News Releases

FIFA U-20 scores across Canada with new postage stamp

June 21, 2007

A sport which likely dates back to the 2nd or 3rd centuries B.C. in China will be celebrated in grand fashion when Canada hosts the 16th edition of FIFA U-20 World Cup 2007. A domestic rate stamp will be issued on June 26 to mark the largest single-sport sporting event in Canadian history.

"It is expected that the 24 nations participating will be viewed by over 600,000 spectators" said Anthony Wilson-Smith, Vice president, Communications at Canada Post "and a stamp showcasing the sport is only fitting." The 52 games across six cities - Victoria, Burnaby, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal - will take place from June 30 to July 22.

While the contemporary history of soccer spans just over a hundred years, few realize the game's early beginnings. Chinese military manuals from the 2nd or 3rd century B.C. contain "Tsu' Chu," an exercise that involved kicking a leather ball filled with feathers and hair into a small net fixed onto long bamboo canes. Many variations on the sport followed and the game has flourished throughout the years.

In 1314, the Lord Mayor of London deemed imprisonment a fit punishment for infringement of the law prohibiting "football"; as did King Edward III. The sport was shunned by law for being a distraction from military training. Because of the lack of modern rules, the games were rough and violent, often destroying private property. In the 16th century, it was even declared a "frivolous" pastime that violated peace on the Sabbath.

Nevertheless, despite centuries of attempts to eradicate the sport of soccer, or football as it is known in Europe, the increasing international popularity prompted the creation of a single body to oversee the worldwide sport. Representatives from various countries signed the foundation act for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in Paris in 1904.

"I wanted to create a stamp that captured all the elements of the game," said Toronto stamp designer Debbie Adams of Adams and Associates. "I wanted to communicate the speed, action and excitement of soccer at its best." In 2006, approximately 900,000 players were registered under the Canadian Soccer Association, making soccer the nation's top participatory sport. "The Canadian players featured on the stamp give an incredible sense of movement to the design, while the ball is the epicentre of the game," said Adams.

Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post's website, and downloadable high-resolution photos of these new stamps are in the Newsroom's Photo Centre. Stamps and Official First Day Covers will be available at participating post offices, or can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca, or by mail order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA, call toll-free: 1-800-565-4362, and from other countries, call: 902 863-6550.