By Sheldon Spackman

Red Deer City Soccer excited for 2026 World Cup games in Canada

Jun 14, 2018 | 4:20 PM

The announcement this week that Canada will join the United States and Mexico in hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup has the Red Deer City Soccer Association excited for its impact locally.

Executive Director Greg Kern anticipates the news to result in significant registration growth in the coming years and kids getting excited to be out on the field.

“It’s going to increase pride levels of soccer, maybe increase the love and passion for the game,” says Kern. “Kids are just going to be excited about the fact that we’re going to have top world teams come to perhaps Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto. I think it’s just going to create more meaningful experiences for all soccer players in Red Deer.”

He says he’s excited to see Edmonton as one of the potential host cities, especially cause of its proximity to Red Deer.

“They’ve got the facility, they’ve got the grass, they’ve got the experience and the path,” explains Kern. “They had the World Cup for the Women, the Under 17’s and they are quite confident running a very efficient program up there so I’m really happy about it.”

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He adds he’s also excited about the Canadian Soccer League and Alberta Soccer Association trying to create a new high-performance league for the U13, U15 and U17 age groups.

“They’re trying to set certain criteria for teams in Calgary and Edmonton,” reveals Kern. “They’re trying to create a new league of high performance soccer teams and to be like teams playing against Calgary and Edmonton, so that’s really going to bode well for the development of soccer in Alberta as a whole.”

With this year’s World Cup now underway, Kern says young players locally can start training now if they have aspirations of competing in 2026.

“You’re looking at probably the average age of these World Cup teams of being maybe 25-27 years-old depending on the position that you play but I’m guessing that kids in Red Deer and Alberta and throughout Canada are thinking, ‘You know I’m 10 years-old, 15 years-old, I’ve got something to look forward to!’.”

Kern says the World Cup coming to Canada is a great opportunity for soccer players across the country and should be embraced and celebrated.

“I think all of the associations, especially the Red Deer City Soccer Association has to be committed to maximize the potential of every child, every player and just do what it takes,” says Kern. “It might increase some of the costs but provide facilities, provide more opportunities, more competitions, more tournaments but just be committed to the players and give them a chance to flourish.”

As for the current state of the game in our country, Kern, a former National Team player himself, admits we haven’t been to the World Cup since 1986.

“When it comes to high performance, we have not been that successful but our registration numbers are high,” states Kern. “We’re looking at close to a million soccer players around Canada and I believe it must be around two or three hundred thousand more than hockey in Canada. So I think the numbers are saying that we’ve been very successful, kids love the game but we have not been successful at the Olympic level or World Cup level but there’s the opportunity, there’s the challenge.”

In terms of getting over that hump, Kern feels Germany is a great example of how to promote the game and compete successfully at high levels.

“I know in Germany they put in about a half a billion dollars into their programs,” says Kern. “Some commitment from the city, some commitment from the national government to put money into developing potential for kids throughout Canada. There comes a cost without a doubt but there comes a commitment, a lot of joy, a lot of fun for the players.”

Russia beat Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the opening game of the World Cup on Thursday. Upcoming games on Friday include Egypt vs Uruguay, Morocco vs Iran and Portugal vs Spain.