Canadian Premier league

Paul Berry · Nov 19, 2018

Unak78 said: ↑

Is the absence of conferences really all that necessary for the lower tiers? I mean I can understand not wanting it in tier two but below that, and being less important competitions and thus closer to the grass roots, cost control becomes a more important concern, no? Even the English system breaks down into regional leagues at a certain level, granted this is waaay waaay down the pyramid from the 3rd level, but England also has many many times many more clubs than any other footballing pyramid. Maybe not Tier 2 but Tier 3 should be provincial and regionalised with some type of tournament deciding who enters Tier 2 in order to control travel costs and make it easier for modestly funded start-up clubs to enter the system and work their way up.

Also, I have a question for you and other Canadian fans over there and this dove-tails from the point that I brought up in my previous paragraph. Many Voyageurs and interested Canadian soccer fans over there have long taken ire with the CSL even before their match-fixing woes due to the ethnic-sounding nature of their clubs despite the long tradition of Toronto-Croatia for example. So if the CSA adopts a truly open-ended pyramid which allows for modest, grass-roots start-up clubs to enter the system and potentially work their way all the way up to the CPL, then let's say that a group starts up another Toronto-Croatia and they manage to work their way up to the CPL. How would they be received? Granted, the very dislike for such clubs seems to preclude such a side becoming successful enough commercially to do so, however, even CPL clubs might be modest enough at first themselves that a wealthy enough person interested in the idea could effectively bank-roll such a team into the first division out of pocket, potentially gaining followers along the way.

Also I've never really understood why they and the Serbian White Eagles clubs were such pariahs to Canadian fans. I never saw it suggested that they practiced discriminating player selections favoring one or the other ethnicities as part of the issue, only the names. How is it any different from names like the Boston Celtics here in the US, Celtic FC in Scotland, Washington Redskins or Florida Seminoles etc...? All of these are ethnically based team names essentially tied to ethnicities that do not necessarily relate directly to the members of their teams or their fanbases...

Forgive me if this brings up a contentious issue that could dove-tail into a bad place, I'm only interested in getting a better understanding into the opinions expressed by Canadian soccer fans on the old CSL and this was always an opinion that felt a bit odd to me...
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In Italian the regional split begins in D3, in Spain, Germany and France D4. In some cases these splits are for historic rather than practical purposes.

Paulo_PT · Nov 19, 2018

Pro/rel between tier 1 and tier 2, It's ok.

But I think CPL should avoid pro/rel between Tier 2 and Tier 3.

CPL should be made of 24 clubs, all professionals, with 16 in Tier 1 and 8 in Tier 2.
CPL One: 16 clubs, 30 games. 1 relegation spot + 2 relegation playoff spot
CPL Two: 8 clubs, 28 (14+14) games. 1 promotion spot + 2 promotion playoff spot. No relegation.

Tier 3 should be semi-professional and regional.

Other national competitions:
- Canadian Cup. 24 CPL clubs+ 8 clubs from Tier 3 and Tier 4.
R1: 32 clubs
R2: 16 clubs
R3: 8 clubs
R4: 4 clubs
R5: 2 clubs
Total: 5 games
- CPL League Cup: 24 clubs
8 Groupsx3 clubs. Group Stage: 2 games each team.
R8-R4-R2
Total: 5 games

- Canadian Super Cup=Canadian Championship=Voyageurs Cup
Game 1: CPL One Champions VS CPL League Cup Winner
Game 2: Canadian Cup Winner VS CPL One Runner Up
Game 3: Game 1 Winner VS Game 2 Winner

Paul Berry · Nov 19, 2018

Unak78 said: ↑

Is the absence of conferences really all that necessary for the lower tiers? I mean I can understand not wanting it in tier two but below that, and being less important competitions and thus closer to the grass roots, cost control becomes a more important concern, no? Even the English system breaks down into regional leagues at a certain level, granted this is waaay waaay down the pyramid from the 3rd level, but England also has many many times many more clubs than any other footballing pyramid. Maybe not Tier 2 but Tier 3 should be provincial and regionalised with some type of tournament deciding who enters Tier 2 in order to control travel costs and make it easier for modestly funded start-up clubs to enter the system and work their way up.

Also, I have a question for you and other Canadian fans over there and this dove-tails from the point that I brought up in my previous paragraph. Many Voyageurs and interested Canadian soccer fans over there have long taken ire with the CSL even before their match-fixing woes due to the ethnic-sounding nature of their clubs despite the long tradition of Toronto-Croatia for example. So if the CSA adopts a truly open-ended pyramid which allows for modest, grass-roots start-up clubs to enter the system and potentially work their way all the way up to the CPL, then let's say that a group starts up another Toronto-Croatia and they manage to work their way up to the CPL. How would they be received? Granted, the very dislike for such clubs seems to preclude such a side becoming successful enough commercially to do so, however, even CPL clubs might be modest enough at first themselves that a wealthy enough person interested in the idea could effectively bank-roll such a team into the first division out of pocket, potentially gaining followers along the way.

Also I've never really understood why they and the Serbian White Eagles clubs were such pariahs to Canadian fans. I never saw it suggested that they practiced discriminating player selections favoring one or the other ethnicities as part of the issue, only the names. How is it any different from names like the Boston Celtics here in the US, Celtic FC in Scotland, Washington Redskins or Florida Seminoles etc...? All of these are ethnically based team names essentially tied to ethnicities that do not necessarily relate directly to the members of their teams or their fanbases...

Forgive me if this brings up a contentious issue that could dove-tail into a bad place, I'm only interested in getting a better understanding into the opinions expressed by Canadian soccer fans on the old CSL and this was always an opinion that felt a bit odd to me...
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The White Eagles were a Serbian paramilitary organisation responsible for atrocities, including genocide, against Croats and Muslims during the Yugoslavia civil war.

Robert Borden · Nov 20, 2018

thekorean said: ↑

Hm, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Surely they want to minimize travel cost?
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With the bulk of a Tier 2 league expected to be within the Quebec City-Windsor corridor, this should balance things out with the few flights from east to west.

Most of the travel within the corridor can be done by train or bus

Robert Borden · Nov 20, 2018

Unak78 said: ↑

Is the absence of conferences really all that necessary for the lower tiers? I mean I can understand not wanting it in tier two but below that, and being less important competitions and thus closer to the grass roots, cost control becomes a more important concern, no? Even the English system breaks down into regional leagues at a certain level, granted this is waaay waaay down the pyramid from the 3rd level, but England also has many many times many more clubs than any other footballing pyramid. Maybe not Tier 2 but Tier 3 should be provincial and regionalised with some type of tournament deciding who enters Tier 2 in order to control travel costs and make it easier for modestly funded start-up clubs to enter the system and work their way up.
Click to expand...

Tier 3 will most likely be regional. The CSA wants the hockey CHL model which are 3 regional league with respective champions meeting for a tournament at the end of the year. This could be how Tier 3 promotes to Tier 2.

With CPL takeover of Tier 3, we could see the Ontario league, Quebec-Atlantic League, Prairies League and Pacific League

Unak78 said: ↑

Also, I have a question for you and other Canadian fans over there and this dove-tails from the point that I brought up in my previous paragraph. Many Voyageurs and interested Canadian soccer fans over there have long taken ire with the CSL even before their match-fixing woes due to the ethnic-sounding nature of their clubs despite the long tradition of Toronto-Croatia for example. So if the CSA adopts a truly open-ended pyramid which allows for modest, grass-roots start-up clubs to enter the system and potentially work their way all the way up to the CPL, then let's say that a group starts up another Toronto-Croatia and they manage to work their way up to the CPL. How would they be received? Granted, the very dislike for such clubs seems to preclude such a side becoming successful enough commercially to do so, however, even CPL clubs might be modest enough at first themselves that a wealthy enough person interested in the idea could effectively bank-roll such a team into the first division out of pocket, potentially gaining followers along the way.
Click to expand...

The way the pyramid is being set up, CPL would have final say on who gets in, who stays in and who exit it's structure. Some people said on twitter that it was dangerous to give a private business so much power into the Canadian pyramid, however, the CSA is a major stakeholder in the league so they have some say as well.

That being said, CPL would totally decides who gets in in the top 3 tier. Unlike the US, the CSA will never sanction any rival leagues outside the CPL.

Say that very wealthy group wanted to start a Toronto-Croatia team, they would have to abide by CPL requirements to get in. If they don't, they could be a Tier 4 or independent team but would never be allowed in CPL. To the league's credit, having deep pockets alone doesn't guarantee your inclusion in the league. You need to align with the league's vision and a Toronto-Croatia would not.

What sank the old CSL was not viewership or attendance, it was lack of structure and ownership allowed to do whatever they wanted, something CPL will not allow.

Unak78 · Nov 20, 2018

Robert Borden said: ↑

Tier 3 will most likely be regional. The CSA wants the hockey CHL model which are 3 regional league with respective champions meeting for a tournament at the end of the year. This could be how Tier 3 promotes to Tier 2.

With CPL takeover of Tier 3, we could see the Ontario league, Quebec-Atlantic League, Prairies League and Pacific League

The way the pyramid is being set up, CPL would have final say on who gets in, who stays in and who exit it's structure. Some people said on twitter that it was dangerous to give a private business so much power into the Canadian pyramid, however, the CSA is a major stakeholder in the league so they have some say as well.

That being said, CPL would totally decides who gets in in the top 3 tier. Unlike the US, the CSA will never sanction any rival leagues outside the CPL.

Say that very wealthy group wanted to start a Toronto-Croatia team, they would have to abide by CPL requirements to get in. If they don't, they could be a Tier 4 or independent team but would never be allowed in CPL. To the league's credit, having deep pockets alone doesn't guarantee your inclusion in the league. You need to align with the league's vision and a Toronto-Croatia would not.

What sank the old CSL was not viewership or attendance, it was lack of structure and ownership allowed to do whatever they wanted, something CPL will not allow.
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So the name itself didn't really have much to do with the ire, it was thier business practices? Or am I misreading that?

Robert Borden · Nov 22, 2018

Unak78 said: ↑

So the name itself didn't really have much to do with the ire, it was thier business practices? Or am I misreading that?
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Their business practices and overhaul business model sunk the league, not the fans, not the attendances or viewership

Robert Borden · Nov 22, 2018

Pacific released their secondary logo...No surprise, fans are wondering why this isn't the primary logo
A colourized version of #PacificFC's secondary logo. Is it better than the primary crest? #CanPL pic.twitter.com/kqyu9p9sLP
— Bespoke FC (@Bespoke_FC) November 21, 2018

Unak78 · Nov 23, 2018

Robert Borden said: ↑

Pacific released their secondary logo...No surprise, fans are wondering why this isn't the primary logo
A colourized version of #PacificFC's secondary logo. Is it better than the primary crest? #CanPL pic.twitter.com/kqyu9p9sLP
— Bespoke FC (@Bespoke_FC) November 21, 2018

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Same thing happened with Portland and RSL who's secondary badges were clearly better than their primaries and ended up becoming the primary in the end. I've heard that there were possible copyright issues with this on Reddit but they were unlikely to lose a court case over it. Perhaps they're just testing the waters before they switch to it. I like this one better too. The other badge is adventurous and experiments, which is admirable. But despite that it's just not very good. It looks like a logo that alot of USL teams come up with because it's not important enough to come up with anything better at that level. This is much more professional looking...

RocketRobin · Nov 27, 2018

My observations at the League 1 Ontario Awards Gala held on Sunday November 25th. All the award winners listed.

Not much mentioned about the CPL except:

I have audio of L1O Commissioner Dino Rossi comments on the Canadian Soccer Business purchase of L1O from Ontario Soccer starting at around the 6:30 minute mark. The L1O women's component played an important part in the deal.

http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports18/18l1o278.htm

Robert Borden · Nov 28, 2018

Looks like Pacific FC will be changing their logo within 2 years

Wondering why you're seeing this secondary #PacificFC logo all over the place? Rumour has it this was meant to be the primary crest all along! #CanPL pic.twitter.com/D6DYv5poBh
— Bespoke FC (@Bespoke_FC) November 28, 2018

That trademark dispute has now been resolved, and we could see the roundel trident logo be adopted as the club's main crest within two years. #PacificFC #CanPL pic.twitter.com/3OodHGjwGC
— Bespoke FC (@Bespoke_FC) November 28, 2018

Robert Borden · Nov 28, 2018

The Canadian Premier League's first wave of player signings will be unveiled tomorrow.@martythompson_ and I talked with the league's head coaches about who those players might be.

📝: https://t.co/zlG714NnfU |#CanPL pic.twitter.com/iW047tmJTI
— Armen Bedakian (@ArmenBedakian) November 28, 2018

Robert Borden · Nov 29, 2018

Canadian Premier League 1st domestic signings
First Class: Canadian Premier League signings ready to compete in historic inaugural season.#CanPL #WeAreComing https://t.co/J9YNMOW7y5 pic.twitter.com/zlqjwJafGp
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) November 29, 2018

HFX WANDERERS FC (based in Halifax)

Zachary Sukunda (defender)

YORK9 FC (based in York Region, Ontario)

Kyle Porter (forward)

FORGE FC (based in Hamilton)

Kyle Bekker (midfielder)

Chris Nanco (forward)

VALOUR FC (based in Winnipeg)

Skylar Thomas (defender)

CAVALRY FC (based in Calgary)

Nik Ledgerwood (midfielder/defender)

Sergio Camargo (midfielder)

FC EDMONTON

Randy Edwini-Bonsu (forward)

Allan Zebie (defender)

PACIFIC FC (Vancouver Island)

Kadin Chung (defender)

Details on each of them is available here:
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2018/11...-signings-by-the-new-canadian-premier-league/

Robert Borden · Nov 29, 2018

Another thing I’ve learned over last two weeks is beyond having a salary cap (or similar cost control mechanism) #CanPL will not have any central allocation controls to ensure parity. In fact, the league is not concerned by the possibility have/have-nots emerging.
— Duane Rollins (@24thminute) November 29, 2018

Robert Borden · Nov 30, 2018

Those are $1000 season tickets

‘It’s impressive’: York9 FC sells out premium touchline seats ahead of inaugural CPL season

Full story: https://t.co/YM1TsqyhUh | #CanPL #York9FC pic.twitter.com/yNh3uJLsD6
— York United FC (@yorkutdfc) November 30, 2018

Robert Borden · Nov 30, 2018

For instance, I’ve heard that @Pacificfccpl is looking to almost entirely field players from British Columbia. A sort of hippy version of @Chivas. @York9FC, meanwhile, seems to be looking at a more traditional North American build. The Galaxy of CPL.
— Duane Rollins (@24thminute) November 30, 2018

Robert Borden · Nov 30, 2018

For instance, I’ve heard that @Pacificfccpl is looking to almost entirely field players from British Columbia. A sort of hippy version of @Chivas. @York9FC, meanwhile, seems to be looking at a more traditional North American build. The Galaxy of CPL.
— Duane Rollins (@24thminute) November 30, 2018

Robert Borden · Nov 30, 2018

News from Pacific pricing and stadium rendering

#PacificFC released season ticket prices last night, along with their stadium setup. As expected, there will be no north grandstand in year 1. Supporters will be behind the goal at the east end. Expected capacity is approx. 6,500. #canpl pic.twitter.com/FyrHqiDPcC
— Bespoke FC (@Bespoke_FC) November 30, 2018

New stadium renderings 👀

Pacific FC looking to incorporate the beauty of Vancouver Island into Westhills Stadium renovations

More here📝: https://t.co/WOWlri58bn | #CanPL pic.twitter.com/PgbjH1htHd
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) November 30, 2018

Robert Borden · Nov 30, 2018

⚡️ Currently under renovations to seat 6000 fans in Phase 1.

Read our Stadium Story: https://t.co/PR8nvmijOY pic.twitter.com/3r0iZgQn2G
— Pacific FC (@Pacificfccpl) November 30, 2018

RocketRobin · Dec 1, 2018

December 1, 2018 I've compiled a list of L1O guys who've signed or successfully trialed for the new CPL. I've also included those recently signed with the new Mississauga MetroStars MASL team.

I expect to keep adding to the list as we get closer to CPL kickoff.

So far 31 guys from 2018 L1O rosters, 12 'alumni' ie. those who left L1O before 2018 season began.

http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports19/19york04.htm

Robert Borden · Dec 3, 2018

1069545190921244672 is not a valid tweet id

Robert Borden · Dec 3, 2018

York9 FC signs Swedish striker Simon Adjei

📝: https://t.co/yRVTKQnE3d | #CanPL pic.twitter.com/8lpD8Aixja
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) December 3, 2018

Kingston · Dec 3, 2018

Robert Borden said: ↑

1069545190921244672 is not a valid tweet id
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So far it is guys with some experience who weren't quite able to catch on in MLS or Europe. We will probably see some more signings along these lines.

Next we will start to see younger guys who have not yet been able to catch on with MLS or Europe.

This is a very reasonable starting point for the CPL.

Robert Borden · Dec 3, 2018

📰 | https://t.co/LIDDU1b6SK | #CanPL | CPL will have a maximum 7 international players per roster in year 1
— CanPL FC 🇨🇦⚽ (@CanPL_FC) December 3, 2018

Robert Borden · Dec 3, 2018

Kingston said: ↑

So far it is guys with some experience who weren't quite able to catch on in MLS or Europe. We will probably see some more signings along these lines.

Next we will start to see younger guys who have not yet been able to catch on with MLS or Europe.

This is a very reasonable starting point for the CPL.
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CPL is not trying to be MLS, so signing different type of players makes sense here.

What matters is that we have a league for Canadians to play in, just like MLS provided the same for Americans who couldn't make it in Mexico or Europe. The league will grow overtime organically.