Canadian women's national team captain Christine Sinclair laughs during a news conference ahead of the FIFA World Cup draw Friday, December 5, 2014 in Ottawa.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
When Christine Sinclair stepped off the plane carrying the Canadian national women's soccer team back from the 2012 Olympics, a flight attendant said 'welcome home, your life will never be the same.' She was right.
"It hasn't," Sinclair said Friday, "it's been incredible. I've been on the national team for a lot of years where not too many people knew we even existed or what tournaments we were playing in. It's good to see those times have changed."
When Sinclair arrived in Ottawa for this weekend's draw for the 2015 Women's World Cup – which is to be held in six Canadian cities next summer – she had a familiar experience: getting stopped in the street.
"There's very few places where I can go now without people saying 'hey, you're Sinclair'. It's just pretty cool, a lot's changed in 10 years," said the 31-year-old striker, who captained Canada to a thrilling bronze medal finish in London.
The hope is the change is only just getting started.
Sinclair harbours a dream that she'll one day be able to play first-division professional soccer in her home country (she currently plays for the Portland Thorns in the U.S.-based National Women's Soccer League).
Her fervent hope is the vision, which for now is distant and fuzzy, is drawing closer.
Big-stage success in London, where the women's team captured the country's imagination in a controversial semi-final loss to the U.S., provided the impetus, hosting the World Cup is an obvious way to sustain the momentum – organizers hope to attract 1.5 million spectators.
That Sinclair expressed her vow the same week a semi-pro women's team was shuttered in Ottawa – the NASL's Fury having pulled the plug on their W-League entry – illustrates the size of the challenge that remains.
Still, she said, having the women's best come to this country next summer – with the media and public attention that comes along with it – will be decisive.
"You look at the 1999 World Cup that was held in the States and they're still using that. It was a huge success, I think their professional leagues are the result of that tournament, hopefully that can be the same here," she said.
The president of the Canadian Soccer Association believes that's a realistic goal, and even imagines a future where there is a domestic pro league.
"You might not get 10 teams across the country … but there's no reason you couldn't get three, four, maybe five markets that could be playing in a sort of NWSL," said Victor Montagliano, whose association spends far more on the women's game than most of its international peers.
It would of course help if Canada were to reach the latter stages of the World Cup, although hoisting the trophy may exceed the grasp of the eighth-ranked women's team on the planet.
Much hinges on Saturday's draw although as host nation Canada is assured of not having to compete with the arch-rival, world No. 1 U.S. in the group stages.
Next summer's tournament will feature 24 teams – a first for the women's game.
Coach John Herdman said it doesn't really matter who Canada draws – although he did say it would be nice if New Zealand, his former employer was in their pool – "just no group of death."
"If you want to win the World Cup at home you've got to beat the top teams," said Herdman, who expressed his excitement at finally learning which teams he'll need to prepare for.
"It actually feels real, we've been talking about this now for two years and preparing behind the scenes. … I've got goose-bumps sitting here today," he said.
The draw is being held amid a roiling controversy over the artificial surfaces on which the games will be played.
Several of the world's top players have launched legal proceedings to force organizers to use natural grass fields – as is the custom for world-level tournaments – but the secretary-general of FIFA vigorously batted aside their objections again on Friday.
"I'm amazed at the size and scale of the discussion," said Jérôme Valcke, adding artificial surfaces are allowed under the rules and have previously featured major events.
Valcke also hit out at the suggestion, as an Ontario Human Rights Tribunal complaint filed by the players alleges, that allowing what the British media call "plastic pitches" is a form of discrimination.
"That is a nonsense [sic], it's completely crazy to say that," Valcke said.