Jarrek Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 The Canadian Soccer Association - l'Association canadienne de soccer FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EDMONTON WILL HOST MEN’S WORLD CUP QUALIFIER Commonwealth Stadium expected to pack in more than 30,000 fans for Men’s World Cup Qualifier on September 4th, 2004. Edmonton, AB –After two convincing wins in Kingston last week against Belize, the Canadian Men’s World Cup Soccer Team has advanced to the next round of qualifying for the 2004 World Cup. Today at a press conference held today at Edmonton City Hall, the Canadian Soccer Association and the Edmonton local organizing committee announced Edmonton will host the second Canadian home game of the semi-final qualifying round on September 4th, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. (local). Tickets for the game range from $19.00 – $39.00 for reserved seating and $8.00 for general admission seating. Reserved seating tickets will go on sale on Friday June 25, 2004 at all Ticketmaster outlets in Canada, charge by phone (780-451-8000), www.ticketmaster.ca General seating are priced at $8.00 and available by contacting (780) 471-0889 or worldcupqualifier@albertasoccer.com At the press conference were: • Frank Yallop, Canadian Men’s World Cup Team Head Coach • Kevin Montgomery, CIBC District Vice-President, Edmonton (The Exclusive Diamond Sponsor of the CSA) • Members of the local organizing committee Commonwealth Stadium will host the all important game for Canada as they take on Honduras in the CONCACAF 2006 World Cup Qualifying semi-final round. But what better place to hold the crucial game than in Edmonton – a city that eats, breaths, and sleeps soccer. Last time a National Team came to Edmonton, Commonwealth Stadium packed in almost 30,000 screening fans. And it appears this game will be no different. “We are so excited to be returning to Edmonton,” said Kevan Pipe, COO Canadian Soccer Association. “The support local soccer fans give our players is outstanding. We are so fortunate to have the best fans, and most supportive sponsors. They will all play a huge role in propelling the men to new heights.” Earlier this year, CIBC announced its unprecedented $4.3 million sponsorship of the Canadian Soccer Association – a sponsorship which helps all players and teams under the CSA umbrella including the Men’s World Cup team. “I would like to congratulate all the players and coaches for their outstanding play in Kingston last week,” said Stephen Graham, CIBC’s Executive Vice-President, Personal and Small Business Banking and Chief Marketing Officer. “CIBC is dedicated to supporting amateur athletes in Canada. With over 825,000 players and coaches registered with the Canadian Soccer Association, and almost 91,000 players from Alberta, Canada has a huge pool of talent to draw from. As a Canadian corporate leader, we feel a responsibility to make a financial commitment of this magnitude to ensure that Canadian amateur soccer can thrive.” *** About CIBC CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with almost nine million personal banking and business customers. CIBC offers a full range of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, branches and offices across Canada, the United States and around the world. To find other news releases and information about CIBC, visit the bank’s Press Centre at www.cibc.com. About the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) Founded in 1912, the Canadian Soccer Association, in partnership with its members, is dedicated to promoting the growth and development of soccer for all Canadians at all levels. In this pursuit, the Canadian Soccer Association, in partnership with its members, is committed to providing leadership and good governance for the sport of soccer. Please see the attached news release for details. CSA Communications Department Phone: (613) 237-7678 ext. 242 Website: www.canadasoccer.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Excellent. Since it's happening on a long weekend, I'm flying out from Ottawa for this one. Anybody interested in forming a Voyageurs section in GA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beaver Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 I will be attending, as will my good buddy and maybe my wife and brothers etc. What I'd like is to sit in a group of foaming-at-the-mouth Canadian soccer fans, which means I want to sit with the Voyaguers (the most rabidest fans in all of Christendom, wherever the hell that is). I assume, then, that the only way to get all of us in one surging mass is to go the GA way? If that is the case, then let's make it so. Who's in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 REVISION: CORRECTED INFORMATION ON GEN-ADMSN AND PURCHASING I apologize guys[:I], the information I received direct from John Gill, ASA/CSA Event Coordinator, and Liz Ferguson, Executive Director of the ASA, yesterday was wrong. I went to the ASA and bought my General Admission ticket (which out-of towners can get), and got the proper info. I revise the information below. Basically, the General Admission is restritced to the "endzones" for now. The general admission tickets, $8.00, are on sale NOW by the local soccer associations and the ASA office. 7 to 8 thousand are now in the hands of the local associations. Ticketmaster will not sell the GA's. $1.00 from each of the tickets will go to the selling Associations. They are for the endzones only at this point. TO ORDER $8.00 GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS FROM THE ALBERTA SOCCER ASSOCIATION, YOU MAY EITHER PHONE 1-780-474-2200 OR PLACE AN ORDER BY EMAIL TO spope@albertasoccerassociation.com .The guy that was selling the tickets is very nice, and he told me you can pay by Mastercard, VISA or by received cheque. He told me that he will send the tickets upon payment through the mail at no extra charge. The reserved seating will be in both lower Grandstands East and West and Ticketmaster, only, (note: The ASA office is also an outlet for Ticketmaster) will start selling Friday. The Upper tiers are closed (for now). Costs for Reserved Seating: $39.00 Sections F,G,H in the West Stand (near the player benches) and Section T in East Stand $29.00 Sections E,I in West Stand and Sections R,S,U,V in East Stand $19.00 Sections C,D,J,K in West Stand and Sections P,Q,W,X in East Stand Perhaps, strobe_z, you could scan or copy the setup of seating at Commonwealth and post on this thread (I don't have stuff to do it). see set up of stadium from Aviators site: http://www.aviatorssoccer.com/tickets.htm One other point. The match will probably be moved to 7:00 pm from 2:00 pm. I overheard the discussion between the local organizers and Yallop when he found out that it was set for 2:00, and he told them that Andy Sharpe had assured him and the players that their strong desire for all night games at home would be met. The local organizers told him they should be able to change it to 7:00, and that the fact that the GA tickets now say "2:00 pm" should not pose too much problem. I would suggest that there is no rush to get tickets if we feel we should stand together in GA. I would suggest Section A, the GA northside endzone near the East stand . That is, unless something special is worked out with the CSA for Voyageurs in the interim. The only rush will be game day to be in front of the gate lineup so that we can claim a section, unless something is worked out beforehand. Again , sorry[] for passing on bad info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarrek Posted June 23, 2004 Author Share Posted June 23, 2004 One more clarification, we don't sit - we stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 I think we can apply the Foxborough/Kingston strategy in Edmonton. 1) get GA tickets; 2) meet a little while before they open the stadium gates; 3) go into the stadium the minute they open the gates to stake out a spot in the GA section. Perhaps some Edmonton-area Voyageurs with knowledge of the area can co-ordinate the pre-match meet-up? My main concern coming out from Ottawa is getting a GA ticket. I was able to order my GA ticket for Canada v Costa Rica in Foxborough from Ticketmaster by I waited too long to get my tickets for Kingston and wound up sitting in the reserved seating area (away from the Voyageurs) in Kingston (I didn't want to drive down there without being assured of having a ticket so I reserved my tickets with my credit card.) I won't make that mistake this time - I'm going to order my GA ticket early enough to get it mailed out to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 question for those familiar with the stadium. What kind of vantage point or site lines do you have in the GA section. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Free kick question for those familiar with the stadium. What kind of vantage point or site lines do you have in the GA section. ? Good question. The East section is great in the lower tier East stand, except that unless you sit 25 to 27 rows up you cannot see the first few yards on the pitch because of the ad hoarding on the inside of the track. I always sit this far up when I am in the East stand because I like to watch the footwork along the sidelines and the formations on the field from slightly above, which in my opinion compensates for not being relatively closer to the players. However, given the need to be vocally effective, we may want to be in the first rows. The Upper Tier is real high up, but clear sight lines, because the terraces are so steep up there (not a good place for the claustropohbics). The players look real small from up there, and it is often difficult to distinguish the players. The endzones have no sighting problems (except portions of the North endzone will have part of the pitch blocked by the "VIP Package" beer tents), but it can be real far from the action due to the track and field outline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarrek Posted June 23, 2004 Author Share Posted June 23, 2004 Originally Posted by Gordon: Message has been sent to CSA, reply back indicating that the request has been passed along to the "powers that be". I will be out west for the next two weeks with limited access to PC, but I will be checking e-mail etc from time to time. I suggested to the CSA that if the reply was positive, but needed to be communicated before July 5th, that they could post to this board. Thus, I would request a sticky for this thread from the mods. I did mention the issues of television camera's and mics and asked that this be part of the consideration. We'll see if any thing come of this. Of course, with the latter issue, venue is important to determining the section. I think that Liasing with sportsnet on this issue will be important, although they may have to have our section (if we get one) on a 7 second delay . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 I like being higher up in the 'lower bowl' at Commonwealth, plus if there's no one behind us, no one is hasseling us to sit down. that being said a lot of people do like being close to the front. We usually have a few rows and I'm usually in the highest. If this is a night kickoff, hopefully we can take over the End Zone Pub for four or five hours and still be inside when the gates open two hours before kickoff to get set up and claim our space. Can we get a sticky going for the Vancouver game. The planning for that one is much more important and much trickier with a sell out almost guaranteed, the likelihood of battling away fans for tickets and no GA section meaning we have to decide where we'll stand pretty quick. cheers, matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torontosupport Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 quote: The Canadian Soccer Association - l'Association canadienne de soccer Commonwealth Stadium will host the all important game for Canada as they take on Honduras in the CONCACAF 2006 World Cup Qualifying semi-final round. But what better place to hold the crucial game than in Edmonton – a city that eats, breaths, and sleeps soccer. Last time a National Team came to Edmonton, Commonwealth Stadium packed in almost 30,000 screening fans. And it appears this game will be no different. Does this mean they were all standing in front of the goalie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 Ughhh, the End Zone Pub is a real dive. I live close to the stadium and the bars in the area are real grotty. We have started discussing possibilities on the Hangar website. For instance, there is a fairly nice pizza place with restaurant and bar nearby on 114th , about 10 minutes walk from the stadium, called Chicago Joes. I know the owner, and he could make sure he opens earlier to accomodate us. We are stil talking here in Edmonton amongst each other, and will get back to all of you about alternatives. Basically, someplace close before the game, and perhaps someplace nicer downtown after? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcaout Posted June 23, 2004 Share Posted June 23, 2004 I'm fairly sure that I'll be making the trip from Regina. GA sounds like the best plan. I think all those who real want to support the team should join our area and hopefully we can make ourselfs a factor for Canada in the game. The more people the better, as long as they're not shy singers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reza Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 I'll be able to organize parts of the effort although with new commitments need some extra help. At commonwealth, you would want to sit on the east side to be on camera. The west side gets the shadow and that's why the reserved section ison the other side. We need as manypeople as possible at Commonwealth. Making an impact there is significantly more difficult than any other stadiums here in Canada. I will be coming with 5-6 people all capable of cheering and maybe a couple of others that will take their time to warm up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varsity Tyler Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 So the drinking age is 18 in Alberta, correct? I'm just making sure that I bring the proper identification : ) If all goes to plan (and it looks like it is) then I'll be seeing a lot of you at Commonwealth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torontosupport Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 So I'm assuming the Voyageurs will inhabit the East GA Stand near the pitch. Tickets are eight bucks, and I guess we can call the local associations to order. Okay, so here are a couple questions: Do you think we can put 100 Voyageurs (incl. hangers-on) in the stands on the 4th? Who is traveling from Toronto? I know some who are considering it...but will the Ultras show up in force? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sstackho Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 Just curious - why the strong desire from the players to play night games? At first I thought it was a time zone thing, but 7pm Pacific time is 5am in England! EDIT: I see something about the "cool of the night" as an advantage in another thread. But I wouldn't think this would be an issue in the summer matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 Frank Yallop told me today it was because he and the players are of the strong view that the cooler temperatures at night will be an advantage to them over the Central Americans. I did not seek further elaboration on the mechanics. In the dryer air of Edmonton (compared to , say Toronto) it gets considerably cooler as soon as it gets dark, and it gets dark about 6:30 pm in the first week of September. The change in temperature (which is far less pronounced in most tropical areas) in itself can cause discomfort in tropical people, as my friends from the warm climes often point out. But, I thought the differnce was a bit exagerated as well. As Yallop said tho, "if there is any advantage at all, we gotta use it". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobe_z Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Reza I'll be able to organize parts of the effort although with new commitments need some extra help. At commonwealth, you would want to sit on the east side to be on camera. The west side gets the shadow and that's why the reserved section ison the other side. We need as manypeople as possible at Commonwealth. Making an impact there is significantly more difficult than any other stadiums here in Canada. I will be coming with 5-6 people all capable of cheering and maybe a couple of others that will take their time to warm up. Reza.. I'll help organize. Is it August yet? Man.. I can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarrek Posted June 24, 2004 Author Share Posted June 24, 2004 I have a 50/50% chance of going. I will be most likely taking the plane. Are some of you from Toronto considering driving ??? (Might be a nice way to tour the country) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reza Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 Neither can I....little over 2 more months to wait... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 I just called the number given in the press release for GA tickets and got an answering machine at the Alberta Soccer Association. From the sounds of the message, it sounded like they were only selling the GA tickets to District Associations, not individuals, but I left a message anyway telling them that I'm flying out from Ottawa for the match, that I want GA tickets rather than reserved seating and could they please tell me how, as an individual, I can get 2 GA tickets. If I get a reply, I'll post the info on how out-of-towners can get GA tickets in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 It looks like I am going. I'd say its 75% certain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varsity Tyler Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 I'm considering the plane right now ..... but I'd be willing to drive to keep costs down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake Posted June 24, 2004 Share Posted June 24, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Varsity Tyler I'm considering the plane right now ..... but I'd be willing to drive to keep costs down. its cheaper to fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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