From Canada Kicks

Baby Steps
Women's World Cup aside it's just the beginning for women's game.
Neil Davidson - Canadian Press
TORONTO (CP) - Away from the glitter of the World Cup, there's another side to women's soccer.

In Toronto, it's a local team whose owners spend thousands of dollars to further the sport and players who lay it on the line for free. It also means an empty stadium with a 50-50 halftime pool worth a grand total of $36.50.

On the same day that the U.S.-North Korea World Cup game drew 50,484 in Foxboro, Mass., a crowd of less than 100 braved muggy conditions and periodic rain to watch the Toronto Inferno host the Denver Diamonds.

``It's taking baby steps,'' Inferno coach and part-owner Tony Marmo says. ``But I tell you something. You watch them play and there's some great, great stuff out there.''

Both teams have players to watch.

Inferno striker Tina Blaskovic, who just missed making the Canadian World Cup team, is fourth in the league in goal scoring with eight goals in nine games. The Diamonds feature midfielder Charry Korgel, who made $80,000 US a year as a pro playing in Japan, and former U.S. under-20 player Wynne McIntosh, a stylish forward who's just back from a stint in Germany.

And the W-League is growing. It started in 1994 with eight teams and has grown to 34, split into two leagues.

Average attendance is just 541 a game, according to the league, although the fledgling Inferno franchise attracts about half that much. The other Canadian franchise averages 655 a game in Laval, Que.

The Boston Renegades lead the league with 1,281 a game. Denver is last at 150.

While the Toronto-Denver game lacked atmosphere, there was no shortage of enthusiasm. The women deliver a solid game and were treated like rock stars by the under-11 and under-12 teams from nearby Pickering and Oshawa who served as ball girls.

The Inferno players are all amateurs. While Adidas provides the team uniforms and the team has some modest sponsorship deals worth about $1,500 to $2,000 each, Marmo and the other five owners _ one of whom is married to a team member _ will probably spend about $8,000 to $9,000 apiece this season.

``It's a labour of love,'' said Marmo, adding, ``obviously we're not going to be able to do it on an ongoing basis year by year.''

Marmo is an international credit manager for Para Paints when he's not coaching. His employer is also a team sponsor.

The Denver players are either in high school, college or work for a living. McIntosh, 23, is a youth soccer coach while Korgel, 28, teaches skiing.

Both believe the World Cup will be a boon to their sport. The Diamonds have been watching the tournament anywhere they can, from hotel rooms to airport lounges.

``They've done an absolutely tremendous job in marketing the World Cup,'' says McIntosh. ``I think all that can do is help us. All of us want to play professionally. It's not good to have to worry about finances all the time and not be able to co-ordinate your soccer games with your work schedule.

``Some people can't travel all the time on these weekend trips because they miss Friday at work and they get into trouble. That's not good.

``The better this World Cup does, the better it is for us.''

The U.S. national team is already a success. The American women, dubbed ``Babe City'' by David Letterman, are filling stadiums wherever they go at the World Cup.

``Hey, they're legit,'' said McIntosh. ``Every little girl in America looks up to that team. Mia Hamm is the icon for America right now and they deserve that.

``Those girls work their butts off. They completely deserve 80,000 people at their games, if not more. But they also deserve a women's professional league so they can continue playing throughout the rest of the year.''

Still there aren't many options for female soccer players. Japan's pro league is having financial difficulties and recently stopped using foreigners.

In the German league ``everyone gets paid, but not very much,'' according to McIntosh, who lasted just six months with FSV Frankfurt last year ``because they didn't obligate my contract in any sense of the word.

``It's very frustrating,'' she said. ``And it's very frustrating when we're presented with these opportunities to go overseas and they don't obligate a contract.

``I can't just survive off my Visa card my whole life.''

Currently only top players in the W-League, like members of the U.S. national team and Canadian star Charmaine Hooper, get paid.

One wonders how, judging from Inferno admission prices. A single-game ticket costs $4 while a seven-game season ticket costs $25 for an adult and $10 for youths.

There are few frills, however. The post-game music over the PA system comes courtesy of the stadium announcer's fieldside microphone pointed at a modest ghetto blaster.

It's not fancy, but it works. As with the rest of their sport, however, the women deserve better.

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