Missing stadium not hurting Halifax’s host potential – yet
Posted Apr 6, 2011 06:35:46 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Top officials with the Canadian Soccer Association have spent the past couple days in Halifax, evaluating the possibility of it acting as a host for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
CSA General Secretary Peter Montopoli says the cadre of officials is visiting each of the seven contenders for host city to evaluate strengths and weaknesses before paring the list down to six.
He says they’re happy with what they’ve seen in Halifax.
“We would give high marks for the city of Halifax and province of Nova Scotia,” he said.
Halifax is the only one of the seven cities in the running to host the World Cup that doesn’t have a stadium, though phase one of a stadium feasibility study is underway and is expected to wrap up by September.
FIFA officials will be touring the potential host cities around the same time, and although Montopoli says it’s a tight time frame – it shouldn’t hurt Halifax’s chances.
“However, if things become very much delayed and it’s backed into 2012 before decisions are made, then I would say it would have an impact,” he said.
The CSA members were taken to some possible sites for the stadium and Montopoli says the CSA will work with municipal and provincial officials to make it a reality.
Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, and Moncton are the other cities who bid to play host. FIFA will tour Halifax in September and chose a host city early next year.
