The players fly across the green pitch under the blaring lights. Their bodies move in kinetic displays of devotion to their nation, their team, and their sport. In the stands surrounding them, tens of thousands of fans rise, cheering, from their seats. This is the moment where passion begins.
In 2014, the FIFA World Cup
TM/MC is being hosted in Brazil. This exciting event is closely watched by millions of fans around the globe, intertwining national pride, international sportsmanship and love for a sport that combines endurance, strength, and strategy to the delight of frenzied fans. Canadians, too, are riveted by the FIFA World Cup
TM/MC–including the hundreds of thousands of young people here who play soccer for fun and for sport.
Considered the world's most popular sport, soccer has also taken hold of Canadians young and old. Although the Dominion of Canada Football Association has been a FIFA
TM/MC member since its formation in 1913 it is largely since the 1980s that soccer's popularity in Canada has soared, particularly among youth. Beginning in the 1980s, soccer became the Canadian sport with the highest number of registered players, surpassing even hockey. Soccer registration in Canada has continued to outpace hockey registration ever since and remains both the top participatory sport and fastest-growing sport in Canada. Today, the Canadian Soccer Association boasts nearly 1 million registered soccer players in Canada, the majority of whom are under the age of 19 and almost half of whom are female.
With this dynamic global sport inspiring the passion of young Canadians, it is no surprise that Canada's international status in soccer has seen an upsurge over the last two decades. The Canadian men's national soccer team participated in both the 1986 FIFA World Cup
TM/MC and the FIFA Confederations Cup
TM/MC 2001. The Canadian women's national soccer team has played at 5 FIFA Women's World Cups
TM/MC. Canada will host the FIFA Women's World Cup
TM/MC in 2015.
Specification
- Mintage 20000
- Composition cupronickel
- Finish specimen with colour
- Weight (g) 0.5
- Diameter (mm)35
- Edge plain
- Certificate serialized
- Face value 25 cents
- Artist Steve Hepburn (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)