Calgary back in PDL in 2015

[madmonte]

Either is fine, Stuart, I'm thinking they would put Calgary in the Mountain to make the divisions more even in number...if they are trying to grow the divisions to even size, Calgary in the Mountain makes more sense than any other option. We shall see...I actually like the other teams in there...Las Vegas and Albuquerque already have a pretty bloody decent following and a bit of a facebook war going on.

The lack of pro sports in both Las Vegas and Albuquerque means that the Calgary PDL team would get to play some games with a little more passion, I bet. For PDL teams I can see both those squads, particularly Albuquerque, generating quite a following. I'm not the kind of fan that needs another Canadian city to generate a rivalry, considering the closest Canadian city even in the PDL is still a 10 hour drive.

And please do! It's going to be a long year waiting for this to get going now that we know about it!

[shermanator]

Names for the supporters group anyone?

I'm going for "THE FOOT SOLDIERS". Anymore suggestions?

I'm thinking something more transferrable should the team move up divisions in the future?

What about Mewata SG?

[Pantsmansoy]

I kind of liked The Foot Soldiers, but maybe it was just nostalgia from watching The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles so much while growing up. As soon as I saw that Foothills was applying, I told my son (who's playing low-div Foothills at the moment) that we're going to go to games and that he better expect to sing!

[Stuart]

The first trials went well tonight with a good turnout of around 80 players, which were split into 7 sides of approximately 11 players who played 5, 5 a side games each. All the players will be back tomorrow for a morning session (10:00 - 11:30), after which cuts will be made and the surviving players will be back for the final session (12:30 - 3:00).

Didn't get a chance to talk to Tommy so I don't know what's planned for future try-outs but I'll try and get in touch with him tomorrow.

[Stuart]

Second day of trials today, alot of cuts were made from around 80 to around 35. Good to see one of the Storm old boys make the cut, yes, NIK REYES!! good to see him back in action again. Talked to Tommy and it sounds like they'll be playing at Hellard Field, Shouldice, if not there than at Foothills. . I'm guessing that Troye Flannery is going to be the head coach but don't quote me.

The next step is getting CSA sanctioning in March but it sounds like that shouldn't be a problem.

[shermanator]

Glad to hear more details!

Hellard Field is an okay option. No track and better stands than Foothills, but football lines will detract from the viewing experience IMHO.

[DigzTFC]

Wait they are holding tryouts before being sanctioned....

This club has showed zero political IQ. This might not end well.

[madmonte]

They are calling it a "2014 Exhibition Team". I imagine this means it has no PDL connection as yet and will be expected to be playing exhibition matches only. They don't need sanctioning for that.

[DigzTFC]

They are calling it a "2014 Exhibition Team". I imagine this means it has no PDL connection as yet and will be expected to be playing exhibition matches only. They don't need sanctioning for that.

Correct, but that's the technical explanation are the use of semantics. The perception is that they are assuming they will receive sanctioning and are making preparations for it. On top of that they are suggesting that they are aspiring to USL Pro which is not the league the CSA is planning around.

If you are the CSA how would you interpret this

[madmonte]

Correct, but that's the technical explanation are the use of semantics. The perception is that they are assuming they will receive sanctioning and are making preparations for it. On top of that they are suggesting that they are aspiring to USL Pro which is not the league the CSA is planning around.

If you are the CSA how would you interpret this

As a club preparing to start by 2015, and hoping to get sanctioning to do so. I don't see why they necessarily have to interpret ambition and preparation as a negative.

[DigzTFC]

As a club preparing to start by 2015, and hoping to get sanctioning to do so. I don't see why they necessarily have to interpret ambition and preparation as a negative.

The CSA rejected a PDL expansion team in Calgary and Quebec as early as last year (which you know). It's probably the same ownership group. And the CSA stated they wouldn't sanction USL Pro in Canada. Ambition and preparation are good things when they are aligned.

http://www.lapresse.ca/le-soleil/sports/soccer/201312/04/01-4717738-le-dynamo-integrera-la-premiere-ligue-de-soccer-du-quebec-en-2015.php

If they had said we aspire to be in the NASL, it wouldn't be an issue. If PDL didn't have a history of being rejected by the CSA, it wouldn't be an issue. If the CSA wasn't trying to streamline the structure, it wouldn't be an issue.

http://the11.ca/2013/01/24/montagliani-csa-wont-sanction-usl-clubs-as-official-div-3-teams-in-canada/

Question: If you're a player trying out for this team and you make the club, who do you blame if the sanctioning doesn't go through? The CSA for taking the opportunity away or the club for setting improper expectations? The player will blame the CSA IMO.

[madmonte]

Yeah but their reasoning had nothing to do with starting teams too early, is all I'm saying. IF the CSA rejects it, and I hope they don't, it probably won't be on that basis, it will continue to be for different reasons. According to some reports the reason they denied Quebec was they wanted to keep it in Canada. For Calgary, that's in leagues that do not exist yet. To deny Calgary a team again on those basis when they don't have a solid plan in effect to start a nation wide soccer league would be unfair, and should head to arbitration in courts, quite frankly lol

[Blackdude]

To deny Calgary a team again on those basis when they don't have a solid plan in effect to start a nation wide soccer league would be unfair, and should head to arbitration in courts, quite frankly lol

Courts? In soccer there is no such thing as courts. Maybe the SDRCC, but that's the one and only instance where you can go for things like that.

[madmonte]

Courts? In soccer there is no such thing as courts. Maybe the SDRCC, but that's the one and only instance where you can go for things like that.

It was a joke Basically against the injustice of having one governing body forcing you into situations that may turn out to be less profitable in the long term. I don't see the CSA starting a Canadian league any time soon that Calgary could join. Calgary could have a soccer team already up for a few years by the time that happens, if the PDL thing pans out. If the CSA really wants to implement a Canadian league, and want Calgary in it, they better bloody get on it.

The soccer boat has been sailing for some time now, and the CSA can either get on it, or let the other ships sail into the States, as they have seemed comfortable doing for the last decade. I'd be MORE than happy to have Calgary in a Canadian only league. But it doesn't exist, and frankly if it did, I don't know how many competitive markets there would be able to sustain a team at more than an amateur or semi-pro level. And they don't even have that yet anywhere in the middle provinces, so why not let Calgary do it, and grow the game in Alberta a bit that way?

Any team where more Canadian players can play at a higher level should be approved.

[Guest ClaytonA]

... According to some reports the reason they denied Quebec was they wanted to keep it in Canada. For Calgary, that's in leagues that do not exist yet. To deny Calgary a team again on those basis when they don't have a solid plan in effect to start a nation wide soccer league would be unfair...

Personally I'm taking a wait and see approach with this. It's interesting that it's a youth club with a marketing page of placing kids in CIS and NCAA. That would fit USL PDL well not USL Pro; I could see them happy at this level not higher. This is the same model the Abbotsford team had for over 15 years. Even if this just ends up being a similar situation to Victoria United (little effort for spectators) versus Victoria Highlanders (average 1637 last year), then this could be a good thing for Alberta soccer by providing competition to the AMSL for players/visibility/media coverage.

My reservations are that they are misleading people about USL Pro as D2, and there's nothing to say this USL PDL team will be PDL Pro (ie professional vs amateur) and so far marketing this as the return of pro soccer. It's a 14 game 2.5 month season - don't mislead people with your marketing. We're not idiots and recognize professionalism when we see it (or don't). They want me to tell my sceptical friends this is "the return of pro soccer" never mind semi-pro? How much egg do I want on my face? For those CIS and NCAA players they can't be paid without consequences. If this is an amateur team, then other than the flights required to Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona how much of a step up is this from the AMSL? The Dinos and U of A already have teams in the AMSL, so us not question their marketing that there is nothing for the 2.5 month summer university season is disingenuous and facilitates their false marketing; this product does already exist here just not with that wrapping/brand. How do the Dinos and U of A teams do - they don't dominate the league, probably mostly the same players.

Some USL PDL teams have a higher profile than other amateur leagues and also focus on getting spectators, some don't - they report all of 3 spectators or don't report attendance at all. It depends on the individual club and what their limited resources are put toward; being a member of a purported (ie marketed as such and not officially USSF recognized) division 4 league in the US doesn't guarantee any level of professionalism. There are only USSF (ie external) standards for D1 and D2, not D3 and lower - USL, NPSL, etc just set their own standards or lack thereof. Can't see them getting into the NW Division because that is a bus division, not a airline flight division like some of the others. The other teams would really fight them joining the NW. They could alternatively put a team in the AMSL; however, they'd have to earn promotion or take over an existing team (partnership with adult club/team). This would sure be cheaper cost wise. The more professional USL PDL teams do have reserve teams... I'd guess fees from youth soccer are going to help cover the $10,000+ (IIRC $14k per year) league fees to a US-based for-profit entity and travel costs for seven flights? Hopefully paid attendance and sponsorships help. As long as this is communicated transparently to parents.

[Guest ClaytonA]

I'm personally not as cynical that nothing will ever exist up here until we first join a US-based league. Could that league fee be better put somewhere else instead? There are clubs with ambition; this is a perfect example. The CSA letting more teams into the Voyageurs Cup would be more effective to me since it seems there is some money for things like this and it is a way for a club to get a taste of "the big time" and directly starts the progression to growing a club that wins things and progresses off the field. If it was my money, then this is the baby steps I'd be trying to take. There are many teams in the US that don't see the value of USL PDL given the short season because they can still enter the US Open Cup. /sarcasm I guess this is where the franchise system is better since someone just buys there way in, gets the exclusive area and eliminates competition.

http://thecup.us/2013-meet-the-usasa-rwb-adria-part-of-rich-tradition-of-chicago-soccer-since-1959/

“Every year, we talk about joining NPSL or PDL,” says Loncar. But he claims it’s expensive to join the PDL and, moreover, equates it to a “glorified college summer league.”

Although the club has the funds to join NPSL, according to Loncar, the fourth-tier league is regarded by some in its ranks as “little more than an organized amateur league” similar to the one Adria already resides in (Chicago’s National Soccer League).

Loncar adds that joining USL Pro (third-tier) would be difficult. “Realistically, we’ll probably keep doing what we do. A lot of our guys like the indoor game, so our community might be able to support a move to PASL Premier, but we’re not fit for a move to USL Pro.”

There's whole threads on how an expanded Voyageurs Cup works and could encourage clubs to invest in facilities like small stadiums, marketing, and the other off-field stuff. Here's just a few, use the search feature in the forum - I won't sidetrack this thread any further. http://www.cansoc.org/showthread.php?44159-Expansion-of-Canadian-Championship/page4

http://www.cansoc.org/showthread.php?46407-Why-a-fully-open-Voyageurs-Cup-is-needed-to-grow-the-game

More specifically with an underdog upsetting a higher league team it makes TV sports sections and all the local newspapers. Try googling FC Tucson news right now after their upset of the Phoenix Wolves. Lots of earned marketing for the team and sport.

There's just great opportunities for a soccer club to have a big event when they can afford to compete, have some organization, and have the opportunity.

[madmonte]

Clayton I agree with what you are saying on the whole.

As for the point about no club existing without a US connection, I meant to say that there is little chance that a league pops into existence that Calgary can join by 2015. Which is when they hope to join the PDL, if the sun shines on them. If a Canadian league pops up later, perhaps switching would be a possibility, dependant on non-compete clauses and the like.

I don't think the non-compete clauses are as ironclad as all that, or they are time based, based on the Ottawa Fury doing an NASL jump from the PDL this year, though.

[Guest ClaytonA]

Hopefully it works; this is how the Ottawa Fury gained traction and they're in the NASL now.

It's been almost a year since the Easton/Rethink report was released and other than rumblings/rumours of meetings/discussion in the foothills/prairies there seems to be nothing. When there's a vacuum of leadership, this is what happens. People step up and take their own initiative. Without coordination we get people potentially pulling in different directions working on the same goals. Even if we don't end up in NASL for ten years as long as the USL PDL club puts effort into getting decent attendance and sponsorship it'll still be progress on what we currently have and can help prove the market.

Attendance for the

1981 Calgary Boomers-----16----168,019------10,501

2004 Calgary Mustangs----14------17,616-------1,258

2003 Calgary Storm--------14------14,975-------1,070

2003 Calgary Storm Prospects--6------300----------50

2002 Calgary Storm--------14------20,408-------1,458

2002 Calgary Storm Select--7----------479----------68

2001 Calgary Storm--------11------22,028-------2,003

http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/

I'd personally consider A-League numbers successful for USL PDL as it seems in line with current USL PDL numbers. It'll be interesting to see how much FC Edmonton grows their attendance and how Ottawa does. It'd sure be nice to see them both up around 7,000 which seems to be a club sustaining level based on San Antonio turning a profit this past year.

[Guest ClaytonA]

If it is Hellard Field, then Pazzer's Pub across the TransCanada seems convenient for pre/post game;

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/1436177/restaurant/Montgomery/Pazzers-Saskatchewan-Pub-Calgary

[Stuart]

If it is Hellard Field, then Pazzer's Pub across the TransCanada seems convenient for pre/post game;

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/15/1436177/restaurant/Montgomery/Pazzers-Saskatchewan-Pub-Calgary

Never been there but it looks good!! Sounds like a plan.

[madmonte]

Never been there but it looks good!! Sounds like a plan.

I'll have to make it there once or twice with you guys

[shermanator]

I've never been to Pazzer's, all I know is it's a dirty Roughriders bar. Nonetheless, it is in the best location to Hellard. I can meet up prior to a game.

[Stuart]

CSA approve bid.

http://the11.ca/2014/03/06/csa-approves-calgary-bid-to-join-pdl-now-on-to-the-next-step/

The Canadian Soccer Association has voted to sanction Calgary Foothills, if it becomes a member of the PDL in 2015.

The decision paves the way for Calgary Foothills to officially make an expansion bid to the United Soccer Leagues, which administers the PDL. The PDL is an elite league focused on prepping U-23 players for pro careers.

As it stands, the Victoria Highlanders, WSA Winnipeg and Vancouver Whitecaps U-23 are the only Western Canadian members of PDL at the moment.

Tommy Wheeldon Jr., the technical director of the Foothills club, told The 11 that the next step is getting all the paperwork to USL, and that should be done by the end of this week.

The club has already hosted trials, and is planning to play a series of friendlies this season as it prepares to join PDL. Wheeldon has said that he hopes the Foothills team can line up friendlies with the Seattle Sounders and Whitecaps’ U-23 sides, as well as FC Edmonton’s reserve team.

If the franchise is approved, it will be interesting to see where it is slotted. Calgary will represent a long road trip for any of the clubs in the Northwest Division, which are mainly located near the Pacific coast, on the other side of the Rockies. The Heartland Division features teams in the same time zone as Calgary (Real Colorado Foxes) and fellow Canadian teams in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay. But, with most of the team’s located across the American bread basket, in places like Des Moines, St. Louis and Kansas City, Calgary would very much be an outpost team, as well.

[Pantsmansoy]

Well colour me excited!

[madmonte]

Still...CSA Approved. Booyah, baby!