Are you aware that there is a controversy about the birthplace of hockey? The people of Kingston aren’t. As far as anyone there is concerned, hockey- just like Confederation and thus Canada itself- was invented in Kingston. They with tell you these things with pride, like they played a part in their invention. Sure, they might humour you if you’re one of those stubborn people who insist that games like hockey were played elsewhere first. When it comes to hockey, REAL hockey, that started in Kingston. And we’re, er- they’re not wrong either, you can look it up! The Limestone City is the original hockey-mad town and growing up, I had the fever. I spent hours perfecting my wrist shot, my best breakaway move (a quick feint and top-drawer backhand), and making tight wraparounds which the Great One had taught us. I played hockey endlessly in the winter, because that it what one does, but truthfully- it wasn’t my favourite sport. My heart always beat a little quicker when I smelled the snow melting. The first real sign of spring was always a change in the air- a rich, wet earthy smell like the musty damp of a forest, but carried on a warm breeze. That smell meant the start of soccer season, the sport that I have loved from my earliest memories. I started playing when I was four years old on the school playground. Outside of my travels abroad (there were no amateur teams in Korea), I have played every year until my health problems two years ago. I am back in the gym now and you can bet I will be playing again this summer (albeit in the old men's league). I have been watching soccer on television for just as long. Infrequently when I was young, because that’s when it was on, but much more regularly once cable TV came to my willage and even more once I moved to the west. I was delighted to discover when I arrived on the coast that there were people here much like myself who had fallen in love with soccer’s complexity and athleticism, whose moods rose and fell with the performance of their favourite teams, who simply “got it”. Now, I loosely follow the English Premier League and catch as many Champions League matches as I can and I love the big competitions: the Euro and the World Cup, even the Gold Cup when Canada is playing well. I love the passion of the crowds at these games. Around the world, the cheering, the tears, the shouts of joy and the roars of frustration. I always wanted to be part it, but never imagined it would happen here. But then, finally, 10 years ago, Major League Soccer announced that the Vancouver Whitecaps would be the league’s 17th franchise. Two years later, Mr. S and I were there for their MLS home opener. It was an unseasonably warm, sunny day. They played in a temporary open-air stadium at Empire Field and the electricity in the air was palpable. The team delivered a rare win in that first season- a 4-2 victory over Toronto. It was really an amazing experience, a two-hour celebration of the city and the sport, a dream come true. Late in the game with the ‘Caps up 3-1, I even got our section singing “Hey, Hey Goodbye” before Toronto pulled back within a goal and rattled the nerves of the crowd. Since then, I have followed the Whitecaps closely and attended every home opener except for one that inconveniently conflicted with Ms. M’s birth. I already have our tickets for this year’s opener. A March 2nd Match against the Minnesota FC, A.K.A “The Loons”. And as excited as I am about the season starting, I feel like there is an extra bit of electricity this spring because of the arrival of the Canadian Premier League, the first national professional league in this country since 1992. From Pacific FC in Victoria to the Halifax Wanderers on the opposite coast, soccer is taking off again in this country. And there is further ambitious expansions planned leading up to our co-hosting of the 2026 World Cup.
Whether it’s because of increasing immigration, the remarkable success of the Women’s National team or the spread of MLS to our biggest cities, Canadians are finally starting to see what the rest of the world has long believed. Soccer, or football as it is more commonly known, with it’s intricate interplay of tactics, dynamic passing, improvisation and athleticism, the occasional individual’s raw power and magic, is truly “the beautiful game”. With the first hints of spring in the air, I am happy to see the love of the game blossoming across the country.
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