Local sports advocates say ‘enough is enough’ over Canadian women’s soccer funding cuts and unequal treatment

Canadian women’s soccer team support Local soccer advocates say the national women’s soccer team's protest hits close to home. CTV’s Hannah Schmidt explains why.

The local soccer community is standing by Canada’s women’s national team as the players protest what they say are significant program cuts.

For one advocate, the dispute between the women's team and Soccer Canada hits close to home. Helen Stoumbos says the challenges that women face in the sport have been present for years and is calling for major change.

“Like their t-shirts said when they went on the field the other day – I think enough is enough and we need to start looking into what’s wrong,” said Guelph’s Stoumbos, a former Canadian national team player and the scorer of Canada’s first ever World Cup goal.

Canadians walked out in purple as a sign of protest and solidarity in the SheBelieves Cup Thursday, calling for gender equality.

For Stoumbos, the conflict has been bubbling for a long time.

“It’s nothing new but it’s sad that with all of the success that the women’s program has had. The fact that they’re defending gold medalists at the Olympic Games, [but] they’re still battling for equal opportunity,” Stoumbos told CTV News.

The Canadians played after a short-lived protest following the threat of legal action from Soccer Canada. The players are upset with the cuts to their program and backing from the organization ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

In a statement released on Feb. 11, the federation acknowledged there is still work to be done, saying they are working toward a deal with both the men’s and women’s teams: “…That agreement, once concluded, will be an historic deal that will deliver real change and pay equity in Canada Soccer.”

Ivan Joseph, the head coach of Guelph United Women’s Soccer, says he stands with Canadian female athletes during this ongoing protest.

“For them not to have the same funding for them, for them not to be paid since last year when they’re filling out stadiums, it’s a travesty and it continues that unequitable approach that we see across the world,” he said. “Our women’s team is almost on the brink of getting folded. Luckily we’ve had a GM that’s stepped in and saying ‘no this team is important to our region and to our city’ and they’re gonna save it but this is the same challenge which is systemic that exists everywhere.”

For Stoumbos, there is no time like the present for change.

“I think it’s really important to have a united front and I love that they’ve been supporting their struggles as well,” she said. “I just think there’s no better time than now.”

Canada Soccer officials are expected to testify before a federal committee as early as March and the Alumni Association is encouraging the committee to include past players to shed light on what they call “abuse of power, systemic misogyny and complete lack of accountability.”