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Just For Kicks: Soccer in Canada
It's been called "the beautiful game." Soccer, the most popular sport in the world, draws an unwavering devotion from its fans. Yet soccer as a spectator sport has never quite caught on in Canada, despite growing youth participation rates and a series of professional leagues. Still, we've had star players and tasted World Cup play, and many immigrant communities have imported their passion to Canada. CBC Archives looks at soccer in the Great White North.

	'The beautiful game'		How to play the game		Brian Budd, athletic 'superstar'
	With its roots in the aristocratic English school system, the modern game of soccer is a thing of beauty for its fans. (Radio; runs 1:27)		A soccer expert walks a curious reporter through the finer points of offsides, yellow cards, and indirect free kicks. (TV; runs 4:34)		The talented Canadian professional soccer player hams it up with Peter Gzowski. (TV; runs 6:11)

	When soccer fans immigrate		Canada cracks the World Cup		Canadian pro soccer in jeopardy
	Old country ties are hard to sever when it comes to soccer. (Radio; runs 6:11)		Despite few dollars and fewer fans, the Canadian national soccer team is headed to Mexico to take on the world's best. (TV; runs 10:32)		The future of the Canadian Soccer League looks doomed in 1992. (TV; runs 4:04)

	Cup crazy in Little Italy		Kids get their kicks		Owen Hargreaves, Canadian soccer export
	Every four years, national passions are stirred up as immigrant communities embrace soccer's World Cup. (TV; runs 2:35)		Soccer's profile as a participatory sport keeps growing among Canadian kids and teens. (TV; runs 12:22)		A Calgary-born soccer player makes history by playing for England's national team. (TV; runs 2:45)

	Kara Lang, teen soccer sensation		Behold the 'soccer mom'
	This young Canadian 'rising star' is making her mark on the increasingly competitive world of women's soccer. (Radio; runs 14:54)		The suburban mothers who drive their kids to soccer practice hold a lot of sway in North American elections. (TV; runs 1:42)

LINKS Topic from Les Archives de Radio-Canada on the same subject Le soccer gagne du terrain! External sites CBC Sports: World Cup 2006 site Canadian Soccer Association Fédération Internationale de Football Association The CBC assumes no responsibility for the content of external links.

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