Less than a month before tourney opener, all quiet in Canada on the Women's World Cup front

In less than 30 days, the world comes to Canada. But it seems like Canada doesn't know yet. Or if it does, maybe it's just not particularly bothered.

After all, there are more pressing things to worry about. There are the NHL and NBA playoffs for instance, despite the decreasing presence of Canadian participation. There is the CFL season to contend with and next month’s NHL draft, too. It seems the Women's World Cup is an afterthought. Should we be worried? Well, it depends on what stakeholders want from this summer's tournament.

There's a buzzword that usually permeates the preparations for any World Cup: legacy. What will hosting the competition mean for the sport in the long term? In Canada, certain pockets of the country already have well-established relationships with soccer – Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton. But for other cities like Winnipeg and Moncton, welcoming the world in the coming weeks would appear the perfect opportunity to finally embrace a sport that they've largely ignored and underappreciated.

For these communities, it would seem the major jumping-off point, when work can finally start on building a proper future for soccer. Instead, it seems the World Cup will be a brief interlude in Manitoba and New Brunswick, a mere punctuation mark in the relentlessly traditional and tiresome Canadian sports conversation.

A recent TV report in Moncton revealed the bad news: ticket sales haven't been great. Stephan Delisle, the general manager of the city's stadium, offered the following explanation:

“I believe that some people who may not have realized it was coming are now going to go 'Wow, okay, it's one month out, I need to be there’.”

Maybe to others it makes a modicum of sense but not to me. How, in a relatively tiny place, can people “not have realized” a World Cup is on its way? That in a manner of weeks, elite athletes from England, France, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Ivory Coast, Norway and Costa Rica will be based there, competing in a major international competition that's worth millions of dollars to the local economy?

On June 9, Moncton hosts its first game and it's a mouthwatering prospect. It's a Group F clash between the third-best team in the world (France) and the sixth-best (England). It's a derby, of sorts. It's a rivalry. It's got spice and history and intrigue. Above all else though, it will be a high-quality encounter. And yet, right now, tickets are widely (to the point of embarrassingly) available.

Are many put off by the price of a live sports event? Well, you can be there for a modest $35. And, don't forget, each group game is actually a double-header. So, one ticket for France -England also gets you access to Colombia's clash with Mexico later that afternoon. That $35 looks like a bargain, doesn't it? Someone should tell the locals.

The same TV report ended with a city representative warning of heavy traffic and possible road closures during Moncton's hosting of games. Thanks for the heads-up.

In Winnipeg, it’s a slightly different story. The city doesn't have to worry too much about tickets. Why? Well, because the United States will play two of their Group D games there. Back in March, it was announced the USA's clash with Sweden, penciled in for Investors Group Field on June 12, was sold out. The stadium is also close to capacity for the Americans' group opener against Nigeria four days before. There are no hotel rooms left in Winnipeg, everyone is saying, because the Americans have bought them all. And there's so much to be said for that level of passion, interest and fandom. In the wider context of Canada's World Cup preparations, it's a refreshing subplot.

Ironically, the U.S. may just prove to be Canada's saviour this summer – without the hated rival in the women’s game, this tournament would probably be in a state of disarray.

In mid-June, perhaps, there will be the most vivid picture painted of Canada's struggle to market this tournament properly. Ecuador face the reigning world champions, Japan, in a standalone game at Investors Group Field. The lack of tickets sold so far points to it being a calamitous non-event.

There is something strange to Winnipeg's hosting obligations though: the city will only have to deal with group games. Even Moncton will get a second-round fixture. Why is there such a brief dalliance between the World Cup and the Manitoban capital? Well, the Blue Bombers need the stadium back. And you can't go messing about the local football team. Even when a world event is in town. Priorities, etc.

What's been incredibly surprising to learn from friends based in Winnipeg and other Canadian cities is how flat the build-up has been. Has any passionate member of Canada Soccer or the World Cup organizing committee popped up on various TV shows? Have they extolled the virtues of what the tournament is, what it means to host and how it's a genuinely defining moment for soccer's growth in Canada? Have the lavishly-paid marketing and PR companies hired to bring some sparkle to preparations managed to make household and marquee players a topic of conversation in recent weeks and months? Are there imposing, sleek and well-crafted campaigns and towering billboards strewn across major location points? The answer to all of these questions was an unequivocal “no”.

So, to return to the original point of legacy and what the stakeholders desire from this World Cup. It would appear they want a carnival. Something that drops into town, causes a distraction for a while, offers up a nice, family atmosphere and then quietly disappears, never to be heard of again. To treat something as special as a World Cup with so much disrespect is quite unforgivable. It deserves so much more.

There is a genuine opportunity to turn certain Canadian cities onto the sport, to give them a reason to fall for it, to understand its appeal and to grab hold. With less than a month to go, it's clear that the scaffolding that's set to hold this tournament together and keep it upright, wasn't handled with care but rather thrown together with little want or interest for detail.

Another TV report I watched featured the Minister for Canadian Heritage and Official Languages talking about “inspiring the young”. The way to inspire the young is to enthrall, engage, engross and entertain.

And if that's what tournament organizers and invested parties want to achieve through hosting the Women's World Cup, they better start frantically sprinkling stardust and making magic. Time is running out.