Soccer not in Windsor’s culture

By Richard Riosa

Walk into any pub or bar throughout Europe on a weekend and what you are likely to find may more closely resemble a religious gathering than a sports event.

Men and women of different ages and cultures all over the world are brought together by their shared love for their chosen teams or supported nations. This is the transcending quality of soccer. It brings people together and makes them feel like a part of something bigger. Soccer is looked at as a way of life, and not simply just another game, by most cultures in the world outside of North America.

Windsor resident Claudio Gidillini owns F.C. Soccer Inc., which operates stores in Windsor and London and specializes in soccer memorabilia and footwear. Gidillini said one of his favourite aspects of soccer is a culture’s ability to interpret the game in their own way.

“The thing about soccer is that South Americans, Africans and Europeans, they all have their own personal take on the sport,” said Gidillini. “I don’t think one’s better than the other, but they all have their own way of playing the game and understanding the game.”

Canada can’t compete with the rest of the world in terms of fan base. The amount of people interested in soccer in Europe is overwhelming said John Sobhi, who has been coaching and refereeing soccer locally for more than 10 years. He has travelled all over Europe and experienced the game in many different countries.

“I was in Europe and there was word of a practice going on for a B team and you had to wait in line for three hours just to get into the stadium to see them,” said Sobhi.

Sobhi has also attended Windsor’s semi-pro Windsor Stars’ games, with less than 100 people filling the seats. Although he said he has seen a massive increase in women and youth playing soccer in Canada within the last 15 years, he also said there is a general lack of interest in the sport among most adults.

This lack of interest, according to Gidillini, is partly caused by the fact that aspiring professional soccer players must leave Canada if they have any hope of realizing their dreams. He said although Canada has a healthy number of kids playing at the youth levels, they lack the infrastructure found in other countries in Europe and South America.

“Unfortunately there’s nowhere to go after that (youth soccer),” said Gidillini. “How do you become a regional player, a provincial player and how do you head toward being a professional player? There’s no way of determining that (in Canada).”

Sobhi said he also thinks the lack of an independently Canadian professional league, as well as the lack of high profile stars, have hurt soccer’s popularity in Canada.

If Canada qualifies for the FIFA World Cup, it might shock the country into liking soccer more. Having only ever qualified for one previous World Cup almost 30 years ago, this might be wishful thinking. Gidillini said he feels the main reason Canadians don’t hold soccer closer to their hearts is it simply isn’t a part of North American culture.

“Although we’ve come from diverse cultures coming into Canada, it’s like a melting pot,” said Gidillini. “We’ve assimilated to the American sports and I don’t think soccer’s being taken seriously other than the numbers of kids starting out.”

Soccer remains a casual pastime for a large number of Canadians and something much more to a dedicated few who hope to one day see it reach the heights it has in Europe.