The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup is underway and New Brunswick is about to share in the international spotlight.
Team France was the first to take to the pitch at Moncton Stadium Monday, as they get ready to face rival England in the opening match for Moncton.
English coach Mark Sampson says he is impressed with the training facilities, Moncton Stadium, and the reception his team has received from the community.
“It's been a real warm welcome for this English team, we really feel that element of feeling at home and feel like we can enjoy our experiences. So the message from us is a real big thank you to the local community,” says Sampson.
Team England’s captain Steph Houghton says she is looking forward to getting the tournament started.
“As soon as we arrived here in Moncton it was all about excitement and counting down the days until our game and now we're one day away from final kick-off,” says Houghton.
The opening game is not sold out, but organizers are hoping walk up ticket sales will fill the remaining seats.
“The update on the venue capacity is, we're currently at 13,000 plus seats roughly and currently, as of yesterday, we're at 80 per cent capacity, so roughly 10,500,” says venue general manager Stephane Delisle.
Teams had been using the practice fields at Bernice McNaughton and Trimble high schools, as well as Rocky Stone Field. Today, they had their first chance to practice on the pitch at Moncton Stadium.
“We've enjoyed training,” says Sampson. “I have to say the surfaces are an exact replica of what we're going to face on match day, so that's great because we can practice in match conditions.”
France and England will hit the field at 2 p.m. for the opening match and then Columbia and Mexico will face off at 5 p.m.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
