Speech (committee meeting)

{
    "time": "2023-03-30 15:50:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Vittorio Montagliani (President, Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, As an Individual)",
        "fr": "M. Vittorio Montagliani (pr\u00e9sident, Conf\u00e9d\u00e9ration des associations de football d\u2019Am\u00e9rique du Nord, d\u2019Am\u00e9rique centrale et des Cara\u00efbes, \u00e0 titre personnel)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"7688883\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Good afternoon, and thank you, Madam Chair and committee members, for the invitation to speak to you today.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688884\" data-originallang=\"en\">My name is Victor Montagliani. I've had the privilege of being involved in soccer\u2014or football, as I call it\u2014in this country and internationally for over 30 years. I began as a player and later served in various roles as a volunteer for the game, beginning as a grassroots coach and in other positions in the province of British Columbia. I was eventually elected to the volunteer position of president of the Canadian Soccer Association in 2012.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688885\" data-originallang=\"en\">Given what I have observed and experienced in the evolution of the game over the past 30 years, I want to briefly provide the committee with my perspective on the development and heritage of football in Canada.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688886\" data-originallang=\"en\">For as long as I've been involved, football in this country has fought an uphill battle. As a sport that has long roots among immigrant communities in our country\u2014like the one I grew up in, in east Vancouver\u2014the domestic game has faced challenges in attracting meaningful support from this country's media and corporate establishment. It is not about participation or enthusiasm. We know we are the biggest participation sport in Canada. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688887\" data-originallang=\"en\">During my five years as volunteer president of Canada Soccer\u2014from 2012 to 2017\u2014the lack of interest and support from media corporations meant that Canada Soccer had to spend its own money for our women's and men's national teams to be shown on networks such as TSN, Rogers and CBC, rather than allocating that to the grassroots. To be clear, these expenditures, over a decade, allowed our fans to catch 95% of Christine Sinclair's goals and 100% of Dwayne De Rosario's goals, which would not otherwise have been the case.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688888\" data-originallang=\"en\">However, it is important to know where we stood in 2011 and early 2012. We had no sovereignty and no equity in our own game. We had absolutely no domestic media market. We had very little professionalization and zero industry for football in Canada. We had zero relevancy in the international arena, especially in FIFA and Concacaf. We needed to shift our mindset and shift it fast.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688889\" data-originallang=\"en\">Since then, we've become founding partners of the NWSL with U.S. Soccer and the Mexican federation, subsidizing the salaries of our women's national team players so they could prepare for the 2015 women's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688890\" data-originallang=\"en\">We hosted the women's World Cup in 2015\u2014still, to this day, the greatest women's World Cup in history. We embarked on bidding for the 2026 men's World Cup, which we successfully won in 2018. We created an environment in which investors could come in and start the Canadian Premier League, which has also now set the groundwork for what we hope will be further investors for our Canadian women's professional league.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688891\" data-originallang=\"en\">Of course, this has all been underpinned by the fantastic players in our country\u2014our women's team and our men's team, which have won bronze, bronze, gold and, obviously, the qualification for Qatar in 2022.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688892\" data-originallang=\"en\">Of course, Canadian corporations are private entities and can make choices as they wish, but it was obvious, when I was president of Canada Soccer, that we needed to take a different route and seek out new commercial partners\u2014not only to encourage investment but also to encourage ambition. That meant looking beyond the usual suspects to find new, more dynamic partners with an appetite and a willingness to build domestic football for the long term.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688893\" data-originallang=\"en\">The arrival of the new streaming platforms has provided great news for unlocking commercial opportunities that will help the game in Canada, as well as for Concacaf and FIFA, when the next rights cycles come up. Not only are these platforms shaking up the market; they are also enabling us to make long-term investments in the areas that have held the game back in Canada, namely infrastructure.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688894\" data-originallang=\"en\">The discussions between Canada Soccer and what became Canadian Soccer Business were focused on providing long-term benefits for the growth of the game. No one would ever claim that every decision made or action taken was perfect. However, we must recognize the sacrifice and courage of the Canada Soccer family of volunteers, coaches and, ultimately, fantastic players. This has allowed both the men's and women's programs to break through the tier one ceiling of global football in the last decade.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688895\" data-originallang=\"en\">We have the women's World Cup around the corner and, now, the men qualifying for the Concacaf Nations League for the first time in our history. Canada's future in this sport is very bright.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688896\" data-originallang=\"en\">With that context, I look forward to discussing football with this committee.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688897\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Thank you.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"7688883\" data-originallang=\"en\">Madame la pr\u00e9sidente, mesdames et messieurs les membres du comit\u00e9, bonjour. Merci de votre invitation. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688884\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je me nomme Victor Montagliani. Pendant plus de 30 ans, j\u2019ai d'abord eu le privil\u00e8ge d\u2019\u00eatre joueur de soccer \u2014 de football, comme je l\u2019appelle \u2014, puis d'\u0153uvrer dans diff\u00e9rents r\u00f4les b\u00e9n\u00e9voles pour le sport, \u00e0 titre d\u2019entra\u00eeneur de base, puis \u00e0 d\u2019autres postes, en Colombie-Britannique. J\u2019ai fini par \u00eatre \u00e9lu au poste de pr\u00e9sident b\u00e9n\u00e9vole de l\u2019Association canadienne de soccer en 2012. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688885\" data-originallang=\"en\">Comme il m\u2019a \u00e9t\u00e9 donn\u00e9 d\u2019observer et de conna\u00eetre l\u2019\u00e9volution du sport pendant ces ann\u00e9es, je tiens \u00e0 donner rapidement mon point de vue au Comit\u00e9 sur l\u2019\u00e9volution et le legs de ce sport au Canada. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688886\" data-originallang=\"en\">Pendant tout le temps que je m'y suis engag\u00e9, le football a men\u00e9 au Canada un combat difficile. Malgr\u00e9 ses profondes racines dans les communaut\u00e9s d\u2019immigrants de notre pays \u2014 comme celle o\u00f9 j\u2019ai grandi, \u00e0 Vancouver\u2011Est \u2014, il a affront\u00e9 de nombreuses difficult\u00e9s pour que les m\u00e9dias nationaux et l\u2019establishment des entreprises le prennent au s\u00e9rieux. Ce n\u2019\u00e9tait pas faute de participation ni d\u2019enthousiasme. Nous savons que nous sommes le sport poss\u00e9dant les plus nombreux participants au Canada. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688887\" data-originallang=\"en\">Pendant mon quinquennat \u00e0 la pr\u00e9sidence de Canada Soccer, de 2012 \u00e0 2017, le d\u00e9sint\u00e9r\u00eat et le manque d\u2019appui des entreprises de m\u00e9dias ont oblig\u00e9 l\u2019Association \u00e0 d\u00e9penser ses fonds propres pour faire voir les \u00e9quipes nationales f\u00e9minine et masculine sur les r\u00e9seaux tels que ceux de TSN, Rogers et Radio-Canada plut\u00f4t que de consacrer l\u2019argent \u00e0 la base. Autrement dit, ces d\u00e9penses \u00e9tal\u00e9es sur une d\u00e9cennie ont permis \u00e0 nos supporteurs d\u2019assister \u00e0 95 % des buts de Christine Sinclair et \u00e0 tous ceux de Dwayne De Rosario, qui, sinon, auraient \u00e9t\u00e9 plut\u00f4t confidentiels. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688888\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mais il importe de savoir dans quelle situation nous \u00e9tions en 2011 et au d\u00e9but de 2012. Nous ne poss\u00e9dions ni autonomie ni avoir dans notre propre sport. Nous n\u2019avions absolument aucun march\u00e9 dans les m\u00e9dias nationaux. Le degr\u00e9 de professionnalisation \u00e9tait tr\u00e8s mince, et l'industrie du football n\u2019existait pas au Canada. Sur la sc\u00e8ne internationale, nous n\u2019avions rien d'int\u00e9ressant \u00e0 offrir, particuli\u00e8rement \u00e0 la FIFA et \u00e0 la Concacaf. Nous avions besoin d\u2019un important changement de mentalit\u00e9, et \u00e7a pressait en plus. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688889\" data-originallang=\"en\">Depuis, nous sommes devenus des partenaires fondateurs de la NWSL avec U.S. Soccer et la f\u00e9d\u00e9ration mexicaine et nous avons commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 subventionner les salaires des joueuses de notre \u00e9quipe nationale f\u00e9minine pour qu\u2019elles puissent se pr\u00e9parer \u00e0 la Coupe du monde f\u00e9minine de football de 2015 et aux jeux Olympiques de 2016. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688890\" data-originallang=\"en\">Nous avons \u00e9t\u00e9 l\u2019h\u00f4te de la Coupe du monde f\u00e9minine de football, en 2015 qui, jusqu\u2019\u00e0 ce jour, reste la plus marquante de l\u2019histoire. Nous nous sommes fix\u00e9 comme objectifs la Coupe du monde masculine de football de 2026, que nous avons remport\u00e9e en 2018. Nous avons cr\u00e9\u00e9 un climat qui a permis \u00e0 des investisseurs de mettre sur pied la Premi\u00e8re Ligue canadienne, ce qui a \u00e9galement pr\u00e9par\u00e9 le terrain pour, nous l\u2019esp\u00e9rons, attirer d\u2019autres investisseurs dans notre ligue professionnelle f\u00e9minine canadienne. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688891\" data-originallang=\"en\">Bien s\u00fbr, tout \u00e7a s\u2019est appuy\u00e9 sur les joueurs fantastiques de chez nous, notre \u00e9quipe f\u00e9minine et notre \u00e9quipe masculine, qui ont remport\u00e9 le bronze, le bronze, l'or et, bien s\u00fbr, se sont qualifi\u00e9es pour le Qatar en 2022. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688892\" data-originallang=\"en\">Bien s\u00fbr, les soci\u00e9t\u00e9s canadiennes sont des entit\u00e9s priv\u00e9es, qui peuvent faire comme bon leur semble, mais il \u00e9tait manifeste, alors que je pr\u00e9sidais aux destin\u00e9es de Canada Soccer que nous devions choisir une voie diff\u00e9rente et trouver de nouveaux partenaires commerciaux \u2014 non seulement pour encourager l\u2019investissement, mais, \u00e9galement, l\u2019ambition. \u00c7a signifiait chercher non plus les partenaires habituels, mais de nouveaux partenaires, plus dynamiques, avec un app\u00e9tit et une volont\u00e9 de construire le football canadien en pensant au long terme. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688893\" data-originallang=\"en\">L\u2019arriv\u00e9e de nouvelles plateformes de diffusion en continu a donn\u00e9 naissance \u00e0 d\u2019excellents reportages qui ont permis de saisir de nouvelles occasions commerciales qui aideront le sport au Canada de m\u00eame que la Concacaf et la FIFA quand arriveront les prochains cycles d'\u00e9mission de droits. Non seulement ces plateformes font-elles bouger le march\u00e9, mais elles nous permettent des investissements \u00e0 long terme dans les domaines qui ont entrav\u00e9 le sport au Canada, c\u2019est\u2011\u00e0\u2011dire les infrastructures. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688894\" data-originallang=\"en\">Les discussions entre Canada Soccer et ce qui est devenu Canadian Soccer Business se sont focalis\u00e9es sur la fourniture d\u2019avantages \u00e0 long terme pour la croissance du sport. Personne ne pr\u00e9tendra jamais que les d\u00e9cisions et les mesures prises \u00e9taient toutes parfaites. Mais nous devons reconna\u00eetre le sacrifice et le courage de la famille de b\u00e9n\u00e9voles, d\u2019entra\u00eeneurs et, finalement, de magnifiques joueurs de la famille de Canada Soccer. Ils ont permis aux programmes masculin et f\u00e9minin de percer le plafond du niveau un du football mondial pendant la derni\u00e8re d\u00e9cennie. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688895\" data-originallang=\"en\">La Coupe du monde f\u00e9minine est pour bient\u00f4t et comme, maintenant, les hommes se qualifient pour la Ligue des nations du Concacaf pour la premi\u00e8re fois de notre histoire, l\u2019avenir du Canada dans ce sport s\u2019annonce tr\u00e8s brillant. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688896\" data-originallang=\"en\">Dans ce contexte, il me tarde de discuter de football avec votre comit\u00e9. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7688897\" data-originallang=\"en\">Merci</p>"
    },
    "url": "/committees/canadian-heritage/44-1/73/vittorio-montagliani-1/",
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    "politician_membership_url": null,
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "12127112",
    "document_url": "/committees/canadian-heritage/44-1/73/",
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