Five months after FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, emphatically reaffirmed that Canada would host the first Women’s World Cup (WWC) played entirely on artificial turf, pitch politics are yielding to questions about economics.
United States national-team captain Abby Wambach led the failed switch-to-natural-grass movement and told ESPN in early May that FIFA turned down Ohio-based Scotts Miracle-Gro’s offer to pay for grass pitches at all six WWC venues, including that of the July 5 final host, B.C. Place Stadium.
At the end of May, the public-owned home of the Vancouver Whitecaps and B.C. Lions replaced its 2011-installed synthetic pitch at a cost of $1.327 million.
But did British Columbians pay too much? Read more here