Businesses, soccer community, fans, celebrate incredible World Cup

Thousands packed downtown bars and a Stephen Avenue watch party for the World Cup final on Sunday.

Stephen Avenue was packed with thousands of cheering fans watching the World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain Sunday.

It was a tight match that went into extra time and saw Spain emerge victorious, 1-0.

Fans of both sides passionately cheered their teams on, and win or lose, they said just being a part of the celebration was a special moment.

“My entire life, I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid, and it’s the first time I’ve got to experience one in Canada. It’s the best time I’ve ever had, the best beginning of my summer, it’s amazing,” said Zac Semchuk, who was cheering for Spain.

“I’m so excited for today, it might be Messi’s last World Cup, so it’s like a historic moment. Seeing the whole city come out, it’s so beautiful,” said Navi Dhaliwal, who was cheering for Argentina.

Building momentum

The entire five weeks of the World Cup saw watch parties all across the city, with interest steadily picking up as Canada had a historic run to the round of 16. That momentum carried through to the final, and the fact Canada was one of three host countries meant a lot to the local soccer community’s growth.

“We have consistently seen soccer participation grow in the city of Calgary. We found more than 34,000 kids already playing the games. Really excited to see what this World Cup effect looks like in the fall when indoor soccer registration opens,” said Leslie Macleod, marketing manager with the Calgary Minor Soccer Association.

“The legacy of this moment for us is about showing that more kids can access the game,” Macleod continued.

“A little kid from Calgary, they can have so many dreams and aspire to be not only like us … but as a professional, seeing so many players do so well, it’s so good to see,” said Cavalry FC defender Levi Laing.

Macleod called the energy this summer “next level,” and Laing says the World Cup effect has been notable at their games too. Cavalry FC’s most recent match against the Vancouver Whitecaps drew more than 6,000 fans, and Laing believes excitement around soccer as a whole had a role to play in that.

“The World Cup has been huge for us, honestly, like the Vancouver Whitecaps game, having so many people come to that, it was honestly amazing. And then us as well, integrating ourselves into World Cup events, World Cup culture as well, has been so big for soccer here,” Laing said.

Businesses celebrate

The joy spread beyond the local soccer community, as businesses across the city also say the five weeks of watch parties and celebrations brought incredible gains their way too.

“We’ve heard anywhere from 20 to 30 per cent up from last year, especially to the local pubs that are big soccer places,” said President of the Alberta Hospitality Association Ernie Tsu.

“You rely on events like this to generate traffic and have people come down to spaces where they can get together and have a positive experience. These are amazing,” said Downtown Calgary Association urban strategy director Andrew Doudican.

Both Tsu and Doudican add the time games were played was an additional boon, saying it helped pick business up during periods where it might otherwise be slower.

“The midweek games have been outstanding to see fill up, and having the top four seeds get to the semis has been really great,” Tsu said.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for these businesses to get more traffic on a Sunday, which would definitely be obviously a quieter day down here on Stephen Avenue,” Doudican said.

“It’s through events like this that we get to make sure the downtown is economically vibrant,” Doudican continued.