I've never been a fan of starting with teams in MLS markets. That quibble aside, this is a good list to start with. It covers all the biggest non-MLS cities in the country except Quebec. Halifax is a bit smaller but is a special case which makes a good substitution for Quebec. These are the cities that are going to have to succeed for this league to thrive so it's good to get the teams in there from the start.
Not sure where the BC team is to be located, but from past articles it sounds likely it's in GVA. That one may be a bit tight, but I still think that a CPL team in the GTA can work. The proof shall be in the pudding, and I don't think that 15-20k is a realistic expectation, but if 5k if the threshold for survival, then I think it's doable. I'm sure that in 2006 the suggestion that an MLS team would draw 30k would have caused even the most optimistic of us to balk.
I'm not convinced that Surrey and York are MLS markets but you and I disagree on that. Saskatoon will most likely be expansion team #9. Quebec City is crucial for CPL success going forward. I think the league will work extra hard on that front for expansion #10. Halifax or according to the new trademark "HFX Wanderers" will be a huge success. That city has the track record of supporting sports and with the location of the stadium and a potential rivalry with Moncton, I believe they will be fine
BCFC is most likely Surrey. It's big enough and far enough from Vancouver to warrant it's own CPL club. As for York 9, if rumors are correct, they will play at York University stadium until the Vaughan Stadium gets built. 10k on average is doable in Vaughan, we're talking 1.2M people in York, mostly Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham. If they get the marketing right and TV contract, that club could be sitting on a gold mine and be one of the most lucrative club in the league. They will have to sell the club to northern Toronto as well and convince North York residents to see games as well. The easy subway access makes it attractive. I don't know man... the quality of the hiring of CPL makes me think they fully know what they're doing and how to sell it. Of course, we'll see, this is uncharted territory here.
That is true. I guess we'll get to see how it works out. Despite some positives I just don't get a good feeling about Saskatoon. Hopefully I'm wrong (if the league does go there) but both size and a lack of soccer history seem to be negatives. I contrast this with Halifax for which I have an expectation of surprisingly good things. Quebec would be the next logical market after the ones already on the list. I'm slightly disappointed not to see them in from the start. On the other hand, it's almost nice to have one of the better markets still available. With the best of intentions, I don't expect the CPL to be a booming success everywhere. With Quebec they could back fill a spot.
Quebec City is the city I'm disappointed not to see on the list. I think they are vital. Halifax's travel costs are going to be insane. I hope they will be subsidized by the league. The league has smart people running it, I'm optimistic. However, I question the business plan of having CFL stadiums in use for places like Winnipeg and Hamilton. Atmosphere killers.
Four groups have been accepted for professional club membership at the 2018 AMM. They represent Halifax, NS, York Region, ON, Calgary, AB and Port City, BC. #CanPL pic.twitter.com/dczAALS7ZS— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 5, 2018
I thought that, too, but it depends on how the stadium is designed. Ottawa with 7000 fans actually feels quite full because of the sectioning of the stadium. So it can be done.
So we got the identity of the people on the picture. Left to right... Tommy Wheeldon Jr., (Technical director for Calgary Foothills academy) Has previously denied being involved in ownership of a Calgary team but was interested in some sort of partnership Ian Allison, (Senior V-P of Spruce Meadows in Calgary) Paul Beirne, (Canadian Premier League president) John Gibson, (CPL director of inter-provincial affairs) David Clanachan, (Canadian Premier League commissioner) Rob Friend, (Former Canadian International) Derek Martin, (Owner and President of Sports & Entertainment Atlantic) Preben Ganzhorn, (President and owner York9 FC) Jim Brennan (Executive V-P and co-owner of York9 FC) Dean Shillington, (Founder of Knightsbridge Capital Group in Vancouver) *The money behind Port City FC This confirms what's been speculated so far, there's a lot of money in the league and ownership. The Calgary club has probably the richest owner in the Southern Family now confirmed as the owners.
Ottawa Fury president John Pugh has been sighted in Yellowknife. Not clear if he’s just there since he is a member of the board of the CSA, or as #CanPL owner.— Canucks Soccer Chat (@CA_SoccerChat) May 6, 2018
993256382211149824 is not a valid tweet id Spruce Meadows to build stadium for new professional soccer squad #yyc #soccer https://t.co/rFkhfEW5fJ pic.twitter.com/CDx6QHWOHJ— Calgary Sun (@calgarysun) May 6, 2018
I think so too. Victoria are upgrading their current stadium to 8000 I think. Hard not think that it's not linked to a potential CPL team
That is correct. (source) The proposed expansion could use some more canopy given the amount of rainfall in that area but otherwise, can't complain.
It is.. Just no one thinks of Surrey as Port City.. Sure, they have one, but it has always been a very distant second to the Port of Vancouver. Surrey’s “thing” is its farms.. It seems odd to go with “Port City”, which seems to link the team more to Vancouver, when Surrey is trying to break out on its own and have its own identity separate from Vancouver.
Welcome York Region. We Are Many, We Are One. #CanPL pic.twitter.com/tKpVx4uWY6— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) May 8, 2018
Well, at least York 9 has the marketing down. As for Port City, i wonder if that group has its eyes on other locations besides Surrey, like maybe Victoria, hence a name that can't be pinned down until they announce a location.
I agree, at this stage Port City must have a stadium plan and location already submitted to the league otherwise, they would not be granted a club.
I guess when it's going to be their turn to unveil their name, logo and the whole thing, they will explain the reason behind the name. Might be for historical reasons, I don't know Surrey that well unfortunately.
I'm sure they'll come up with something, but like I said, Surrey's "thing" is its farms. Like much of the Northwest, it started out as a logging community that slowly turned into a farming community as the forests were cut down and the land was opened up for farming. Post-WWII residential neighborhoods started to sprout up in the area as people moved out of Vancouver and Burnaby. It wasn't even incorporated into a city until 1993 after a SkyTrain station was put there and they started to build a city core around the station(s).
What does everyone think of this stadium location in Calgary? From an outsiders perspective, it seems really out of the way.