MLS rules benefit Toronto FC

[jpg75]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

First and foremost TFC/MLSE must take care of their direct business concerns. MLSE is not one of those philanthropic eccentrics treating their soccer team like an expensive hobby. MLSE has shareholders to whom it is beholden. All other factors are secondary including giving favourable treatment to players with Canadian passports. I am not sure you are correct in saying that the CSA handed them $35 million - where did that come from?

He's talking about the gift wrapped funds from multiple levels of government - tax money - handed to MLSE via CSA to build the NSS/BMO to act as host to the WYC and TFC.

As others have mentioned previously, there is an explicit statement by the club that development of Canadian talent will be a priority. That was put in writing, whether they can be held legal responsible for that statement is another story.

[redhat]

quote:Originally posted by Ed

But the point is the league HAS indeed existed for over 10 years on largely the charitable contributions from ..... as you state. There is no doubt that the league was founded to DEVELOP US PLAYERS, no and's, if's or but's. And the CSA handing over $35 million to the MLSE was based on a similar principle of developing CDN players. The rule changes do not facilitate the promotion of Cdn players.

Exactly, I agree 100%. The construction of BMO Field had STRINGS

ATTACHED to it. And guess what they were ...

[ag futbol]

This is all an interesting view of the world I was not previously aware of. I suppose the companies listed on the TSX exist to provide me with goods and services without regard for their owners?

Time to stop acting like this stadium got pushed all the way through government for the sole purpose of developing Canadian talent. Anybody with half a brain can realise that in order to get this thing rolling extras like economic benefits and an extra concert venue for Toronto had to be part of the package. To get the benefits the CSA wanted they had to play ball with some of the other terms and conditions government officials needed to approve the project. So in the end everything moves forward with (imagine this) more than one objective.

Last I checked 10 dev spots, plus potentially 5 or 6 regular roster spots, and a youth academy still constitutes developing Canadian talent. It may not be some of the overwhelmingly domestic-centric picture some of you are looking for but I’d bet the house it still meets the “contract requirements”.

[DoyleG]

quote:Originally posted by ag futbol

Time to stop acting like this stadium got pushed all the way through government for the sole purpose of developing Canadian talent. Anybody with half a brain can realise that in order to get this thing rolling extras like economic benefits and an extra concert venue for Toronto had to be part of the package. To get the benefits the CSA wanted they had to play ball with some of the other terms and conditions government officials needed to approve the project. So in the end everything moves forward with (imagine this) more than one objective.

Of course, all stadiums are built for multiple purposes but never get past the planning stages. It still comes down to what the main usage for what the stadium would really be. The CSA needed this stadium to further push it's goals because they knew that they couldn't do it themselves. They sold it as a soccer stadium, pure and simple, and added on more soccer elements to make it work.

quote:Originally posted by ag futbol

Last I checked 10 dev spots, plus potentially 5 or 6 regular roster spots, and a youth academy still constitutes developing Canadian talent. It may not be some of the overwhelmingly domestic-centric picture some of you are looking for but I’d bet the house it still meets the “contract requirements”.

Of course, we don't know how TFC is going to run it's Academy. Roster spots don't mean much unless those players are on the field for most of the game. There lies another problem.

[Richard]

quote:Originally posted by jpg75

He's talking about the gift wrapped funds from multiple levels of government - tax money - handed to MLSE via CSA to build the NSS/BMO to act as host to the WYC and TFC.

As others have mentioned previously, there is an explicit statement by the club that development of Canadian talent will be a priority. That was put in writing, whether they can be held legal responsible for that statement is another story.

That money never belonged to MLSE, they merely oversaw the building of the stadium which they don't own either. BMO Field does not show up as an asset in MLSE financial statements because it belongs to the City of Toronto. The statement by the poster is patently incorrect and deliberately misleading.

I am sure development of Canadian talent is a priority, but one priority out of many. Carefully crafted politic statements by canny businessmen are cheap. Was there ever any written commitment to make it their top prority at all times? Their top priority without doubt will be generating an operating profit as soon as possible though I suspect they made a healthy profit even in their first season as ticket sales were way ahead of all projections. Their shareholders must be smiling.

[jimmynow]

as a season ticket holder, I hope the #1 priority of TFC is to win games.

Developing Canadian talent is a secondary priority.

it's fascinating that people on this board get snarky at TFC for apparently not doing enough to develop Canadian talent, but then other people on this board say that we need a full league to get anywhere nationally. I personally believe TFC cannot be the pipeline of Canadian talent some people expect it to be.. so placing wins behind Canadian develop will result still in relatively few Canadians making the national team and fans losing interest because the team sucks.

if TFC said they wanted to develop Canadian talent when they asked for gov money... well, they had a whole squad of DEV roster Canadians, 4 or 5 of whom played this past season... plus a couple starters. not sure what more they could do.

[Richard]

^ Without doubt if TFC fielded a team that was staffed primarily by second rate Canadians (because all the best Canadians would still play in Europe) that struggled even to reach 500 in a season they would go out of business because the fan base would wither and die, no matter how much the relatively few diehards in this forum might deny the possibility. MLSE understands this all too well, they need a winning team to keep the business in the black and if that means few token Canadians for the foreseeable future, so be it.

[DoyleG]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

^ Without doubt if TFC fielded a team that was staffed primarily by second rate Canadians (because all the best Canadians would still play in Europe) that struggled even to reach 500 in a season they would go out of business because the fan base would wither and die, no matter how much the relatively few diehards in this forum might deny the possibility. MLSE understands this all too well, they need a winning team to keep the business in the black and if that means few token Canadians for the foreseeable future, so be it.

Hard to believe that given their history of filling their other teams with second rate players. Even then, the fans still show up.

[BearcatSA]

quote:Originally posted by DoyleG

Hard to believe that given their history of filling their other teams with second rate players. Even then, the fans still show up.

Are you comparing hockey (Maple Leafs) to soccer with this particular point?