Quite frankly, I don't believe a word of it. FIFA would crack down on or at least run a campaign against that sort of thing.
What happened to the discussion of the 2010 CSL season? Anybody read about this: http://canadiansoccerleague.ca/news_archive.php?news_id=284441 ? Sounds like the top three provinces (population-wise) may be involved in the league in the near future. It'd be great to get Alberta, too. Also, having Athletic Club BC in the league would be cool if only because of the easy conversion of AC-DC songs to footie chants. AC-BC "Balls to the walls", anyone?
Does the BC presence imply a parallel Western league or are they being so bold as to run a single nationwide league?
Any information that has come out of the league over the past three or four years has always discussed a western conference that would operate separately except for, presumably, some sort of final national championship. Of course, the most detailed information I've ever seen that actually came from the league predicted a six team western conference that was supposed to start in 2010. The only specific city that was mentioned was Winnipeg. It is encouraging to see this game. That said, there was also BC participation in the Open Canada Cup during its final year and that ultimately meant nothing. I'd love to see the CSL operating regional leagues nation wide with a national championship. I'm skeptical that it will happen. The CSL has begun making nice progress (albeit from a very low starting point) and I could see them adding more teams in Ontario and Quebec. A fifteen or twenty team league composed of franchises that are actually viable at the D3 level is attainable. For them to start a western conference, however, they would need one of two things. First, and least likely, they'd need to find six to ten investors to simultaneously and successfully launch new teams. Alternatively, they could convince a bunch of existing teams (CPSL or PDL perhaps) to switch flags. I just don't know what incentive they could offer to convince the teams to jump.
I imagine convincing currently existing teams in PCSL or PDL, or even just amateur clubs with deep roots in the community would make a western division possible. Imagine if you will: an eastern division of Ontario and Quebec, a western division of BC and Alberta. As time goes on the other provinces could get a team each, maybe even resulting in promotion of the top clubs (performance/finance/attendance-wise) to an all-Canadian second division league.
A Western League of B.C. and Alberta itself might be too much. I suspect the reason why the CSL finally seems stable and growing is the low travel costs. Only three of the teams play outside of the GTA, and two of those teams (London City and Hamilton Croatia) are a short bus trip (less than 90 minutes) from the GTA. Montreal works as part of the CSL in the current form because there are dozens of daily flights between Toronto and Montreal, there is also many daily trains between the two cities and a large Interstate-like highway between the two. Such ease of travel may not be possible in a combined B.C.-Alberta league for the simple reason there is a giant, freaking mountain range in there and the league would be unlikely to be so concentrated on a single metro area.
So what carrot does the CSL use to make them jump? Especially for the PDL teams, they have a financial stake (entry fees) in their current league. Any pro/rel or all Canadian D2 is, I think, so far in the future as to preclude anything by wide-eyed imagining. (Not that speculation is bad or there wouldn't be a BS but there's speculation and then there's speculation.) A CSL western division would have an interesting geographic problem to contend with. The existing PCSL and PDL teams are all along the coast except for the two Okanagan teams. The dearth of large cities makes further expansion problematic. The next logical choice heading east is Calgary. Even for the Okanagan teams, that's almost twice as far as the Vancouver area and for Victoria you've just increased your longest road trip from 400 km to 1000 km. And who's after Calgary? Maybe Red Deer or Lethbridge if you think they can support teams but otherwise it's Saskatoon, Edmonton, Regina, or Winnipeg! It may be easier to make BC it's own division and leave the prairies on their own.
That would be fine, too, you could have Pacific Division in BC, Prairie Division in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, Central divison in Ontario and Western Quebec, and maybe even an Atlantic Division in Eastern Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. It would be cool to include PEI and Newfoundland in some capacity, but I don't think it's possible.
If you had an Atlantic Division you could include PEI by putting a team in Charlottetown. With the bridge travel isn't a problem. Halifax is actually closer to Charlottetown than to either Fredericton or Saint John, for example. Charlottetown is a bit small (~60 000 metro) but might be able to pull it off as the focal point of the province. Newfoundland is, unfortunately, out as far as I can see. A bigger question is how popular soccer is in the Maritimes. Maybe someone from out that way could give us an idea.
If a $50 bridge toll stops a team I don't think that team has the financial resources for this sort of league anyway.
Maybe. So PEI's attendance would be 1012 instead of 1015 when that one car of fans from Halifax decides that $70 in gas, $30 in tickets, and $100 in food and beer is okay but a $50 bridge toll puts the trip out of reach. I just don't see that being the determining factor about whether to put a team in Charlottetown.
Okay, so as a province of roughly 140,000, PEI could support a team, probably based in Charlottetown, best to call them the Prince Edward Islanders. Since the sport is huge in PEI.
The Canadian Soccer Association has appointed CSL Commissioner Domenic Di Gironimo to the CSA Professional Soccer Committee, effective immediately. The CSL is Canada’s only professional soccer league and the appointment comes at an important time in the league’s plans to expand on a regional basis to other parts of Canada and to begin a widely publicized program for development of young Canadian players considered to be eventual candidates for one of the national teams and for professional soccer. Di Gironimo has expressed that Canada’s professional soccer needs strengthening and the need to keep good young players in the soccer community is paramount in order for Canada to be more competitive internationally. In his letter confirming the appointment, CSA president Dominique Maestracci expressed: ‘We are thrilled to have Domenic Di Gironimo serve on this Committee and look forward to working with him. His knowledge, expertise, vision will be invaluable contributions and they will help us to define the Organization and promote the growth and development of soccer for all Canadians at all levels.’ The commissioner said shortly after receiving notification: “It is an honour to have been invited to participate on this committee. The CSL takes very seriously its responsibility to help build an effective player development system in Canada and our role within the professional soccer structure.” “In recognizing the contributions of the CSL, the CSA, and its Professional Soccer Committee have demonstrated their commitment to creating a clear pathway for elite athlete development and the importance of the intermediate levels below our National teams and the MLS,” he added. The appointment is effective immediately, through to the CSA Annual General Meeting, May 2012.
emm no mate your trippin balls if you beleive that. Yes coaches shout at the kids, but they dont beat the shite outta them.
with most attendances in the CSL, most clubs could not afford to travel out west , so a western division is out of the question...the CSL needs to work towards the east, Ottawa, Quebec City, Maritimes before considering a large scale project like the west.
They would be separate divisons, it's possible to have three or four leagues just like the CHL model.
The Current CSL playoff format needs to go...stay with the top 8 making the playoffs..but have 2 leg ties including the final, instead of the first rd 2 legs, then semis and final at Toronto's Centennial stadium..If they want the fianl in Toronto, why not BMO? its natural grass would be preferred over Centennial's artifical surface.
Our CSL club the Galaxy made the CSL playoffs in their first year as a football club...:} congrats to the whole team and management.. note_ To TFC...make this happen for TFC next season please...if the CSL can have two expansion teams in the playoffs (Milltown) the other then playoff action should be the norm at BMO!!
Hamilton Croatia made it too, all three expansion teams are in. I'm impressed with Milltown, and since Brantford is the closest regionally to London, I hate the Galaxy. Also...I weep for London City's performance.
If the CSL opened itself up national that would be alright. It would have to start out something like the Australian league structure. (starting at state tier) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_soccer_league I mean the Vancouver Metro Soccer League probably has some better players than the PDL and PCSL players out here. When I lived up north there was even good players in the Bulkley Valley Youth League (Dominic Imhof was in the league when I played for example.) Who knows if there was a proper system in place for Canada maybe he would probably be a much better player now.
hmmm... maybe you have experience with anglo countries when it comes to football but believe me in other countries its like this think of it this way hockey in canada is like religion here.... and believe me there are so many hockey parents who would beat their kids if they don't play good. Its cause they can get away with it. However there are some coaches like this as well....buts its very rare, simply cause of the strict laws in the country. In other countries laws aren't rigid and kind of corrupt, if the coach goes over board like permanently hurting a player the community will take care of him. But there is a certain level that he can get away with it. In fact if the coach sees the player as a weak kid, he wouldn't put him on the team in the first place.