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Calgary back in PDL in 2015


Stuart

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The impression I got - and this is highly unofficial - is that the Foothills guys initially visualized this PDL team as an extension of their player development pyramid which might get the occasional good turnout but certainly wouldn't be run with the expectation of high attendance. It took a while for them to realize "wow, people outside the Foothills family are actually interested in this level of soccer!" and they still aren't quite on the front foot. That sort of marketing isn't their background.

 

I agree with this assessment completely.  There isn't much evidence that they want to turn this into a mass appeal thing - mostly for their players and the Foothills family.  Tommy and I have been having a Twitter conversation about this, and they are having a supporters meeting so they are trying to make a bit of effort.  But when I commented via Twitter to Tommy he suggested I give them some ideas.  I like the idea of fan engagement, but hopefully they aren't relying on people like me to come up with their marketing campaign.  

 

All I know is that I did feel like an outsider at the games.  Nobody was mean or exclusionary, but as I mentioned before, it was like going to a party where everyone knew everyone except you know nobody.  

 

Jason

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All I know is that I did feel like an outsider at the games.  Nobody was mean or exclusionary, but as I mentioned before, it was like going to a party where everyone knew everyone except you know nobody.  

 

Jason

 

The crowd for the initial opener vs FC Edmonton was definitely pretty much Foothills players and families. I found the crowd for the Whitecaps game was more diverse, with quite a few "regular" footy fans as well as players and families from other clubs. The other games there was hardly any fans.

I think the challenge will be to prove that the support for the Whitecaps game wasn't just a one-off event. That won't be easy.

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Guest ClaytonA

Interview re Calgary Foothills FC February 17, 2015 at 4:25pm MDT on Fan 960 AM

 

Audio Link:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/960/the-big-show/professional-soccer-coming-to-calgary/

 

Have Tommy Wheeldon Junior on return of pro soccer to Calgary.

 

He’s just got back from weekend trip to Phoenix with a team, then Kelowna, and now in an airport on his way to the U-17 CONCACAF Qualifiers in Honduras trying to get our youth to another World Cup.

 

The city’s ready for this – the challenge is getting people on board, to invest sweat equity, energy, and passion.

 

 

Where on N.A. league system?

 

The PDL is part of USL, a league system partnered with MLS, the 8th most attended league in the world trying to grow and do the right things.  PDL has had 69 players selected to play in MLS.  This is a great opportunity to put Canadians and Calgarians in the shop window to get the attention of the next level.  We want to see the players taking the next step. For us as a club we want to show we can operate a team successfully at this level, and in 3-5 years move up to USL-Pro.  USL-Pro is where MLS is putting their second teams.  Who knows in 5-10 years with enough spectators Calgary could have a team in MLS.

 

 

Tell me more about the team, the make-up of the team.

 

We want the composition to be primarily Canadian, and will have a few internationals. 

 

What about the age of the team?

 

There is a 26 person roster and we’re allowed 10 internationals.  We’re allowed eight players over 23 and 3 players have to be under 18.  Expect the spine of the team, marquee positions, to be players over 23 and internationals, but we also want to be willing to take risks on youth and provide chances and allow for a few mistakes.  We have 3-4 guys in their 20’s who we feel will be great for helping the younger players.

 

Who are the other teams?  Who’s your competition?

 

We’ll be playing in the NW Division.  We’ve heard down at the AGM, that this is the strongest Division, and that’s great, the quality of play will be higher; it’ll be more of a challenge for us.  He then named seven other clubs in Division including Timbers and Sounders U23 squads.

 

Where are you playing? What’s your home field?

 

http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Recreation/Pages/Athletic-parks/Shouldice-artificial-turf-fields.aspx

Hellard Field is what’s on the schedule.  There are a few field conflicts, so it’s subject to a couple of dates, but season tickets went live today, so should be official soon.  By next week, everything including kick-off times will be confirmed.

 

 

What about corporate sponsorships? Backing?  I cannot ask you about ticket sales yet.  Are the off-field things in place to make this work?

 

We’ve had some good partnerships – we’re still looking for a jersey sponsor.  We’ve been talking with 4 or 5 companies and it’s not just the dollar amount that is driving this decision.

 

[The club needs to work on their elevator speech, business pitch for interviews like this]

 

 

We have 2,500 members now growing to 3,000 with the new communities we’re running programs for.  This is an opportunity to engage the broader community and keep growing the sport in Calgary.  We’re a youth club, with a successful academy, with adult affiliate teams wanting to grow up into the professional ranks, bottom-up versus the typical top-down Canadian-US practice. [could market the fact club alums are in Europe, in MLS, & etc.]

 

 

What about local support, local blessing, cooperation?  The soccer community is known for being fractious in Canada [alluded to politely by not casting aspersions].

 

We’ve had great support from the CMSA and ASA and CSA, we’re working to involve other adult clubs as there is the inevitable feeling of competition for players.  Every club has the opportunity to do what we’re doing.  We have exclusivity to the market with USL, but we’d be willing to waive it if another club wanted to do what we’re doing [grow vertically and integrate a complete club that could include adult professional teams].   We want to grow the sport in Calgary.

 

 

What about this meeting Friday?  Who do you want to see there?  What are you going to be known as?  What will your kit look like?

We want to invite the broader community, fans, supporters to a meeting and press conference at 7pm on Friday.  We want to engage fans and also have some surprise announcements.  We want to explain our vision.

 

For example we’ve used solid green shirts last year, our youth colors are green and white hoops [Celtic], but we want to have a vote on social media about what jersey design we should use.  The colors will be some combination of green and white.  We’re doing something different, perhaps never done before in North America. 

 

[The Factory address ?, parking anything else people who’ve never been there should know?]

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We have exclusivity to the market with USL, but we’d be willing to waive it if another club wanted to do what we’re doing [grow vertically and integrate a complete club that could include adult professional teams].

So he's willing to give up his USL exclusivity if someone brings in a USL Pro team even if a stadium rises from the ground, which won't happen since the CSA won't sanction it? That's nice.

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Interview re Calgary Foothills FC February 17, 2015 at 4:25pm MDT on Fan 960 AM

 

Audio Link:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/960/the-big-show/professional-soccer-coming-to-calgary/

 

 

What about local support, local blessing, cooperation?  The soccer community is known for being fractious in Canada [alluded to politely by not casting aspersions].

 

We’ve had great support from the CMSA and ASA and CSA, we’re working to involve other adult clubs as there is the inevitable feeling of competition for players.  Every club has the opportunity to do what we’re doing.  We have exclusivity to the market with USL, but we’d be willing to waive it if another club wanted to do what we’re doing [grow vertically and integrate a complete club that could include adult professional teams].   We want to grow the sport in Calgary.

 

 

I find this statement the most interesting of this message.  They would be willing to waive their USL exclusivity if another Calgary club wanted to go to PDL.  I would love this - actually having a derby like that.  I think it's a wise statement for Foothills to make.  Who knows if anyone would ever take them up on it, but the fact they've left the door open leaves a very good impression that they are trying to work with other clubs.  

 

I can't make the meeting on Friday, but it should be interesting to see what they have to say.

 

Jason

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So he's willing to give up his USL exclusivity if someone brings in a USL Pro team even if a stadium rises from the ground, which won't happen since the CSA won't sanction it? That's nice.

 

Maybe I didn't read it right, but what I got from that is if someone wanted to put in another Calgary PDL club they would waive exclusivity.

 

The way I understand it, if another group came to the USL and was willing to put in a USL PRO team in Calgary, the USL would at least in theory give Foothills the "right to match" and put in a higher level club.  That's how the USL exclusivity rules work as far as I know.

 

Of course there is CSA sanctioning which is a totally different thing.  From what I've been able to get out of the CSA's approval of Foothills this year, and statements made on Two Solitudes podcast, if there isn't a realistic viable Canadian league option, the CSA may approve entry into a USA league.  And right now if you are in Calgary, there are no legitimate Div 3 options.  I can't see the CSA making a prospective group insist on going NASL, and the NASL/CFL league is on hold for now, so it could theoretically happen.  But I'm not holding my breathe re: USL PRO or NASL in Calgary. 

 

Jason

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Maybe I didn't read it right, but what I got from that is if someone wanted to put in another Calgary PDL club they would waive exclusivity.

 

The way I understand it, if another group came to the USL and was willing to put in a USL PRO team in Calgary, the USL would at least in theory give Foothills the "right to match" and put in a higher level club.  That's how the USL exclusivity rules work as far as I know.

 

Of course there is CSA sanctioning which is a totally different thing.  From what I've been able to get out of the CSA's approval of Foothills this year, and statements made on Two Solitudes podcast, if there isn't a realistic viable Canadian league option, the CSA may approve entry into a USA league.  And right now if you are in Calgary, there are no legitimate Div 3 options.  I can't see the CSA making a prospective group insist on going NASL, and the NASL/CFL league is on hold for now, so it could theoretically happen.  But I'm not holding my breathe re: USL PRO or NASL in Calgary. 

 

Jason

USL exclusivity doesn't work that way, ask Oklahoma City FC.

 

CSA won't approve standalone Usl Pro clubs as they want markets for their D3 regional Canadian set of league's as per the Easton Report recommendations.

 

If there is no other option(a D3 provincial/regional Canadian league) a Usl pdl team may be sanctioned for now as it has been in Calgary.

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Just got back from the press conference. I was a little thrown off in that firstly, I got lost driving there, and secondly, I thought it was a meeting with the supporters as opposed to a press conference. When I walked in I definitely felt out of place to be honest, although a few others that could have been supporters got there after me. I have a feeling that if there was a supporters meeting after the fact, that I ran out before it started. 

 

Okay, so here's what I retained:

 

- Pathway for local players defined is USL PDL --> USL Pro --> MLS. No mention of NASL anywhere at all. (My opinion, it sounds like they want to get players to the top level in North America and with there being a partnership between MLS and USL that is the way to go. Wheeldon did mention the Americans as domestics in Canada but Canadians foreign in US discrepancy)

- Plan is to be in PDL 3-5 years to build the base and give local players a chance to take the next step

- Games will be at Hellard. A couple dates may not work out, and if so, those games would be at Calgary Rugby Park on grass. (My opinion, hell yes that would be awesome!)

- Calgary Foothills is looking to field a W-League team in 2016. Will do the same type of dry run in 2015 as the men's PDL side did in 2014.

- New training ground just outside the city on 6 acres of land. Full indoor pitch, offices

- Some sponsor stuff. They listed 5 active sponsors and mentioned they were looking for a kit sponsor.

- There was a shout out to the Foot Soldiers in the press conference. Good stuff.

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Yeah, not much to add to that. The BIG SURPRISE was the new facility. Which will have, as Shermanator mentioned, a full size indoor pitch, plus a full size outdoor pitch. The only bad thing is It doesn't look like they'll be playing their future PDL matches on that outdoor pitch when it is complete.

Also it sounds like finances were in place to keep the team afloat even before the sponsors came on board with the Foothills membership dues covering most of the cost.

Overall a great and informative night.

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Guest ClaytonA

Heather Glen, south of Glenmore and Stoney Trail by Rigstar Communications - I think it's too far out of the city to host the games geared towards attendance.   https://maps.google.de/maps?ie=UTF-8&gl=de&q=Rigstar+Communications+Inc&ei=c0zqVOCgK5K4oQSS0YGQDw&ved=0CGoQ_BIwDQ&output=classic&dg=brw

 

The big news is the training facility expansion. 

 

This appears to be a fieldhouse along the lines of what FC Edmonton has access to with the Commonwealth Fieldhouse and the founation that the Whitecaps are putting in place at UBC and TFC has at Downsview.  A two storey building at 83,000 sq ft, a full-size 11 vs 11 field or 4 5-a-side fields, meeting rooms, gym, offices, physio/athletic sciences space and an outdoor field with additional parking in phase 2.  The line used was that this is the only one of it's type in Western Canada.

 

Really smart, whatever happens with the teams, which hopefully are successful, they'll have the foundation of what looks like a professional team's training facility.

 

Only other thing I'd add is that one of the assitant coaches was the Unversity of Calgary Men's soccer coach and the U of C's women's coach is also connected with the club.

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Guest ClaytonA

http://calgaryherald.com/sports/soccer/new-pro-soccer-team-hoping-for-crowd-support

 

 

...

Unlike the Storm and the Mustangs, which were built with professional players as the top prioity over youth academies and camps, the Foothills Club has focused on grassroots programs first. With almost 3,000 players in their youth club, the pro team has built-in supporters.

“Add the parents and you’re at 9,000 members that can support the club as it stands now,” said Wheeldon. “But this is just the start.”

Friday night, the club held its first supporters meeting at the club training facility, dubbed the Foothills Factory. A combination of fan appreciation night and press conference, approximately 75 people attended to hear the Foothills FC U-23 team’s vision for Calgary’s new PDL soccer franchise.

Item number one: the coaching staff was introduced. Besides head coach Tommy Wheeldon, Jr., Nic Reyes will be a player-coach and Brian McDonnell will be goalkeeper-assistant coach.

The club also announced that the future home for the Foothills will include a full-size indoor and outdoor pitch, gym and changing rooms on Exploration Avenue in the Southeast. A permit application is currently under review with the City.

And something that is sure to send soccer social media into overdrive, the Foothills Club announced a women’s team, with a 10-game exhibition season to join the W League in 2016.

Indeed, social media barely existed the last time Calgary had an elite-level soccer team.

The Foothills has several upcoming Twitter initiatives to engage community support, including a vote on jersey colors for the upcoming season — green and white or solid green.

However, independent signs of momentum started weeks before the meeting tonight. A support group dubbed the Foot Soldiers (@FootSoldiersSG is their Twitter handle) is tweeting its excitement.

...

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If it is on a weekend I will travel up from Medicine Hat.  That said, don't change everything to make it work for ONE person (ie, myself), but I will never be able to make weekday times.

 

The idea of pub-watching a game (IF Puerto Rico is televised) does sound more interesting than meeting just to meet though, so the time itself is good, I just can't make it.

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Heather Glen, south of Glenmore and Stoney Trail by Rigstar Communications - I think it's too far out of the city to host the games geared towards attendance.   https://maps.google.de/maps?ie=UTF-8&gl=de&q=Rigstar+Communications+Inc&ei=c0zqVOCgK5K4oQSS0YGQDw&ved=0CGoQ_BIwDQ&output=classic&dg=brw

 

The big news is the training facility expansion. 

 

This appears to be a fieldhouse along the lines of what FC Edmonton has access to with the Commonwealth Fieldhouse and the founation that the Whitecaps are putting in place at UBC and TFC has at Downsview.  A two storey building at 83,000 sq ft, a full-size 11 vs 11 field or 4 5-a-side fields, meeting rooms, gym, offices, physio/athletic sciences space and an outdoor field with additional parking in phase 2.  The line used was that this is the only one of it's type in Western Canada.

 

Really smart, whatever happens with the teams, which hopefully are successful, they'll have the foundation of what looks like a professional team's training facility.

 

Only other thing I'd add is that one of the assitant coaches was the Unversity of Calgary Men's soccer coach and the U of C's women's coach is also connected with the club.

 

Finally checked out the location on Google Maps.  30km from my house and I live somewhat centrally.  If you lived in the NW that would be a real trip.  So I agree it probably won't work as a place to play your games out of.  But still, it's a very positive step in the right direction for soccer in general in Calgary.

 

Jason

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