Jump to content

Calgary back in PDL in 2015


Stuart

Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Replies 458
  • Created
  • Last Reply

They played reasonably well.  Knowing Kitsap had a decent side, and then seeing them in person...Kitsap could probably go into USL and compete and get results.  That said, they didn't dominate the run of play against a Calgary side that worked hard and got good chances.  1-1 against them is reasonable at home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah the announced attendance was 223.  I know people will say WWC took priority but the fact is there was a couple hour turnover between the games, so we supporters were hoping for more, you have to think Wheeldon was hoping for more.  The result...the boys were slinking of the pitch you know they felt they deserved a win there, and rightfully so they played well.

 

As for our section, with ESG coming down to party with us and bolster, we had roughly 20 in our chanting section which is so far our biggest to date.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There didn't appear to be any Kitsap Supporters, as far as I could tell.

 

LOL, you would have noticed if they were there. They do flags and banners even if it is just the two of them.

It was a long-shot. Travel from Kitsap would have been unlikely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah the announced attendance was 235.  I know people will say WWC took priority but the fact is there was a couple hour turnover between the games, so we supporters were hoping for more, you have to think Wheeldon was hoping for more.  The result...the boys were slinking of the pitch you know they felt they deserved a win there, and rightfully so they played well.

 

As for our section, with ESG coming down to party with us and bolster, we had roughly 20 in our chanting section which is so far our biggest to date.

The stated goal of 1000/match is pretty much unachievable as I think they've had a total of about 2000 fans over 4 matches.  I have to say I thought 1000 would be great but this is much less than I expected.

 

Jason

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The stated goal of 1000/match is pretty much unachievable as I think they've had a total of about 2000 fans over 4 matches.  I have to say I thought 1000 would be great but this is much less than I expected.

 

Jason

 

Yeah I wasn't super optimistic heading in, and again, even with the WWC on the same day, and it being fathers day, I would have taken BOTH of those as opportunities rather than competition.  Disappointed for sure. 

 

Oh well, I'll be back there next week to be one of the however many show up. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The stated goal of 1000/match is pretty much unachievable as I think they've had a total of about 2000 fans over 4 matches.  I have to say I thought 1000 would be great but this is much less than I expected.

 

Jason

The sad reality of Non MLS Canadian clubs...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The sad reality of Non MLS Canadian clubs...

 

NASL's Ottawa Fury has been drawing well, approximately 5000+ per game their last few matches and just about 4400 per this year so far.

 

FC Edmonton's had a slow start but drew 3764 their last game, hope they can keep it up but they're lack marketing and need of a stronger and more capable FO seems to be inhibiting them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

NASL's Ottawa Fury has been drawing well, approximately 5000+ per game their last few matches and just about 4400 per this year so far.

 

FC Edmonton's had a slow start but drew 3764 their last game, hope they can keep it up but they're lack marketing and need of a stronger and more capable FO seems to be inhibiting them.

Ottawa got a bump by letting kids and teens in for free and are still only at 5k.

As a former Eddies season ticket holder (I just moved to another Province last month ) the Eddies are done after this season IMHO. No improvement in buzz or attendance, just bleeding money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ottawa got a bump by letting kids and teens in for free and are still only at 5k.

As a former Eddies season ticket holder (I just moved to another Province last month ) the Eddies are done after this season IMHO. No improvement in buzz or attendance, just bleeding money.

 

Not all kids/teens are free - Ottawa's free tickets is only for 14 and under registered soccer players. Seems to have worked well for Ottawa as 5K is a solid number and it gives them a better fan atmosphere at the games with a bigger crowd showing up and the kids who do get in free buy concessions and merchandise and bring paying adult fans in with them. Most pro sports teams give away a certain number of tickets, some more than others but its common.

 

Don't think the Eddies are done this year, they're stagnating but aren't bleeding as much money as some think. They get a cut of expansion fees in NASL and 2 new expansion clubs announced in the last month mean $ for them to make up for losses and the league is aiming for 18 clubs by 2018 so 5 more in the next few years could keep them going for awhile.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry about the low attendance, but there are only so many Foothills supporters out there. There are a number of other major clubs in Calgary who will have little to do with anything related to a rival club. That is not meant as a callous statement, simply positing - why would a Chinook or Callie be compelled to go to a Foothills match?

This is not a team that will unite Calgary soccer fans. Hence the low turnout.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get the feuds.  I really do.  Regardless, I will continue to push and try to support the current highest level in Calgary as best I can, until there is something better.  I don't care if it's the Villains, Caledonian, or whatever, I would have been on board with the idea of getting Calgary soccer to higher levels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry about the low attendance, but there are only so many Foothills supporters out there. There are a number of other major clubs in Calgary who will have little to do with anything related to a rival club. That is not meant as a callous statement, simply positing - why would a Chinook or Callie be compelled to go to a Foothills match?

This is not a team that will unite Calgary soccer fans. Hence the low turnout.

Hey, good to see you reappear on here.  For me, it's relatively easy to support Foothills as I have no current affiliations.  I definitely get why the other clubs are not buying in.  I think it's a massive problem from my point of view, and I don't really see any way to fix it.  It would be cool if a rival club decided to join the PDL and we could have a derby, but that's probably wishful thinking.  I don't think Foothills is going to do well this year financially on this project so it's not like the other clubs will look at it as a real missed opportunity.

 

Looking back into the past, do you think that the concept of the Storm which was a brand new entity was more effective to unite people?  I think it was easier from a fan/supporter point of view.  There were fans from throughout the soccer community at Storm matches, but at Foothills games, it's Foothills members and a few hard core guys that has no club affiliation and will cheer for the top level, as some of us do.  I walked through the crowd today to look around (attendance announced at 363 I think) and I saw a guy wearing his Mustangs jersey, which was fun to see.  I presume someone like that will show up for whoever, but there are not many of them, even in a city of 1 million.

 

While the fan standpoint might have been different, I don't think it was much different for the Storm with existing clubs when it came to executives/coaches.  I remember hearing the existing AMSL clubs had no love for the Storm.  Is my memory on this accurate?

 

Jason

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry about the low attendance, but there are only so many Foothills supporters out there. There are a number of other major clubs in Calgary who will have little to do with anything related to a rival club. That is not meant as a callous statement, simply positing - why would a Chinook or Callie be compelled to go to a Foothills match?

This is not a team that will unite Calgary soccer fans. Hence the low turnout.

 

Perhaps it is because I am not involved in the youth club scene in Calgary, but I just cannot wrap my head around this line of thinking. IMO, this is classic "trophies over development" thinking that has plagued the Canadian development system, and is a leading cause of the lack of success of our national team for the last 20 years. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Perhaps it is because I am not involved in the youth club scene in Calgary, but I just cannot wrap my head around this line of thinking. IMO, this is classic "trophies over development" thinking that has plagued the Canadian development system, and is a leading cause of the lack of success of our national team for the last 20 years. 

While I think Cooks and others could probably give a better answer because they feel this way, I think I have a theory.  It's not about trophies over development.  It's about emotional attachment and a sense of belonging and loyalty.  If you are loyal to any organization, you will have an emotional attachment to it.  Part of what makes these attachments special is that they aren't easily formed.  And developing a new attachment to a rival of yours is not likely, especially when your peer group within that club isn't joining you.  It's emotion not logic.

 

It's not exactly the same, but why else do people retain their loyalty to teams even after they move away?  Logically, it would make sense for me to become a Stampeders fan.  I've lived in Calgary for 21 years, and they have been far more successful in that time than the Roughriders have.  I can bike to McMahon and watch practices and for years before you could get news on the internet I had so much more access to the latest with the Stampeders.  But I have never switched and never will.  It's about emotion not logic.

 

Jason

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...