For anyone convinced that the National Film Board is good for nothing more than weirdly timeless cartoons about dancing log drivers, think again. It's also a responsible for this video about the phenomenon that was soccer in British Columbia in the mid-1970's.
The music is cheesy, the tone is oddly academic (as if this was part of a school curriculum, or something) and there's more mustaches per square inch of film than anything this side of Tom Selleck's home videos. But it's soccer, it's Canada and it's an interesting snapshot of the a part of the beautiful game's history in our country.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Actually, it's a bit more than that. Keeping in mind that this video is nearly 40 years old, it's still oddly (perhaps unfortunately) relevant today. For one, it highlights some of the difficult stereotypes that plague the game (the perception that it's somehow more for immigrants than for "Canadians," which was maybe more true then, but is a perception that lingers on); and shows that some systemic problems still remain (check out the guy around the five-minute mark, noting that the key to improving the game in Canada at the highest levels is to raise the level of coaching from the lowest levels. I seem to remember someone else making that point not too long ago).
Worst of all, the idea of a Canadian national team doesn't even seem to occur to the filmmaker. Sadly, for so many Canadian soccer players and fans, that lack of support lingers on.
But, whatever you think of the film's relevance to the state of the game all these years later, it's an interesting video and a part of Canada's rich soccer history. There's also some dangerous-looking sideburns in this video, which pretty much make watching this worthwhile all on their own. So does the name of one of the women's teams. You'll see what I mean.
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