Will the new found popularity of Canwnt enough to get a professional league?

[sincforpm]

The Canwnt's popularity is growing exponentially in Canada. They have fast becoming a marketing machine. Will this lure Corporate sponsors to help fund a professional league for them to play in?

[The Beaver]

The Canwnt's popularity is growing exponentially in Canada. They have fast becoming a marketing machine. Will this lure Corporate sponsors to help fund a professional league for them to play in?

Sadly, I think the answer is NO. At least not over the short term. Smart business owners will know that the Olympics is NOT the same thing as a regular league. I wish I was wrong, but I ain't. I think our women should fight hard to get jobs in Germany, France, England and, best of all, Japan.

[squizz1402635577]

Doubtful, at least in the immediate future. Obviously our players need places to play; but the last thing we should be hoping for is some fly-by-night operation that pops up in an attempt to cash in on the goodwill around this tournament and this team. Lessons need to be learned from the failures of the WUSA and WPS, and whatever comes next needs to be built from the ground up, and for the long term.

[A_Gagne]

short answer: no.

But hopefully it will be enough to get someone to step up and explore entering one into the new women's pro league that's forming south of the boarder.

[Cheeta]

Doubt it. Might be encouraging enough to bring a sugar-Daddy out though! Someone with the means who wants to make their stamp of support on Canadian footie by losing money on a pro-team for a few years. (Or sponsoring an elite league, whatever. You get the idea). Believe it or not they're a few of them out there! Somewhere...

The Own the Podium money (or whatever replaces it) which will be pumped into the WNT soccer program because of the medal will sure help though. Some OPM money, some extra fed support money for the lead into the WWC (Mission 2015!), a little bit here and there privately and maybe something can be cobbled together which would be significant.

[The Beaver]

Doubt it. Might be encouraging enough to bring a sugar-Daddy out though! Someone with the means who wants to make their stamp of support on Canadian footie by losing money on a pro-team for a few years. (Or sponsoring an elite league, whatever. You get the idea). Believe it or not they're a few of them out there! Somewhere...

The Own the Podium money (or whatever replaces it) which will be pumped into the WNT soccer program because of the medal will sure help though. Some OPM money, some extra fed support money for the lead into the WWC (Mission 2015!), a little bit here and there privately and maybe something can be cobbled together which would be significant.

White Caps owner, Greg Kerfoot, indeed pumped some cash into the WNT program last cycle, but what we need is more money for developing younger players, too. Sinclair is going to get all sorts of endorsement opportunities, and I wonder if she will be able to persuade these companies to pump at least a portion of her endorsement purse into women's soccer and its development in Canada.

[The Ref]

What a great opportunity for Montagliani to start something. Will he do it? or will the old excuse of not having money be the norm. The adult team has the U20's as a feeding ground to get at least 2 good defenders and 1 good striker for next WC. The U17's can feed the U20s but is this single team structure enough? I believe John Herdmann must establish a wider structure starting with U14s and if Montagliani does not support or facilitate such improvements, he is no better than his predecessors.

[JamboAl]

I'm with most of the others, probably not. It's going to be the old problems of travel distances and how much can you pay the players with the expected attendances. And as squizz pointed out, look at the failures of WPS and WUSA (I think the last loss I heard from WPS was about $120 M). I think the best we could expect is for a loose semi-professional set up regionally, kind of what is already in the W-League. I'm not being pessimistic, just realistic.

[The Beaver]

I'm with most of the others, probably not. It's going to be the old problems of travel distances and how much can you pay the players with the expected attendances. And as squizz pointed out, look at the failures of WPS and WUSA (I think the last loss I heard from WPS was about $120 M). I think the best we could expect is for a loose semi-professional set up regionally, kind of what is already in the W-League. I'm not being pessimistic, just realistic.

Yeah, one of the largest challenges is the bloody size of this continent. The only way a league could work is to keep all the teams within 500 miles of each other. 500 miles is a one-hour flight, roughly. Find 8 cities in close proximity and build from there. Do not dilute the talent too much to start. So: Toronto, Montreal, New York, Chicago, Boston etc. etc. I would love something on the west coast, especially because you can pretty well play outdoors ALL year, but the big cities are too spread afar. Vancouver, Seattle and Portland might work, but we'd need another 5 or more cities. Lots of options in California, but LA is still a decent jaunt from Vancouver. Density and critical mass are needed, and that goes for coaches, players, and fans.

[Trillium]

Ontario population = 12,851,821

German population = 81,726,000 in one third of the land mass.

Any league will need to be based in a small geographic zone, if we take southren Ontario from Windsor to Ottawa, you could have an eight team league.

You need stadia 5,000 seats each.

You need someone to pay for the stadiums.

Last item is most imporatant the CSA et al has never had a lobby program to feds to build such facilitys to kick start a professional league be it for women or men.

Till that is done you wont get a increase in performance by domestically based players after age 18.

[JamboAl]

The German League is probably the "biggest" European women's league and I hardly think that their players are raking it in.

Some of our girls have played in Norway and I'm a bit familiar with some of the Norwegian teams (Toppserien). I don't think any of them draw anywhere close to 400-500 a match, most are in the 100-200 bracket. Add to that crazy travel costs if they have to go north. Frankly, I barely understand how the second tier of men's football survives on crowds of under 1,000 and having to fly north 4-5 times a season.

[CanadianSoccerFan]

Sinclair is going to get all sorts of endorsement opportunities.

Not nearly as many as you'd think

[sincforpm]

Not nearly as many as you'd think

May I know why?

[canadianfoot]

I think she will get some of course but unfortunately the money is SOUTH of the Border a Canadian Player and a US Player will never get the same amount of sponsors. Think NIKE how much will they pay a Canadian vs. US Player I am willing to say the ratio is probably 1/4 or more of the money.

A Canadian Bronze medal is worth 5000$ CAD (not sure if they are taxed on it)

A US Bronze medal is worth 10000$ USD minus IRS

[Cheeta]

^^

Well, the Olympic rush is just soooo temporary. That's one thing. Narrow window of opportunity.

The other is the "how" and "what" factor. A generous, well meaning sponsor (corporate anyway) which is inclined to shoot some monetary love toward the WNT players, or even the one that is simply seeking to exploit their success is left asking themselves how the accomplishments and current popularity of the WNT and it's players can become a usefully marketing instrument for what they're selling.

I firmly believe that creative advertising can make a square peg fit a round hole, but the board-room suits need to indicate they want that to happen for it to happen by putting the corporate money where the corporate mouth(heart) is.

Otherwise, the marketing potential of the WNT players is pretty limited, commercially speaking.

Look at the products being advertised as you watch TV. Ask yourself if those products would benefit from any sort of partnership with the WNT and its players. It would take some serious "outside the box" thinking to make many of those products a reasonable fit.

[canadianfoot]

On a side note maybe we will not get a professional league thanks to the winning of the Bronze but we will get more people to women's Soccer. If we can get a couple of W-League teams that will be already something. I know a few friends of mine didn't even know the whitecaps had a women's team and when I told them how affordable the tickets were we are thinking of going next year already to a game.

The downside for Canada it as disscussed is it's SIZE and relatively small population. I(we) are not even talking about infrastructure....

Poland prior to EURO 2012 started something called ORLIK 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlik_2012

Of course the Fed/Prov/Municipal governaments have to put in their money as well but this is what we need, for 2015........

Soccer field with artificial turf 30x62meters

Handball/Volleyball/Basketball field with artificial turf 20x30meters

There are also changingrooms/washroomsroom(about 60 square meters in size) weightroom in the open and everything is lit and surrounded by a 4meter high fence. Cost is 1million ZLOTY(PLN) about 350 000$ plus Tax in 5yrs 1600 were built (that's almost 27 per month!!!)

Now they have a New Program in Place for WINTER called BIALY ORLIK ( WHITE ORLIK)...

If we could only get 50small stadium with 500 grandstand built that would Rock my World

[Strider]

With the demise of the WPS alot of the CWNT members are unattached or playing at an inferior level, I wonder if someone with deep pockets would be willing to step up and put as many members of the team as possible in this new start up league: http://www.allwhitekit.com/?p=10259

Possibly they could travel across the country as the Vancouver Whitecaps travel across the Lower Mainland and Victoria. http://club.whitecapsfc.com/women/schedule/

We could call them Big Red.

[canadianfoot]

Mr. Kerfoot has already done a LOT for the Women's program. I am not sure if he is still(probably) and will be since he seems to actually have an interest in soccer...

What the Whitecaps need is another team(on top of the Highlanders within the W-league) Kelowna, Surrey whatever you name it. If there are more W-League teams in the Canadian West that will cut down the operating costs pure and simple, as currently 6teams are in the EAST and 2 in the West(Whitecaps and Highlanders). To get our own Canadian League will be Extremely hard. Hope to be wrong thou.....

Same goes with say(TOTALLY Different Subject!!!!) the USL Pro once there are 4-5team on the West coast(instead of the Lone LA team) things could get rosy for Canada.

[CanadianSoccerFan]

May I know why?

Unfortunately marketers have more criteria than just talent. That criteria can be harsh and not nice to talk about but it's a reality of the business. It's too bad because Christine is a fantastic person and I certainly hope she can make most of this regardless.

[CoachRich]

Several of the old WPS teams are giving it a go but problem is it's too late for the majority of the canwnt players. Also, because of the foreign player cap it's basically a USSF women's development pathway for US players.

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/8251007/plans-take-shape-new-us-women-soccer-league

Most players were already scouting and/or negotiating their overseas contracts prior to the Olympics. Also, this timetable is a problem for any CSA victory tour as if they drag it out, the players will be earning a living overseas and will not be able to commit to a CSA victory tour.