Does the Men's National team have a 'Sponsor'?

[Desigol]

They wouldn't be the First National side to do so;

England/Scotland/Wales/NI: Nationwide.

Ireland: First Opel, now Eircomm.

Germany: Mercedes.

Maybe a big name sponsor would give the CSA the money to hire a Top-Level coach.

[VPjr]

they have a bunch of sponsors but none of them are forking over big enough money to be able to help lure a big coach.

I think corporate Canada would be happy to get behind the CSA if they could get their head out of their butts and stop being such an embarrasment. There is no way I would spend my company's marketing dollars with the CSA at this point. I would gladly support TFC because in a short period of time have shown an ability to behave in a very professional manner but the CSA has been stumbling and bumbling for years. They would need to reverse that trend and start by getting respectable people in charge of senior management who will hire qualified (not necessarily high profile) soccer people to run the programs.

[SF]

Good points. There is, I would almost certainly think, a body of potential corporate sponsors in Canada. What they would need is to see a product they can get behind (i.e. a well run association that consistently fields winning teams). If we start being competitive (ie qualifying for World Cups) the sponsorship money will take care of itself.

That is why I sincerely hope that the CSA doesn't think its problem is marketing to the corporate world. It's not. It's presenting a product that is worthy of the investment.

[fan]

Exactly guys. Now were getting it. Thats been the very essence of the problem for a long time. I have known and seen big Canadian soccer investors run from the CSA in the last 20 years because of the attitude and incompetence of the CSA demonstrates daily.

No new investors will touch the CSA but you watch them line up to get a piece of the TFC because the MLSE is solid financially and competent.

This is a difficult point for most Canadian soccer fans to grasp because of the plethora of nonsense and rhetoric the CSA has delivered daily to them.

Now that the MLSE will present a mirror for the CSA the average Canadian soccer fan will see this point clearly as time passes even though it might make most of them very ill.

[VPjr]

Especially as more and more Canadian companies seek to establish themselves as Global brands, you will see them look at soccer as a good avenue for the marketing dollars but only if they feel they are associated with a winner or at least an organization that is moving in a positive direction. Winners want to be associated with other winners. You have to earn their respect (and money).

The CSA can claim that corporate Canada doesn't care about soccer but that is a lie. Soccer is uniquely positioned because it is a true global game. Basketball has global appeal but doesn't enjoy the same type of passion and fan loyalty globally as soccer does. Pointy Ball, baseball and Hockey have only very limited global appeal. Companies who want to be known on a global scale would obviously gravitate to sponsoring soccer if the CSA were not such a joke.

[fan]

It is self evident that the CSA could not get corporate sponsorship because of their reputation.They certainly were not going to pass that message along to their membership.They actually woud publicly state that they didnt have lot of money and they still do. As if that answer is a finality, instead it just exposed they were not capable and had no skill in raising money.

The real answer is that these guys are artifacts from the early british core that took over this sport and ran it for the last 20 to thirty years. And I thank them for their initial work and dedication but they outlived their abilities and competency 20 years ago.

The people who run the CSA just dont have the skills to handle this organization as it is never mind what it could become and as the immediate days go by they become increasingly exposed.