Bxl Boy Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 Montreal didn't play in 99 Or well.... the did but only in the indoor league It was the beginning of the problems Joey Saputo called that "the biggest mistake of his life" Since then, indoor has left Montreal And Montreal is A-League champion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 quote:I'm curious about the last time that a team with a very checkered history took a one year hiatus and actually returned. Not knowing anything about the situation behind the scenes, I'd be very surprised to see a Calgary entry in the A-League in 2006. I'm in total agreement. Many poorly run teams say they are taking a hiatus, but they never return. I don't buy the excuse that they don't have a venue that meets A-League standards. Half the teams in the league or more play in stadiums that don't meet league standards. quote:If I recall correctly, Montreal took some sort of hiatus in the early 90's, but the circumstances were different and it wasn't a club on the brink like Calgary. Yes, but you are right that was a totally different scenario. Montreal was an excellent franchise with good crowds. Saputo was unhappy with the way the league was run so he took 1999 off in protest. In 1998 Montreal was third in the A-League in attendance averaging 4,008 per game (Montreal's official website has that number much lower, probably trying to re-write history). When they came back after their hiatus half of the fans didn't. http://www.kenn.com/soccer/aleague.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 quote:Originally posted by SeanKeay Well, i know im gonna be sounding like a dick.... BUT Once again as much as we hate the hartrels and say there a joke.. They once again keep there team while others fail time after time.... Maybe we should stop slagging them? NAH But you can argue that the Hartrell have a better soccer market than those clubs that have lost their team. They ( Hartrells)are not making best of the situation that they have. Not even close. Look at what happened last summer with those two games from championsworld that were played in TO. Then compare that to the the way the product is managed by the Hartrells. Granted we talking about big Euro clubs versus the a-league, but the gap in support shouldn't be that large. At the very least, we have learned from Champions World that there is market in TO for people who want to watch soccer which probably doesn't exist to the same extent in those cities that lost their teams. I doubt that you would get 30-50K for those championsworld games in those cities that lost their a-league team. Granted, you will never see 30-50K out for a Lynx game but you should still be able to get ( on average ) more that 2-3K for pro soccer in Toronto. You can build on creating loyalty for your club ( much like those Euro clubs have done for over a century) but it seems like the Hartrells aren't even trying or don't have the investment capital to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 You'd probably get 30-50K for championsworld games in Edmonton. One off events are easy to get crowds for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 quote:The idea now is to find six new investors who can kick in $100,000 each so the team can buy the new, rubber-based artificial turf for McMahon. What a waste. They'll spend $600,000 and still be playing in a stadium too big for them on a pitch with CFL football lines all over it. Wouldn't that $600,000 be a lot better spent on renovating a park (Foothills or other) into a decent little 5,000 seater stadium? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 This is one of those rare occasions when I agree with Krammerhead McMahon is not the answer. Alas, neither is Foothills (we've lost it to track and field since they upgraded the T&F facilities). There were some opportunites that were starting to show potential, but they would not have had time to get it together prior to the 2005 season. Now they have lots of time to get things together. There is a nice little field taking shape a Mount Royal College that could be made into an fine little soccer specific stadium with the addition of some stands and amenities (say, about $600,000 worth). There are some other options, now that time is on their side. I could go on for hours, but I'll leave that for future discussion. At least there are some signs of life, for now. I need that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 Only if we can some decent stadium in Calgary and Edmonton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massimo Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 600k is a lot of money to upgrade a stadium that doesn't suit them. As Cooks said they should be looking for an alternative field, or more funding (privaate or government) to construct one more suitable to their needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 quote:Originally posted by massimo 600k is a lot of money to upgrade a stadium that doesn't suit them. As Cooks said they should be looking for an alternative field, or more funding (privaate or government) to construct one more suitable to their needs. I could have sworn I was the one who said that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massimo Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Krammerhead I could have sworn I was the one who said that. Okay my bad it was you Krammerhead. [] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 quote:Originally posted by massimo Okay my bad it was you Krammerhead. [] Thats okay. At least you didn't feel the need to preface it with "this is one of the rare times I agree with Krammerhead" or "I usually disagree with Krammerhead" that most people feel they need to do when they agree with me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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