By Canadian Press

Canada’s Olympic champion women’s soccer team wants to see investment in the game

Aug 10, 2021 | 4:07 PM

TORONTO — Members of Canada’s women’s soccer team believe their gold medal will inspire future generations of young girls to play the game. Kadisha Buchanan hopes that future will include a place to play professionally at home.

Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence and Adriana Leon were at Toronto’s BMO Field on Tuesday to show off their gold medals that they won at the Tokyo Olympics after beating Sweden 3-2 in penalty kicks in the women’s soccer final.

Buchanan echoed teammates Christine Sinclair and Stephanie Labbé when it comes to translating that success into a professional team at home. She said she hopes “something big” will come soon for women’s soccer in Canada, given the growing number of people watching women on the field. 

“The momentum for women’s soccer is building and I think it’s at its peak so hopefully with all that goodness that we can push forward and hopefully have a women’s team in Canada,” she said. “That’s the goal. 

“I would love to play at home. Doesn’t matter (if it’s) in Toronto, Vancouver, anywhere. Just to be (on) home soil and to have friends and family come to see me play. That would be very great.” 

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Canada does not have a professional women’s soccer league, or a team in the U.S.-based National Women’s Soccer League.

“I think we’re the only country ranked in the top 10 to not have some sort of professional environment for their players to play in,” Sinclair said Tuesday in a video conference from Portland, Ore., where she plays with the NWSL’s Thorns. “It’s time for that to change, and we’re hoping this platform will give us the opportunity to start that change.”

Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis said at Tuesday’s availability that the gold-medal win proves investing in women’s soccer is worthwhile.

“The gold medal was perfect because that’s what we needed in inciting action to get passed what COVID did to us in the pandemic and to now create a resurgence for investors to realize the return on investment that they can get out of women’s soccer,” he said. 

“My job now with my board and the athletes is to attract the investors who see with their eyes the type of impact and inspirational story that these women can make for generations to come.” 

Sandra Gage, Canada Soccer’s chief marketing officer, told the three players and Bontis on Tuesday in front of reporters that a women’s team in the country “just might happen.” 

“There’s a rumour,” she said. “We’re going to talk about that.” 

The Canadians stated going into the Tokyo Olympics that their goal was to change the colour of their medal after they earned bronze at both the 2012 and 2016 Games.

Leon said that after being injured in March and getting surgery on her foot, she was pushing through rehab the last few months to be ready for Tokyo. She said winning Olympic gold after all that hard work meant the world to her. 

“It’s such an honour to bring this (medal) back home to Canada. It was just such an amazing experience to be in Japan for the last couple months and we created memories that we’ll never forget. This medal’s incredible so it’s going to have to go somewhere very safe.” 

Reflecting back on how far she has come, Buchanan said she believes the medal means “dream big” and to never give up on set goals. 

“To be on that podium and to hear that anthem at the end, all the emotion just came to me so it means everything and you just got to find a way to keep pushing,” she said, noting she would be wearing her medal out as much as she can. 

Lawrence said watching the women’s team play at the 2012 Olympics in England made her want to play for Canada. Fast forward nine years and she has won gold as a player for the same team. 

“Being able to get this gold medal, it just makes me think of my family, friends, all Canadians that were watching, that were tuning in, but especially the next generation,” she said. “The young people that were looking up to us, [we’re] just hoping to inspire them like we were inspired when we were young. I hope that it’s that catalyst effect.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2021.

Elena De Luigi, The Canadian Press