looked set for a win, but it was not to be. In the 83rd minute their central defender, sent a long ball that went over everyone to a Trondheims-Ørn player. She lobbed the ball over the keeper who had come out. The match ended up 2-2.
LSK's good news is that in the absence of Rhian
and Diana on National Team duty, LSK has forward Ella Masar returning to the
team from the Chicago Red Stars. Ella will miss the final two regular-season
matches for WPS, because she is recovering from nose surgery for an accident
last week. Masar has agreed to a loan with Norwegian club LSK. In the meantime,
she continues to train with the Red Stars and will depart for Lillestrom,
Norway, later this month for the LSK fall season. Masar will return to Chicago
for the team's third season in 2011.
25th August 2010 CSA LAUNCHES GOVERNANCE BLOG
The Canadian Soccer Association has launched a new Governance Blog for the general public. This will address questions from the soccer public with respect to the membership's approved governance framework. Posted questions from the public will be addressed by the Constitution Committee. See http://csagovernancemodel.blogspot.com/.
The Canadian Soccer Association passed a new governance framework at its Annual General Meeting held in Winnipeg, MB this past May. This contemporary approach to the governance of soccer in Canada will result in a clear and effective separation between the governing responsibilities of the Board and the day-to-day operational responsibilities of management and staff. This new governance model will address the specific needs and unique requirements of soccer in Canada.
23rd August 2010 SALARY CUTBACKS AND LACK OF ATTENDANCE KILLING WPS
It’s no secret that in THE Women’s Professional Soccer League's second season,
attendance is considerably down from its inaugural year. 20th August 2010
14th July 2010 OTTAWA GETS RED CARD FOR SOCCER FUNDING (From Gloria Galloway in Globe and Mail)
With the thrill of the World Cup fresh in their minds, federal politicians are asking how soccer can become more of a force in Canada. Recreational soccer in this country attracts 800,000 registered players annually – 300,000 more than hockey – but Canada is not a factor in international competition and ranks 100th in the world. Some opposition MPs say we can do better. Glenn Thibeault, the NDP sports critic, said Tuesday that Canada needs a longt-term vision for soccer. “It’s something Canadians are passionate about.”
Mr. Thibeault says Canada needs more coaches, better infrastructure, improved co-ordination of competitions, and an increased investment in the game. I am talking about a couple of million dollars to provide the Canadian Soccer Association with the necessary dollars to compete on the international stage,” he said.
The financial documents of the Canadian Soccer Association say the organization received $1.76-million from Sport Canada in 2009, which was less than the $1.88-million it received in 2008. The federal government, however, notes that it also spent more than $800,000 in direct assistance to athletes to help with living expenses, tuition and other costs in 2009-2010.
Vanessa Schneider, a spokeswoman for Sports Minister Gary Lunn, said the government is “very proud to support Soccer Canada at all levels.” But Mr. Thibeault points out that Australia, with a smaller population, invested more than $4-million in Australia’s soccer federation in 2009, including more than $1.3-million for college and university programs. Canada did a great job hosting the Olympics and it would be wonderful if it could host a World Cup, he said. “But we will never be able to host that if we can’t make the World Cup.” Denis Coderre, a Liberal MP who is also a former sports minister, disagrees. He said that when the Liberals were in office, he was making preliminary arrangements to bring the tournament to Canada.
But he agrees with Mr. Thibeault that the sport needs to be developed. “Soccer is probably one of the greatest natural games where you can have some immediate links between amateur sports and professional sports,” said Mr. Coderre. Soccer needs to be elevated in terms of its priority within the hierarchy of Canadian sports and needs to be funded on an ongoing basis, he said. There is a clear policy gap and there needs to be input from all levels of government, Mr. Coderre added.
29th June 2010 CANADA'S AMATEUR ATHLETES FACE FINANCIAL BATTLE (CP)
John Furlong, chairman of the "Own the Podium" advisory board, says amateur athletes need assistance in finding ways to increase their income. High performance amateur athletes in Canada earn about $10,000 a year less than what it costs them to live, train and compete, according to a report prepared for the federal government.
Carded athletes reported an average income of $29,649 in 2008, and according to the study conducted by Ekos Research Associates Inc. The average Canadian's personal income that year was about $38,000.
At the same time, athletes said they were spending about $500 a month more in sport-related expenses than in 2004, when the last study was conducted. Add in living costs and shelter and the average athlete faces $39,576 in expenses.
The findings don't surprise Jasmine Northcott, executive director of AthletesCan, which represents the country's elite national athletes. "Sport is expensive at the national team level," Northcott said . "There have been great strides at national team levels by way of "Own the Podium"financing for certain sports and for certain athletes."
"But certainly it doesn't speak to the broad spectrum of need and expenses within the national team athletic community."
John Furlong, the man who helped organize the Vancouver Winter Games, said Olympic athletes need more assistance in finding ways to increase income. "That's part of the role that the Olympic movement has to play in trying to make it easier for athletes to find endorsements, to find employment, to help them grow out of their Olympic careers and become thriving professionals."
"I do think what happened in 2010 is going to make a big difference. To be an Olympic athlete in this country today...is an enormously different concept than it was five, six, seven, 10 year ago. The public now has an enormous appreciation for these athletes and I think they support them and want to see them succeed."
Own the Podium was the $117-million program created in 2005 to help Canada win more medals than any other country at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Money from the program never went directly into the athletes' pockets. Instead it was directed to certain sports to help pay for training and sport science costs.
The Ekos study, called "2009 Status of High Performance Athletes, cost over $81,000. Interviews were conducted between June 2009 and February 2010 and the report was given to the government in March.
It said roughly half of most athletes' incomes are derived from federal or provincial governments. Athletes at the high end of the scale earn $17,666 from Sport Canada's athletes assistance program. Those at the lowest end receive just over $6,700. Add in money from employment, sponsors and awards, and some Canadian athletes earned over $49,400 while others took home less than $17,000.
One in four athletes say they have incurred some level of personal debt in pursuit of their athletic career with credit cards and loans from the family topping the list. On average, athletes owe about $7,900. The average income of winter athletes was $35,639 about $8,400 more than summer athletes. Male athletes earned an average $33,493 compared to $26,116 for women. Northcott found that discrepancy rather strange considering the recent success of Canada's female athletes. "If you look at the medallists, women have been taking home the share," she said. "But if you look overall outside of sport, in terms of the overall population, men seem to make more money than women."
The report found about 27 per cent of athletes are satisfied with the financial support they receive, while almost 54 per cent said the money is moderately adequate. Overall, athletes average about 34 hours a week training and competing. Summer athletes spend an average of 30 hours a week training and competing compared to the 42 hours averaged by winter athletes. About 42 per cent of the athletes under 20 are men while over 63 per cent of those over 30 are also male.
RhianWilkinsonSoccer.com is the Official Website of Rhian Wilkinson.
|