CSL critical role to play (press release)

[Rocket Robin]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CSL has critical role to play

By Canadians for Canadians

TORONTO – Saturday, November 14 - As the Division 1 level of soccer in Canada seems in a state of flux with the recent goings on with the USL and the breakaway USL Division 1 Team Owners Association (TOA), the Canadian Soccer League continues to work with the Canadian Soccer Association and provincial sport governing bodies to firmly entrench the CSL’s place as the only Division 2 professional league in our nation.

In addition to providing a highly attractive brand of soccer at affordable prices, a CSL objective is to develop the most effective delivery system for the development of Canada's top athletes, referees, and coaches, as they move from youth clubs and rep leagues on to higher levels of play. The CSL has a critical role to play in providing the missing layer below TFC, Impact and Whitecaps. A strongly aligned CSL will offer community youth clubs with world class training, and offer top coaching for young athletes aspiring to play for our national teams, colleges/universities, and play professionally world-wide.

“Our Canadian youth are best served by programs operated by Canadians for Canadians working in concert with the soccer governing bodies in this country. The CSL is intent on being a leader in the delivery of these programs,” explained CSL chairman Domenic Di Gironimo today.

A true National League will feature regional divisions from coast to coast, governed by the CSA, and working with the provincial governing bodies to build a national brand that reaches and services the grassroots levels of soccer in Canada. No other league has committed to achieving this so comprehensively as the CSL.

“In time, with the assistance of the various levels of stakeholders in the soccer pyramid, an effectively functioning model and nationally recognized brand will emerge, and the CSL is determined to be the centre piece,” said Di Gironimo.

Canadian Soccer League Inc.,

1690 Bonhill Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1C8

Tel: 905 564-2297 Fax: 905 564-4881

Email: csl@canadiansoccerleague.ca

Website: www.canadiansoccerleague.ca

[Rocket Robin]

now for some insider news...

I chatted with one of the CSL referees on the weekend. It's happened in past years so I asked him about whether the game officials had been paid for the year. Answer:...he's been paid up to June.

Again because this has happened in past years, he said he officiated less games in September and October because by then the college and university season had started and 'they pay their officials on time'.

(past year history is the league finally pays the officials before the start of the next season).

I wonder if I should have posted this message before the league message for ironic effect?

[Richard]

PCSL officials are paid by clubs on game day or the club is sanctioned. The CSL needs to do much, much better if it expects to earn the respect it thinks it deserves.

[UltraSuperMegaMo]

I read the press release earlier today on the CSL website, reads like a whole lot of nothing. I'm not even sure what it's getting at. Are they implying that Montreal, Vancouver, and the CSL will be forming a Canadian league?

[Martyr]

... and who or what is "Canadians for Canadians"? Sounds like a group of right wing xenophobes.

Are then MLS press releases written by "Americans for Canadians" and the TOA "Canadians for Americans"?

[Richard]

Once again the CSL is far-over-reaching itself.

[Vic]

Martyr, in London terms - imagine no EPL or Championship League and Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham, Fulham and English kids all playing in a French league. Xenophobia is a bad thing - healthy forms of nationalism like a flag, an anthem and a soccer league are a good thing.

MLSNET.com:

MLS Overview - first sentence: "Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States"

MLS Rules - first sentence: "As Major League Soccer embarks on its 14th season, soccer at all levels continues to grow in America. The development of soccer-specific stadiums and world-class American players made possible by the vision and commitment of MLS fans, investors, executives, staffs, coaches and players has enabled the United States to be recognized across the globe as a formidable soccer nation."

MLS Press Releases are by Americans for Americans. San Jose beating Salt Lake may mean something to them, but it means nothing to me. A bunch of guys from Halifax beating Victoria... now there's something I'd like to read about.

Richard, are they over-reaching? Of course. Without someone doing that we'll never have a national infrastructure. Does the CSL have a lot of work to do to become a national Tier 2 league? Damn straight. Miles and light years. And what they need most is people to get involved and make it work for all of Canada. Correct their shortcomings, force them to change for the better of the league and in turn for the better of the country.

[Eric]

^ BINGO!!!!! 100% on the ball..... funny how in Canada being patriotic makes you a right wing xenophobe, but in the states being right wing xenophobe makes you patriotic!!! mmmmm

[VPjr]

The CSL, under the guidance of Mr. Di Geronimo, is poised to make some significant improvements.

Is it ready to take on the title of Canada's national tier 2 league? Not yet. There are ALOT of parts of its operation that requires improvement here in its core territory (Ontario/Quebec). However, having spoken to Mr. Di Geronimo and some other league officials, I feel that there is actually going to be some real change. I can't go into detail at this time but I believe they are prepared to take this league down a better, healthier and more purposeful path that will position the CSL as an important pathway league.

As Vic has rightly stated, while it is easy to be cynical when it comes to the CSL, people need to get involved with this league and help push for the changes it needs to make (which are so obvious to so many). I plan to do that and I am hoping to recruit some other good, influential people to join me (details to follow when the time is right).

[Richard]

The CSL in its present form is not God's answer to Canadian soccer fans' prayers no matter what the Southern Ontario crowd might believe. As Marty says, light years separates what they are now with what soccer fans dream of. The CSL has been talking of going national for years, talking, yet people still prefer to go the USL PDL route at that level or stay nominally amateur and those with real money opt for USL/TOA and ultimately MLS. In BC there will be a regional top level BC League in 2010 with promotion and relagation from feeder leagues playing in the winter, nobody gives a thought to the CSL, who needs them! There is also the 78 year old PCSL on the west coast playing in the summer that is thriving and will have more clubs than ever before in 2010. The PCSL was courted for years by the CSL who could never present a convincing argument. Is it perhaps a question of credibility and track record and why haven't people got on board with them before now to work towards a national structure? Besides, why give yourself a handicap from the getgo by trying to sell the rest of Canada on something that emanates from Toronto of all places!

The answer is not to expand the CSL model which is costly and poorly run by all accounts, but to bring together existing high quality efficient regional leagues across the country under the umbrella of the national association (CSA) with sponsorships to cover the substantial extra costs that will inevitably be incurred. The CSL can be one of those leagues if it wishes.

The top level soccer market in Canada was scooped up a long time ago, the best we can hope for in a domestic only league is third division stuff which won't attract much of the ticket buying public. Best not to dream in technicolour.

[VPjr]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

The CSL in its present form is not God's answer to Canadian soccer fans' prayers no matter what the Southern Ontario crowd might believe. As Marty says, light years separates what they are now with what soccer fans dream of. The CSL has been talking of going national for years, talking, yet people still prefer to go the USL PDL route at that level or stay nominally amateur and those with real money opt for USL/TOA and ultimately MLS. In BC there will be a regional top level BC League in 2010 with promotion and relagation from feeder leagues playing in the winter, nobody gives a thought to the CSL, who needs them! There is also the 78 year old PCSL on the west coast playing in the summer that is thriving and will have more clubs than ever before in 2010. The PCSL was courted for years by the CSL who could never present a convincing argument. Is it perhaps a question of credibility and track record and why haven't people got on board with them before now to work towards a national structure? Besides, why give yourself a handicap from the getgo by trying to sell the rest of Canada on something that emanates from Toronto of all places!

The answer is not to expand the CSL model which is costly and poorly run by all accounts, but to bring together existing high quality efficient regional leagues across the country under the umbrella of the national association (CSA) with sponsorships to cover the substantial extra costs that will inevitably be incurred. The CSL can be one of those leagues if it wishes.

The top level soccer market in Canada was scooped up a long time ago, the best we can hope for in a domestic only league is third division stuff which won't attract much of the ticket buying public. Best not to dream in technicolour.

Richard, you are quite correct in saying that British Colombia is quite well served by the senior leagues that exist already. The only question I have is whether these leagues have any type of plan to align themselves with the priorities outlined in the CSA's LTPD? Do they have clearly defined strategies for becoming part of the solution (on a local level) to our country's well documented player development shortcomings. Please be aware I'm not trying to criticize either the VMSL or PCSL...I'm asking you because I know you are involved with PCSL and you might be able to share some info on this subject.

The CSL hasn't had a coordinated strategy for player development (partly because most of these clubs are standalone teams with no youth setup below the senior team). However, it is my belief that there is an appetite to move in a more positive direction in the future and to position this league as a natural pathway for the top 1% of young players who might have ambition to play at a higher level (but who might not be ready to go overseas). Obviously, such a change in philosophy won't be easy to implement and won't produce tangible results immediately but, if done right, the CSL becomes very relevant and much more than just another senior league. This is what I'm excited about. If</u> they succeed, then this model can be taken across the country and regional affiliate leagues can be formed (or formal affiliations with existing leagues can be established)

I also agree with Richard that a national/regional domestic league (family of leagues) probably will never achieve better than a newly defined tier 2 status but there isn't anything wrong with that. If this national league system, under the supervision of the CSA, can become as useful to soccer as the CHL is useful to hockey, then we've done something very good. I also agree that there is no evidence that tier 2 leagues will sell alot of tickets but there are SO many leagues around the world that survive without stellar ticket sales. Alternate sources of revenue need to be sought out aggressively.

At the end of the day, Canada needs a healthy 2nd tier/3rd tier (whatever you want to call it) pro/semi-pro/amateur senior league system to give our players an attainable pathway to a higher level of soccer (for those that want that). That tier needs to be governed by a relatively consistent set of rules that requires a fairly high set of standards (within reason) of its members.

The immediate challenge for the CSL is to define a new direction, get everyone on board and then ensure that everyone is sticking to it (and not just for 1 year).

[Richard]

I think you have conceded my point that trying to extend the CSL model (expensive franchise fees, costly league office operations etc.) is not the way to go and that a CSA led initiative to bring together existing successful regional leagues across the country is.

I do think money, motivation on the part of the clubs to participate (what's in it for them beyond what they have now) and availability of players (not necessarily qulaity) are going to prove the biggest stumbling blocks however. If you're looking to create new entities across the country to participate in some new semi-pro league then good luck finding the investors.

In my observation the number of standalone senior teams in the Lower Mainland is in decline as more and more clubs move towards a 'cradle-to-grave' concept. It is also almost mandatory for any club that wishes to thrive to employ a full time administrator plus head coach or technical director and run an academy program for their elite youth players so yes, a lot of work is being done on the development side here. I imagine it is much the same in other larger centres across the country.

As for the PCSL, the fastest growing segment seems to be the Reserve/U-21 divisions where the emphasis is on player development. The league is proving so popular that it has put a cap on the number of teams in each of it four divisions for now.

[Guest Ed]

The joke is that the CPSL still call themselves a 'professional league', let alone 'the only Division 2 professional league' in the country. Why should the Calgary Callies or any other elite Alberta senior team, pay some exorbitant fee to join this so-called professional league, when the AMSL is of an equivalent standard?

[Bill Spiers]

quote:Originally posted by Richard

The answer is not to expand the CSL model which is costly and poorly run by all accounts, but to bring together existing high quality efficient regional leagues across the country under the umbrella of the national association (CSA) with sponsorships to cover the substantial extra costs that will inevitably be incurred. The CSL can be one of those leagues if it wishes.

Agreed, Richard! Some comments that I made back in 2001 - which are just as relevant today:

A few comments on the name of the CPSL and the structure of professional soccer in Canada.

First, as someone has already noted, the name is the CPSL (Ontario).

The league clearly recognises that it is - right now - predominantly an Ontario league.

However, the intent from the very beginning was to promote this concept across the country.

An ideal structure - in my opinion - would see a CPSL (Pacific Division), a CPSL (Prairie Division) and a CPSL (Quebec/Atlantic Division) in addition to the CPSL (Ontario Division).

With such a structure, the teams would play strictly within their league but the four champions would play off at the end of the season for a National Championship - similarly to what is done now at the amateur level.

There may also be the possibility of inter-league play on a cup basis but only if financially viable.

However, the top CPSL teams would also participate in a Canadian Open Cup along with amateur teams and A-League (or CUSL) teams.

The question at this time is whether the other regions can form their own league or upgrade existing leagues.

It seems to me (and from comments I have read on this board) that the PCSL could very easily upgrade to professional (or semi-pro) and become the Pacific Division. However, I am constantly told that the top teams in the province play in the Vancouver Metro League so it would be nice to see some of them join in as well. However, I would expect the league to play a spring/summer season (rather than the fall/winter season played in Vancouver) to be consistent with the rest of the country.

(By the way, I don't want to start an argument on the status of the CPSL. Right now - in accordance with CSA Rules - you are either professional or amateur. If the league wishes to have some of its clubs pay some of its players, then it has to be categorised as professional).

Having taken care of BC, lets look at the Prairies. Here, the Alberta Major Soccer League could easily form the nucleus of a Prairie Division. However, it would probably mean allowing teams from Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg to join in order to truly represent the entire region.

Any comments from the Prairies on the viability of this approach?

Moving east, the CPSL (Ontario) is in place and this year has an entry from Quebec. Possibly there will be more entries from Quebec in the future and they could eventually split off to form their own division. The other option is for the Quebec Elite League to upgrade to professional and form the CPSL (Quebec/Atlantic Division). Either way, a team based in Halifax should probably represent the Altlantic Provinces in this division.

With all these pieces in place, we would now have a coast-to-coast

professional second division structure (but playing on a provincial or regional basis) to support the first division comprised of the A-League or CUSL.

A final comment on the name - it doesn't have to be the CPSL. If an

agreement is reached with the CUSL, the four divisions could just as easily be the CUSL (Pacific Division), CUSL (Prairie Division), CUSL (Ontario Division) and CUSL (Quebec/Atlantic Division) or any other name that they could all agree on. (And getting everyone to agree on a name may be the hardest part!).

[Richard]

Nothing wrong with what you're proposing Bill, except the PCSL (a spring/summer league) shares many of the same players/clubs with the BC winter leagues. The whole concept is meaningless unless substantial financial backing can be lined up and there I wish you luck.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Plenty is wrong with what he is proposing. A regional league based on amateur and/or semi-pro players only works well if travel times can be kept down to a couple of hours by road for the most part. It may be possible to do that in a country like England based on four regional conferences but it isn't possible in a Canadian context. One of the problems with Canadian soccer has always been that the powers that be in national and provincial associations have lacked the intelligence to realize that league models used back in the small European countries they originally came from can't easily be applied in a country that is almost continental in scale.

The only way an amateur/semi-pro league with a small number of regional conferences has ever been made to work in a sustainable manner in a North American context is with student athletes who have a lot of time on their hands and can be paid a relative pittance such as the major junior hockey leagues or to use a soccer example PDL. Bill Spiers will now completely ignore my post and will probably regurgitate the same drivel on here again in about 10 years time when the CSL will still be largely confined to the GTA and will still be talking about that elusive national expansion that has never happened at any point since the NSL was originally set up in the late 20s. As George Santayana put it those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

[Vic]

Long day at the ranch, <s>two</s> [sigh] too tired to even type but two points to make:

The world is flat. We'll never walk on the moon. The world will end tomorrow. We'll never have a black President. Soccer will never pass hockey in participation. We'll never have a national league.

Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.

- Victor Hugo

[VPjr]

^ thank you Vic

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Meanwhile back on the Ponderosa we actually do have teams playing in leagues that stretch from coast to coast. The way that was achieved was by completely by-passing the OSA and the CSA by joining USSF based structures put together by people who firmly grasped the realities of dealing with a continent sized country. We are very lucky that the Americans were open-minded enough to allow that to happen. Local city leagues with a national amateur cup competition are quite sufficient for everything else even if it doesn't satisfy the egos of some people living in Toronto.

[Richard]

quote:Originally posted by BringBackTheBlizzard

Plenty is wrong with what he is proposing. A regional league based on amateur and/or semi-pro players only works well if travel times can be kept down to a couple of hours by road for the most part.

Not true. The PCSL has clubs from Victoria on Vancouver Island to Kamloops in the interior of BC and has operated very well with clubs also in Seattle and even Portland, Oregon. That involves travelling for far more than a couple of hours to many games, and ferry trips when the Vancouver Island teams are involved. In 2010 there will be two clubs on Vancouver Island (Victoria United and the Highlanders). Most trips to the interior of BC have two games scheduled over a weekend necessitating an overnight stay and vice versa when interior clubs travel to the Lower Mainland/Vancouver Island. Has worked very well for years and clubs/players love it.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

What you neglect to mention is that six of the nine teams in your league this past summer were from the immediate Vancouver area so the PCSL fits the "for the most part" at the end of the text you quoted. Nothing in your league in any way compares to what would be involved in having a Winnipeg team traveling to away games in Edmonton and Calgary.

[Bill Spiers]

quote:Originally posted by BringBackTheBlizzard

As George Santayana put it those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

I prefer a GBS quote:

"I dream of things that never were and say 'Why not?'"

Sure we can learn from the past. It makes sense to understand why the original CPSL and the original CSL failed and why the CUSL didn't get off the ground. However, that doesn't mesn we shouldn't try again. It just means we should learn from the mistakes they made.

In any event, the regional concept hasn't been tried before. The foundations are there with leagues in BC, Alberta and Ontario. We just need to build on those foundations.

And aren't you arguing against yourself when you say:

quote:Meanwhile back on the Ponderosa we actually do have teams playing in leagues that stretch from coast to coast. The way that was achieved was by completely by-passing the OSA and the CSA by joining USSF based structures put together by people who firmly grasped the realities of dealing with a continent sized country.

If it can be done on a north-south basis, why not east-west? I much prefer a 'Made in Canada' solution.

[Richard]

quote:Originally posted by BringBackTheBlizzard

What you neglect to mention is that six of the nine teams in your league this past summer were from the immediate Vancouver area so the PCSL fits the "for the most part" at the end of the text you quoted. Nothing in your league in any way compares to what would be involved in having a Winnipeg team traveling to away games in Edmonton and Calgary.

I was not referring to just this past season but in the history of the PCSL it has functioned quite satisfactorily with teams as far apart as Portland Oregon and Kamloops BC. It can and has been done. If Winnipeg to Edmonton is indeed too far then there will have to be a Prairie East and Prairie West division. The whole point of this arrangement is to create a league structure that will work, not find all kinds of reasons why it will not. Anyway, the suggestion being put forward is to bring existing regional leagues together, leagues such as the PCSL, AMSL and CPSL who have already resolved travel issues.

A much much bigger concern than finding a geographical arrangement that will work and even conving the leagues/players to turn semi-pro officially is finding the sponsors to fund the venture as I doubt very much it will be profitable or sell many tickets. It works with ice hockey but that is Canada's #1 sport in terms of ticket sales and sponsorship if not amateur participation. Soccer languishing down at probably #3 at best as far as pro sport is concerned is a whole different ball of wax.

I am not suggesting we should give up before we even start, but one must be pragmatic in assessing the challenge.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

quote:Originally posted by Bill Spiers

.....I much prefer a 'Made in Canada' solution.

You are not alone amongst OSA and CSA types in wrapping yourself in the flag like that, which is why the KPMG report was ignored and the asinine CUSL plan was pursued despite the fact that the professionals that the CSA hired to look at things in a rational and professional manner concluded that a fully pro Canadian pro league was not viable. You and many other top soccer bureacucrats in this country are driven by irrational emotionalism and can easily get away with that posture because you never put your money where your mouth is by actually investing in pro soccer. In most countries you would get nowhere near the national association, which would be dominated by people with a background in running fully professional clubs.

The reason that the people who actually do get directly involved in the game on a professional level prefer a north-south rather than an east-west setup is that there are only three Canadian cities that are large enough for pro soccer to have been a regular fixture for most of the last 40 years and three teams is not enough to form a stable league. The USA has many more large metropolitan areas available so joining forces with them as is currently happening with TFC, the Whitecaps and the Impact makes sound rational business sense.

quote:Originally posted by Richard

If Winnipeg to Edmonton is indeed too far then there will have to be a Prairie East and Prairie West division.

That logic would ultimately lead right back to the current situation which is separate provincial leagues covering teams in Edmonton/Calgary, Saskatoon/Regina and Winnipeg. The CSL and PCSL are Toronto and Vancouver leagues with a few teams mixed in that are a very limited number of hours away by road. All of Canada's large cities have leagues like that and nothing "regional" has ever developed because there are only so many hours that people with a job and a family/relationship can devote to something they are engaged in essentially as a hobby. If "regional" leagues were actually viable in logistical terms, senior A hockey would be organized on that basis and would be a major part of Canadian sports culture. It isn't and junior hockey rules supreme instead because only student athletes have the time on their hands to do all the necessary traveling and only student athletes would be willing to do it for an absolute pittance because they are too young to have a family to support and teams can dangle the carrot of a shot at a career in the NHL. Only PDL has ever found a way to make a "regional" league work in a soccer context at a less than fully-pro level and they use NCAA scholarship players for similar reasons to the use of high school student by junior hockey.

In a soccer context, there is no obvious reason why all of the many local city based amateur/semi-pro leagues from coast to coast need to be grouped into an overarching national structure beyond having a national cup. It would border on lunatic for teams in western Canada or the Maritimes to pay over $100k each to the Toronto-based CSL for the privilege of using the CSL name when there would be no regular season games played against the Toronto based teams. Having a local league called the National Soccer League or the Canadian Soccer League is just a case of inflated egos and delusions of grandeur at the top of Toronto's local soccer community. There is nothing stopping teams elsewhere coming up with their own grandiose name at a cost of $0k.

Perhaps worth noting that in an American context, Chicago's top local amateur/semi-pro league is called the National Soccer League for similar ego and delusions of grandeur reasons. The grandiose NSL name doesn't make the local Chicago league a serious rival for MLS and isn't an indication that it has anything much to offer the sport at a genuinely pro level. Hopefully eventually people will see the CSL for what it is and if they don't live in the immediate Toronto area will just ignore it like American soccer does with Chicago's National Soccer League. The fly in the ointment in that regard is that some people can't cope with the lack of a separate Canadian pro league for irrational reasons related to nationalism so there always seem to be people outside Toronto lining up to feed the egos of the CSL by according them a level of respect they don't deserve. [/rant]

[Richard]

^ Well said.