Halifax joins race to host 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup

Halifax is one step closer to playing host to an international sporting event – but not all city councillors are happy about it.

The city is going ahead with a bid to host the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup after regional councillors voted Tuesday to approve the $25,000 bid application fee – even though Events Nova Scotia recommended holding off.

Major events director Grant MacDonald said the timelines are one significant problem.

“Well, honestly, what I feel right now, is I feel like I’m late for work because we have a significant amount of work to do in a short period of time,” he said. “But we feel confident that we will be able to engage the public as well as stakeholder groups so that we can have an informed discussion as to whether this is right for Halifax and right for Nova Scotia.”

The council vote to proceed with the bid wasn’t unanimous. Coun. Mary Wile (Clayton Park West) said it wouldn’t be wise to disregard the recommendation from Events Nova Scotia, noting the city has a lot on its plate already.

“We have the four-pad that Halifax has contributed, we have the soccer facility in my district that has been contributed, the Canada Games that’s being contributed, we’ve got bus terminals that have to be done and many, many other things,” she said.

Despite the fact that the city has about three weeks to submit the application fee, MacDonald still thinks Halifax stands a good shot at winning.

“We had been working on this process for months, and just in November, we attended a bid information session that was hosted by the Canadian Soccer Association,” he said. “We’ve been working with the soccer community as well, trying to determine their interest and now from here we’ll start to engage other potential stakeholder groups.”

If Halifax wins the host competition, the city needs a plan to come up with $250,000 for in-kind services and another $2 million for operating costs.