2014 FIFA World Cup Popularity

2014 FIFA World Cup Makes Positive Impact on Youth Soccer Camps

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is officially known as the Copa do Mundo da FIFA Brasil 2014 and is to be held between 12^th June and 13 July 2014 in Brazil. This will be the 20^th FIFA World Cup and is the most prolific international men’s soccer tournament in the world.

As per the latest Big Count report generated by FIFA.com, “Two hundred and 65 million male and female players in addition to five million referees and officials make a grand total of 270 million people – or four per cent of the world’s population – who are actively involved in the game.”

Soccer also happens to be the third most played team sport in the United States of America today! In fact, America is the leading country in the world when it comes to youth participation in the sport, with more than 3.9 million youth athletes signed up to play with US Soccer.

With these statistics in mind, is it any wonder that the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2014 is causing an increase in interest in soccer in the country? More and more parents are realizing the importance of soccer camps in the US and youth athletes are signing up for all types of developmental and professionally-run soccer camps.

Facts about FIFA World Cup 2014

It is needless to say that the FIFA World Cup 2014 has captured the hearts and minds of players and avid followers of the sport from all over the globe. Plenty of preparation has gone in at various stages to ensure that the World Cup 2014 is the best one yet.

This will be the 2^nd time that Brazil will be hosting the FIFA World Cup. They also hosted the World Cup of 1950.

Brazil was selected as the hosting nation in 2007.

This is the first time since 1978 that a South American nation will be hosting the FIFA World Cup. Argentina hosted the competition in 1978.

Qualification competitions began as early as June 2011 and finally, the national teams of 31 countries in the world have advanced through to the final tournament.

12 cities in Brazil will be hosting games in stadiums that have either been freshly designed or completely redeveloped.

64 matches will be played during the World Cup with group stages kicking off the tournament.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will also make history because it will be the very first World Cup Finals match that will use goal-line technology. In October 2013, a German company Goal Control was chosen as the competition’s official goal-line tech provider.

After a tough selection process that included 52 prospective referees, January 14^th 2014 saw the FIFA Referees Committee appointing 25 referee trios along with 8 support duos. These referees will be representing a total of 43 countries in the competition.

The final match will be held in Rio de Janeiro on the 13^th of July 2014.

Fuleco is an armadillo and is the chosen mascot of the World Cup 2014.

The official ball of the tournament will be the Adidas Brazuca, provided by Adidas, the official match ball supplier for FIFA World Cups since 1970.

Sponsors of the 2014 World Cup include Adidas, Coco-Cola, Emirates, Sony, Hyundai-Kia, VISA, Castrol, McDonald’s, Johnson & Johnson and more.

Growth in Popularity of Soccer in the US

The Soccer World Cups have played a very large role in the growth of popularity of soccer in the US. Players of the US Soccer Men’s team who have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World cup are iconic players whom youth athletes in the country emulate.

Players like Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, John Harkes, Time Howard, Brian McBride, Oguchi Onyewu and Claudio Reyna are inspirations to the youth of the country.

The game of soccer has made its way to the top 3 most played sports in the US list today. Soccer camps in the country offer budding soccer players the chance to brush up on their skills and learn new plays in time for high school varsity and college team selections. More than 2.3 million boys and 1.6 million girls in the country play the sport of soccer actively.

Soccer camps held by the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), Adidas, NIKE, Eurotech as well as clubs like Manchester United, Central Florida Soccer Camp and AC Milan are well-recognized and sought-after options by those who are interested in making it big in the world of soccer.

Alabama Southern Community College. Athletic Recruiting.

Association Free Lutheran Bible Study Athletic Scholarships.

Sports Camp Connection offers you a comprehensive list of soccer camps held in the United States and Canada to help you make the right choice of soccer camp for the future of your youth athlete.