As Canada Day celebrations raged on, soccer fans united at Market Square.
While Queen’s students flooded Gord Downie Pier on June 27 for ‘Canada Day’ festivities, soccer fanatics of all sorts packed Springer Market Square for a FIFA event. One of 24 stops in an initiative celebrating Canada’s hosting and involvement in the tournament, this particular event featured match screenings, cultural experiences, and live entertainment.
The event was scheduled from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., which allowed plenty of time for interactive games, food and beverages, and live entertainment before the screening of the first match at 5 p.m., featuring Panama and England. The second match headlining Columbia versus Portugal followed at 7:30 p.m., which had high implications for opponents in the knockout stage.
The FIFA World Cup has taken North America by storm, as soccer enthusiasts have flocked into massive football stadiums to cheer on their country. It is the first time since 1994 that the World Cup has been in North America, with the debut of the tournament also being in Canada. In total, 13 matches will be played in Canada, six in Toronto at BMO Field and seven in Vancouver at BC Place. The rest of the tournament is split between Mexico and the United States.
During the event, The Journal spoke with an event goer and Queen’s student Lily Fenton, ArtSci ’27, who was thoroughly impressed by the event.
“I think it’s a really good opportunity for community to be formed and for people to come together over their love of the sport,” said Fenton, who identified she is a Canadian fan. Despite her team not playing that day, she wanted to immerse herself in the environment.
“I’m not a huge soccer fan,” Fenton admitted, “so it was good chance for me to get into the soccer culture.
An England fan, Cordelia Brown who was at event also spoke briefly with The Journal about her experience.
“I think [Kingston] did pretty good, people seem to be enjoying,” said Brown. “Kingston’s got a pretty good community for events, so this additional event is great.”
Excitement seem to continue to build, as Canada clinched their first match ever in the Round of 32 following a win over South Africa the following day on June 28.
—With files from Jacksen MacLean
Tags
FIFA World Cup, Gord Downie pier, Springer Market Square
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