According to the "Big Count" in 2006, FIFA - the world's governing body for soccer - almost three million men, women and children played the "Beautiful Game" in Canada.
Easily the most participated sport in a country of 10 million square kilometres, nearly one in 10 Canadians, out of a population of 33.5 million, kick a soccer ball either competitively or recreationally.
Canada, which recently had its backside handed to it on a plate during World Cup 2014 qualifying match-up with Honduras, ranks 88th on the planet and hasn't graced the grass of a World Cup Finals since Mexico in 1986.
Trinidad and Tobago, a total land mass of 5,000 square kilometers and a population the size of Richmond and Vancouver combined (1.2 million), sits 87th at the top table of soccer.
Anyone see a problem here? Clearly, we Canucks love the game; we're just not particularly good at it or not the best at coaching it...or both.
So a Richmond soccer coach's bid to bring in a Brazilianstyle soccer school to the city simply has to be welcomed with open arms.
It's called "Futebol de Salao," is based on old-school, streetstyle soccer and it's all about getting as many touches on the ball as humanly possible during a mini-sided game.
After all, if we're going to get better and climb those rankings and perhaps challenge for a coveted World Cup Finals berth, why not learn from the most successful nation in world soccer history.
The move is bound to create a few ripples in B.C. and possibly Richmond, where not everyone sees eye-to-eye on how best to develop the game and its young talent.
The Canadian Soccer Association, in all fairness, has recognized the country's shortcomings and implemented a "Wellness to World Cup" long-term player development program.
And we have some talented and exciting youngsters filtering through Richmond's grass-roots soccer programs, graduating to university, Whitecaps and national levels of the game.
But surely every little bit of help we can get, including samba-style soccer from Brazil, can't be sniffed at, can it?
