A $2.7 million ($2 million U.S.) investment in the Canadian Premier League that Vancouver FC plays in has been announced by the F茅d茅ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body for the sport.
Spread over 2023 to 2026, the money will help cover travel, accommodation, and match fees for league referees as well as travel and accommodation expenses for teams in the CPL.
鈥淎s one of the largest countries in the world, and with teams spread from British Columbia on the west coast to Nova Scotia on the east coast, the league faces travel costs and logistical challenges unimaginable in many nations,鈥� FIFA said in a Nov. 2 statement.
It was welcome news for Rob Friend, President of Vancouver FC.
鈥淏uilding a new league is hard work, so it is great to have the support of the FIFA Forward Programme,鈥� Friend said.
鈥淎t Vancouver FC, we鈥檝e already shown our commitment to creating opportunities for Canadian players, like TJ Tahid and James Cameron, and to play our part in developing soccer in our country. We鈥檙e proud of how the league has grown over five years and how our club has grown since it was founded. We鈥檙e happy to know that FIFA sees the values in the work that we鈥檙e doing as well.鈥�
A notes that matches between Pacific FC in Langford and Halifax Wanderers FC 鈥渞equire the third-longest away trips of any domestic professional soccer league in the world, with the two teams separated by 4,476 kilometres.鈥�
Andrea Pizzati, FIFA member associations regional coordinator 鈥� Americas called the five-year-old pro soccer league 鈥渁 crucial component in Canada鈥檚 football development pathway [that] has grown and evolved into such an impactful, solid competition.鈥�
The announcement comes as Canada prepared to co-host with 2025 World Cup, with Vancouver one of the cities.
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Expansion team Vancouver FC finished out of the CPL playoffs in their inaugural season, which ended on home pitch at Willoughby Stadium last month with a 2-1 loss to York United.
The CPL has said it plans to expand to 12 teams by 2025.
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