By now news of the Vancouver Whitecaps decision to shut down their women’s W-League team has settled in.
And, it still doesn’t make a lot of sense. After running a women’s program for years when the feminine side of the sport was mostly unappreciated, why cut ties just when it is finally getting traction in Canada?
The CSA is getting involved in the new pro league, Christine Sinclair is about to be named athlete of the year in a bunch of year end polls and the Olympic bronze medal is still in the hearts and minds of the average sports fan.
It was disappointing that the Whitecaps weren’t one of the teams moving up to the new league, but that they should pull the team altogether? That makes no sense to most people.
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For their part the Whitecaps say that the move isn’t a cost cutter. It’s hard to understand any other reason, but for a moment let’s consider it.
The club suggested that they could not field a competitive team in the W-League with the international players destined to leave the Caps to play in the new league. Additionally, they didn’t feel the younger players in their system were ready to step up. To be competitive they’d need to recruit new players and those players would likely be American, which, in turn would go against their development philosophy.
So, they pulled the plug to focus on “other” areas of women’s development.
That’s, basically, the Caps position.
Does it hold up?
Certainly a quick look at the Caps roster from last year reveals that they were facing an exodus of about nine key players. There is no doubt that it would be difficult to replace that kind of talent. And, that’s without factoring in the possibility of some of the lesser-known players maybe earning semi-pro roster spots on Portland and Seattle in the new pro league.
Still, if the Caps really are committed to developing women’s players then should they not be willing to put up with a season or two of re-building with younger players from the Lower Mainland?
Many are also worried that this means that the Caps are no longer likely to end up trying to put a team in the new league. It does seem counterintuitive. The men played out the final season in the NASL after all. Why would the women be different?
Time will tell whether this move is a sign of the Caps giving up on women’s soccer, or if they are sincere in their belief that it’s best for the long-term development of the sport. Today, however, we are only left with questions.