New Canadian League Thread...

[Robert]

quote:Originally posted by Danny Boy

I think this thread died a while back. It's just the ghosts that are still hanging around.

Ghost killer

So much for talking about a Canadian Soccer League. It seems that we have to resign ourselves to the fact that MLS is going to happen whether we like it or not. If that's the case, I just hope that Toronto isn't the only Canadian franchise. Vancouver and Montreal better get the opportunity.

Did you just announce the awarding of a MLS franchise to Toronto? I better get in line for season tickets.

[DoyleG]

A basis for a soccer team in a new league can be found in the rules for baseball Northern League.

Roster size

The roster limit for a Northern League club is 22 players. An additional two players may be on the disabled list during the regular season. Of those 22 players, a maximum of four may be veterans and minimum of five must be rookies. The remaining players will be designated limited service players and of those LS players, one must be an LS-1 and only four (4) may be LS-4.

a. During the pre-season, a maximum of 28 players may be under contract at any one time without regard to classification. The 22 active player roster must be met three days before the start of the regular season.

Definitions

a. Year of Service: A year of service for Northern League players is 75 official at bats or more in a National Association or independent league or leagues, or 30 innings or more pitched in a National Association or independent league or leagues, in any season prior to the present calendar year. For Northern League or complex league service, the first two years of service equals one National Association year. For foreign players, the classification and salary level will be determined by the league office.

b. Rookie: A player with less than one year of service.

c. LS-1: A player with less than two years of service.

d. LS-2: A player with less than three years of service.

e. LS-3: A player with less than four years of service.

f. LS-4: A player with less than five years of service. One of the four LS-4 players may be an LS-5. An LS-5 player is a player that is becoming a veteran by virtue of spending two (2) years in the Northern League. A player may spend only one year as an LS-5. The age rule does not apply to an LS-5.

g. Veteran: A player with five or more years of service. If a player has five or more years of service but has not reached the age of 26 by September 1 of that season, he will be considered an LS-4. If he has not reached the age of 24 by September 1 of that season, he will be considered an LS-3

http://www.northernleague.com/rosterrules.asp

[DoyleG]

Funny note from th Edmonton Journal on Tuesday.

The Esks went down in attendance from 402,306 in 2003 to 378,418 in 2004. A drop of 23,888 fans.

Doesn't take a genius to figure out where most of those fans went. No wonder why the Esks didn't want the Avs in Commonwealth.

[River City]

Here's an article about Japan's plan to develop their leagues.

http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=49825&idSez=143

[Robert]

quote:Originally posted by River City

Here's an article about Japan's plan to develop their leagues.

http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=49825&idSez=143

Thanks for staying on course River City. Lately much interest, including that of my own, has been diverted from discussing the merits of establishing a Canadian Soccer League structure to speculating on the endeavors of Maple Leaf Sport & Entertainment 's attempting to land a Major League Soccer franchise in Toronto. I believe that a MLS soccer team in Toronto will probably be realized before a Canadian Soccer League ever gets off the ground, and this may have accounted for the many starved soccer fans in Canada to abandon this pursuit. Although, I do not see this as being of any help in establishing a Canadian League, I would like to wish all those pursuing a MLS franchise for Toronto all the best, and once this goal has been achieved I also wish a long and successful future for the Toronto team.

However, this is not the vision I have for Canadian soccer and I will continue to invest all of my efforts into the more difficult and distant challenge of realizing a higher quality Canadian Soccer League than we have ever experienced before. My love for Canada will always take precedence over my love for British Columbia which in turn takes precedence over my love for Vancouver. To me, Canada represents my entire extended family, while British Columbia is more indicative of my immediate family and Vancouver is akin to me. Unfortunately, so many in today's world are overly consumed with self, and rarely contemplate what they can do for others. Sadly, this is once again how the current CSA administration has presented itself to the entire Canadian soccer family.

[Robert]

quote:Originally posted by River City

Here's an article about Japan's plan to develop their leagues.

http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=49825&idSez=143

Thanks for staying on course River City. Lately much interest, including that of my own, has been diverted from discussing the merits of establishing a Canadian Soccer League structure to speculating on the endeavors of Maple Leaf Sport & Entertainment 's attempting to land a Major League Soccer franchise in Toronto. I believe that a MLS soccer team in Toronto will probably be realized before a Canadian Soccer League ever gets off the ground, and this may have accounted for the many starved soccer fans in Canada to abandon this pursuit. Although, I do not see this as being of any help in establishing a Canadian League, I would like to wish all those pursuing a MLS franchise for Toronto all the best, and once this goal has been achieved I also wish a long and successful future for the Toronto team.

However, this is not the vision I have for Canadian soccer and I will continue to invest all of my efforts into the more difficult and distant challenge of realizing a higher quality Canadian Soccer League than we have ever experienced before. My love for Canada will always take precedence over my love for British Columbia which in turn takes precedence over my love for Vancouver. To me, Canada represents my entire extended family, while British Columbia is more indicative of my immediate family and Vancouver is akin to me. Unfortunately, so many in today's world are overly consumed with self, and rarely contemplate what they can do for others. Sadly, this is once again how the current CSA administration has presented itself to the entire Canadian soccer family.

[River City]

Thanks for keeping the thread alive Robert.

My personal feeling is that we will eventually have Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal in the MLS, with those same cities having a second team (maybe even their reserve team) in a Canadian League or in a separate division of the A-League with Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, etc.

Regardless of what happens at the pro level (and really, if I had the money to invest in a pro team, I'd be inclined to do what I thought would make the most money), what I see our job as, is to create a pan-Canadian plan to bring the game to the next level. At this point, the next level is (I believe) a strong regional league in every part of the Country that has contact with each other. The next immediate step is to have a rep team from each league to play each other in a CSA sanctioned Canadian league with promotion/relegation to the regional leagues.

Once the A-League and MLS come into play, this Canadian League would be nothing more than a feeder league for the big boys, but for markets like Edmonton and Winnipeg, they are essential for keeping soccer alive in Canada until such a time as Canada is ready to have its very own, full-fledged, high-calibre pro league.

Unlike some people on the board, I feel that having MLS and A-League in Canada is a good thing as it 1)generates interest and 2)helps those markets that are ready for it develop a tradition.

Regardless of the details of that plan, I still see the need for the Voyageurs to establish themselves as an official entity with active sponsored or managed amateur men's teams across Canada. This will help the CSA take this group serious and provide an official forum for soccer FANS to participate in. FANS after all are the backbone of all sports and we have a unique opportunity to help shape the future of Soccer in Canada.

Anyone have any interesting links to fans/ultra organizations in other parts of the world? They may hae some interesting suggestions/ideas or merely serve as models for us.

[Guest HamiltonSteelers]

This may be a bit off topic, BUT, if the MLS comes to Toronto, then I PRAY for a truly Canadian Open/FA Cup... Toronto can have their team, just as long as my team gets a crack at them every once in a while A vain attempt to keep everyone together, I suppose.

[Robert]

quote:Originally posted by River City

Thanks for keeping the thread alive Robert.

My personal feeling is that we will eventually have Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal in the MLS, with those same cities having a second team (maybe even their reserve team) in a Canadian League or in a separate division of the A-League with Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, etc.

Regardless of what happens at the pro level (and really, if I had the money to invest in a pro team, I'd be inclined to do what I thought would make the most money), what I see our job as, is to create a pan-Canadian plan to bring the game to the next level. At this point, the next level is (I believe) a strong regional league in every part of the Country that has contact with each other. The next immediate step is to have a rep team from each league to play each other in a CSA sanctioned Canadian league with promotion/relegation to the regional leagues.

Once the A-League and MLS come into play, this Canadian League would be nothing more than a feeder league for the big boys, but for markets like Edmonton and Winnipeg, they are essential for keeping soccer alive in Canada until such a time as Canada is ready to have its very own, full-fledged, high-calibre pro league.

Unlike some people on the board, I feel that having MLS and A-League in Canada is a good thing as it 1)generates interest and 2)helps those markets that are ready for it develop a tradition.

Regardless of the details of that plan, I still see the need for the Voyageurs to establish themselves as an official entity with active sponsored or managed amateur men's teams across Canada. This will help the CSA take this group serious and provide an official forum for soccer FANS to participate in. FANS after all are the backbone of all sports and we have a unique opportunity to help shape the future of Soccer in Canada.

Anyone have any interesting links to fans/ultra organizations in other parts of the world? They may hae some interesting suggestions/ideas or merely serve as models for us.

Thank you, I'm already starting to enjoy the tone of this discussion. You have raised an interesting concept with a pan-Canadian plan to improve the soccer structures that are already in place. I believe that Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are essentail areas, which require an up-graded regional league or several regional leagues, that would be more on par with the PCSL and the CPSL. This would also help bridge the east and west, which seem to be seperated by three provinces right now. We could start with an examination of Alberta Major Soccer League. Last year, the AMSL consisted of nine teams; Calgary Callies, Edmonton Scottish, Calgary Villains, Calgary Dinosaurs, Edmonton Green & Gold, Edmonton Ital-Canadians, Edmonton Victoria, Red Deer Renegades and Lethbridge Croatia. It is interesting to note that seven of these nine teams represented either Calgary or Edmonton, and that these seven teams finished in the top seven places in the final league standings. Red Deer and Lethbridge were uncompetitive, and communities the size of Medicine Hat did not even compete. According to the Alberta Soccer Association, the AMSL supplied the bulk of players who competed for the now defunct A-League teams in Calgary and Edmonton. Therefore, if a stronger regional league were to evolve on the prairies, what is needed? An amalgamation with teams from Saskatoon and Regina? A season concluding home and home Western Canadian series between the AMSL champions and the neighbouring PCSL champions? How can the Voyageurs get involved in this part of Canada? There could be road trips if there were inter league competition? We all have family that live in Victoria, Vancouver, Kamloops, Calgary, Edmonton, ect that we could visit, getting some good home cooking, free accommodations and earning valuable brownie points while were really only there to watch a soccer game. Okay, time to say goodnight.

[An Observer]

I have always advocated on this Board a pyramid like structure whereby at the top you have your best players playing in the top 5 leagues or so in Europe (i can't see that ever changing at least in the next 20 years); 3 sides in the MLS in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto (with the whole of the MLS treating americans and canadians the same as the old NASL); 6 sides in USL 1st Division (from Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Hamilton, and Quebec City); and a stronger reagional structure with PCSL in BC, CPSL in Ontario complimented by equivalents in the Prairies, Quebec and the Maritimes. If this structure could be integrated with the amateur leagues in each province and the youth set up that would include the Super Y league, we would have a very strong foundation for a Canadian soccer future.

I think in this respect we need to seriously consider for 2007 those cities which will gain facilities that could fit into this plan. For example, 2007 will do nothing to improve the facilities in Edmonton for a USL First Division side and you will never get an MLS side into Edmonton (or at least into Commonwealth stadium as its too large). I would have hoped that facilities in places like Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, etc. could have been built in the 10,000 seat range in order to provide that venue which is needed for those cities for professional soccer. Unfortunately, it is looking like a missed opportunity. My only hope is that Montreal or Vancouver can muster an MLS quality stadium (or at least one that is expandable) out of this event but sadly (from the reports on this board) I think we will be only left with Toronto getting something that will further soccer in the future. In my opinion, its a real shame that Calgary or Ottawa cannot generate interest for a 10,000 seater for such an event...that would certainly help professional soccer as their CFL stadiums are far to large.

[River City]

In regards to the AMSL, they're structured to have 5 teams from the North (Edmonton - 4, other district - 1) and 5 from the South (Calgary - 4, other district - 1) as they are officially tied to the local district leagues. For examle, the last placed team among the Edmonton teams in AMSL can be challenged by the Edmonton District Soccer Association's Premier League Champions. The winner of a two-legged playoff then has the right to play in AMSL as long as they meet the league requirements.

As for an Alberta/Saskatchewan/Manitoba league, I think the amount of travelling would prevent a lot of teams from being able to participate. Some clubs like Victoria http://www.victoriasoccerclub.com/ might be able to do it, but then again, they've started building an Indoor complex for themselves.

[Robert]

quote:Originally posted by River City

In regards to the AMSL, they're structured to have 5 teams from the North (Edmonton - 4, other district - 1) and 5 from the South (Calgary - 4, other district - 1) as they are officially tied to the local district leagues. For examle, the last placed team among the Edmonton teams in AMSL can be challenged by the Edmonton District Soccer Association's Premier League Champions. The winner of a two-legged playoff then has the right to play in AMSL as long as they meet the league requirements.

As for an Alberta/Saskatchewan/Manitoba league, I think the amount of travelling would prevent a lot of teams from being able to participate. Some clubs like Victoria http://www.victoriasoccerclub.com/ might be able to do it, but then again, they've started building an Indoor complex for themselves.

Thanks for the additional insight on the Alberta soccer structure. I agree that the distance between Winnipeg and Edmonton might be too great for operating a league where most gate revenues would dictate travelling by coach busses. Leagues of this nature should be limited to a specific geographical size. What that logistical sizes might be is up for debate.

Returning to AMSL specifically, it seems that beyond the league remaining unchanged, that there are three immediately apparent options that would constitute the growth of a stronger structure.

1) In order to generate greater public interest, a season ending series of matches between champions of the AMSL & the PCSL would raise the profile of soccer in the two westerly provinces and serve as a yardstick to measure how competitive these two leagues are to each other. Recovering the cost of staging such a championship should be attainable.

2) Alberta could also look east, maybe only as far as to include a structure that would include Saskatoon and Regina. The addition of these two cities to the existing AMSL would create a competitive product with four major cities and several mid-sized communities to work from. Travelling by bus would amount to a six hour journey in the extreme senario, which would probably add the cost of a night's accommodation to the expense account.

3) The AMSL could also expand within its own provincial boundries, although the limitations of the local talent pool would at some point be stretched to where it would dilute the league's overall strength if too many local teams were involved.

[River City]

Good points. I agree with number 1, number 2 could be feasible, but I have my doubts with number 3. Anytime there is a challenge between the Premiere League and the AMSL, the AMSL team usually wins pretty handily as there is a significant gap between the top 10 teams in the province and the rest.

IMO, I've always thought that the skill level of AMSL is pretty high, but the ASA does nothing to promote the league, which is something they could easily do to generate some province wide interest.

[Robert]

quote:Originally posted by River City

Good points. I agree with number 1, number 2 could be feasible, but I have my doubts with number 3. Anytime there is a challenge between the Premiere League and the AMSL, the AMSL team usually wins pretty handily as there is a significant gap between the top 10 teams in the province and the rest.

IMO, I've always thought that the skill level of AMSL is pretty high, but the ASA does nothing to promote the league, which is something they could easily do to generate some province wide interest.

In another thread, I have previously proposed a ranking system for Canadian clubs. I intend to attempt this undertaking and hopefully the inclusion of the AMSL teams will at some point help inspire action in this directions. I will paste the proposed criteria I have come up with below, and welcome any suggestions on how this could be improved upon. Also any ideas on how to get this list published in the print media would be of immeasurable value. Maybe Chris and I can put aside our personal baggage for the common good of Canadian soccer?

If the teams considered for a Canadian ranking were to come from a pool consisting of the first three levels that Rood suggests, we would at this time have 0 MLS teams, 3 USL 1st. division teams, 3 USL 2nd. division teams, 10 PCSL teams, (approx.) 10 CPSL teams and 10 AMSL teams for a total of 36 Canadian teams. Please correct me if I’m wrong. I’ll list all the teams involve when all the schedules have been released.

Proposed points awarded (win/tie/loss):

6.0/2.0/-6.0---MLS*

3.0/1.5/-3.0---USL 1st division

1.5/0.5/-1.5---CPSL, PCSL & AMSL

* If and when a Canadian franchise is established in the MLS.

Proposed point value:

Year Value

2005 5/5

2004 4/5

2003 3/5

2002 2/5

2001 1/5

Points will be calculated for period of up to five years, and will reduce in value by 20% per year. The years listed are for example purpose only, as 2005 will be the inaugural year for this ranking system.

Proposed game value:

1.0 – regular season games

2.0 – play-off games

[River City]

I like Rood's system. I can suply the AMSL rankings for the 2005 Outdoor Season. And I will see if it's possible to get the list of scorers for a Voyageurs 'Golden Shoe' Competition.

[Robert]

quote:Originally posted by River City

I like Rood's system. I can suply the AMSL rankings for the 2005 Outdoor Season. And I will see if it's possible to get the list of scorers for a Voyageurs 'Golden Shoe' Competition.

That's great that you want to get involved River City. Any help at all is gratefully appreciated. I wonder if there are any other Voyageurs interested in getting involved in this process. There's still a lot of Canada east of the CPSL that is unaccounted for. Are there any regional leagues that anyone feels are being neglected? Maintaining a principle of keeping it simple, I suggest limiting this ranking system to regional leagues.

Canadian teams for 2005 Voyageurs rankings so far include;

01) Montreal Impact (USL – I)

02) Toronto Lynx (USL – I)

03) Vancouver Whitecaps (USL – I)

04) Fraser Valley Action (PCSL)

05) Khalsa Sporting Club (PCSL)

06) Kamloops City (PCSL)

07) Okanagan Challenge (PCSL)

08) Penticton Pinnacles (PCSL)

09) Surrey United (PCSL)

10) University of British Columbia (PCSL)

11) Victoria United (PCSL)

12) Whitecaps FC Reserves (PCSL)

13) Brampton (CPSL)

14) Durham Storm (CPSL)

15) Hamilton Thunder (CPSL)

16) Laval Dynamites (CPSL)

17) London City (CPSL)

18) North York Astros (CPSL)

19) Oakville Blue Devils (CPSL)

20) St. Catharines Roma Wolves (CPSL)

21) Toronto Croatia (CPSL)

22) Toronto Supra (CPSL)

23) Vaughan Shooters (CPSL)

24) Calgary Callies (AMSL)

25) Edmonton Scottish (AMSL)

26) Calgary Villains (AMSL)

27) Calgary Dinosaurs (AMSL)

28) Edmonton Green & Gold (AMSL)

29) Edmonton Ital-Canadians (AMSL)

30) Edmonton Victoria (AMSL)

31) Red Deer Renegades (AMSL)

32) Lethbridge Croatia (AMSL)

Please report any errors or feel free to suggest any possible additions to this list. Hopefully all the league schedules will be available soon.

[Robert]

quote:Originally posted by River City

I like Rood's system. I can suply the AMSL rankings for the 2005 Outdoor Season. And I will see if it's possible to get the list of scorers for a Voyageurs 'Golden Shoe' Competition.

Almost forgot (I've been up for 36 hours), I like your idea for a goal scoring award. Our teams and players deserve the same recognitions other countries bestow on their teams and heros.

[DoyleG]

8 Teams: Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver

Two Divisions: East and West

Playing season: Late April to late September

Schedule: 2 Games against each team in other division (8 games) with 6 games aganst teams within their division (18 games)

Total number: 26 games

Playoffs: Top two teams in each division play each other in a two game total series. Final at the home of the finalist with the better overall record.

Stadium Requirements:

- Min. 6,000 Capacity (Leave it up to the teams how to decide the seating)

- Lighting

- Working scoreboard

- Adequate concessions, washrooms, and change rooms.

Budget: Max $1.5 Million. No more than $600,000 to be spent on players salaries.

Roster Setup:

- Max 22 players on a roster.

- No more than 4 foreign players on a team.

- Should have at least 5 players under the age of 20.

Other notes:

- Work on deals that would see co-opertaion between the clubs and youth assoc. in developing talent.

- Offer post-secondary assistance to players in the U20 category.

- Establish revenue sharing in which teams would share equally in transfer fees and money from tv, radio and sponsorship.

- Negotiations between the league and the provincial leagues in establishing a Canadian Open Cup.

Pyramid

- National League

- Regional Leagues (PCSL & CPSL-style leagues replacing the prov. leagues)

- Provincial Youth Leagues

- Local Grassroots Development

[Richard]

quote:Originally posted by DoyleG

8 Teams: Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver

Two Divisions: East and West

Playing season: Late April to late September

Schedule: 2 Games against each team in other division (8 games) with 6 games aganst teams within their division (18 games)

Total number: 26 games

Playoffs: Top two teams in each division play each other in a two game total series. Final at the home of the finalist with the better overall record.

Stadium Requirements:

- Min. 6,000 Capacity (Leave it up to the teams how to decide the seating)

- Lighting

- Working scoreboard

- Adequate concessions, washrooms, and change rooms.

Budget: Max $1.5 Million. No more than $600,000 to be spent on players salaries.

Roster Setup:

- Max 22 players on a roster.

- No more than 4 foreign players on a team.

- Should have at least 5 players under the age of 20.

Other notes:

- Work on deals that would see co-opertaion between the clubs and youth assoc. in developing talent.

- Offer post-secondary assistance to players in the U20 category.

- Establish revenue sharing in which teams would share equally in transfer fees and money from tv, radio and sponsorship.

- Negotiations between the league and the provincial leagues in establishing a Canadian Open Cup.

Pyramid

- National League

- Regional Leagues (PCSL & CPSL-style leagues replacing the prov. leagues)

- Provincial Youth Leagues

- Local Grassroots Development

Don't mean to throw cold water on your dream but....

8 Teams: Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver

Can you list existing facilities in these cities that meet your minimum stadium requirements?

Budget: Max $1.5 Million. No more than $600,000 to be spent on players salaries.

$1.5 million is more than twice the budget for the typical A-League team and probably substantially more than the operating costs for the Whitecaps. Where would you start looking for investor groups to pony up that sort of cash plus all the extra bits you mention like post secondary assistance etc.?

[DoyleG]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

8 Teams: Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver

Can you list existing facilities in these cities that meet your minimum stadium requirements?

Vancouver: Swanguard

Edmonton: Telus Field

Calgary: Burns Stadium

Montreal: Claude Robillard

Ottawa: Lynx Stadium

Stadiums that can be brought up to standard for modest costs.

Winnipeg: Bison Stadium and WSC

Toronto: Birchmount and Lamport

Hamilton: Brian Timmins Stadium

quote:Originally posted by Richard[/i

Budget: Max $1.5 Million. No more than $600,000 to be spent on players salaries.

$1.5 million is more than twice the budget for the typical A-League team and probably substantially more than the operating costs for the Whitecaps. Where would you start looking for investor groups to pony up that sort of cash plus all the extra bits you mention like post secondary assistance etc.?

Since we know that teams won't spending that much to begin with, we won't have to worry about overall costs and post-seconday now would we?

[Richard]

"we won't have to worry about overall costs"

Cough, splutter.... no travelling franchise would survive one season if it didn't worry about overall costs. Maybe a local amateur team whose players drive to venues within their own municipality, feed and house themselves and pay for their own kit can operate with no worry about overall costs but there it stops.

If your plan is to have any hope of getting off the ground overall costs, sources of operating cash (finance), annual budgets and long term planning must and had better be the FIRST thing you worry about.

Who is going to pay to upgrade those stadiums, even at 'minimal cost'?

Maybe that should be part of those costs you need to worry about too.

[DoyleG]

I'm floating ideas around. Not showing a master plan.

[An Observer]

$600k divided by 22 players works out to $27k per player....doesn't sound like full-time soccer to me and doesn't sound like it will do anything to develop Canadian soccer other than be a step backward from the USL. Of course, most of that $600k will go to pay a few foreigners and a couple of high profile Canadians. The rest will get paid so little that they will need to supplement their income by working a McDonalds or something....

When we propose a Canadian league....we should think of the players who have to play in it and not just our own nationalistic dreams.

[Robert]

quote:Originally posted by An Observer

$600k divided by 22 players works out to $27k per player....doesn't sound like full-time soccer to me and doesn't sound like it will do anything to develop Canadian soccer other than be a step backward from the USL. Of course, most of that $600k will go to pay a few foreigners and a couple of high profile Canadians. The rest will get paid so little that they will need to supplement their income by working a McDonalds or something....

When we propose a Canadian league....we should think of the players who have to play in it and not just our own nationalistic dreams.

What would be a minimum budget for a team per season? Throughout most of Canada, soccer seasons are short in length, maybe four months long for a league competition. If we use the $60,000 as an example and if an average priced ticket were to cost $10, it would take a total of 6,000 paying fans to cover the salary expense. Would this work for a semi-pro league using primarily local players? If we had a Canadian League, consisting of 8 teams with 22 players each that would total 176 players, would Canada have 176 soccer players that are capable of generating $4,752,000.00 just for salary expenses in a 104 games (the example used a 26 game season)? If for argument sake we doubled the $4,752,000.00 to cover all the other expenses we would be at $9,504,000.00 in total expenses for the season. At $10 at ticket, the league would have to draw 950,400 fans to break even. Divided by 104 games that would mean an average attendance of 9,139 fans per game. IMHO I don't think there's that many real soccer fans in Canada.

[aussoccerfan]

quote:Originally posted by Robert

That's great that you want to get involved River City. Any help at all is gratefully appreciated. I wonder if there are any other Voyageurs interested in getting involved in this process. There's still a lot of Canada east of the CPSL that is unaccounted for. Are there any regional leagues that anyone feels are being neglected? Maintaining a principle of keeping it simple, I suggest limiting this ranking system to regional leagues.

Canadian teams for 2005 Voyageurs rankings so far include;

01) Montreal Impact (USL – I)

02) Toronto Lynx (USL – I)

03) Vancouver Whitecaps (USL – I)

04) Fraser Valley Action (PCSL)

05) Khalsa Sporting Club (PCSL)

06) Kamloops City (PCSL)

07) Okanagan Challenge (PCSL)

08) Penticton Pinnacles (PCSL)

09) Surrey United (PCSL)

10) University of British Columbia (PCSL)

11) Victoria United (PCSL)

12) Whitecaps FC Reserves (PCSL)

13) Brampton (CPSL)

14) Durham Storm (CPSL)

15) Hamilton Thunder (CPSL)

16) Laval Dynamites (CPSL)

17) London City (CPSL)

18) North York Astros (CPSL)

19) Oakville Blue Devils (CPSL)

20) St. Catharines Roma Wolves (CPSL)

21) Toronto Croatia (CPSL)

22) Toronto Supra (CPSL)

23) Vaughan Shooters (CPSL)

24) Calgary Callies (AMSL)

25) Edmonton Scottish (AMSL)

26) Calgary Villains (AMSL)

27) Calgary Dinosaurs (AMSL)

28) Edmonton Green & Gold (AMSL)

29) Edmonton Ital-Canadians (AMSL)

30) Edmonton Victoria (AMSL)

31) Red Deer Renegades (AMSL)

32) Lethbridge Croatia (AMSL)

Please report any errors or feel free to suggest any possible additions to this list. Hopefully all the league schedules will be available soon.

Is the AMSL a pro league ?