CDNFootballer Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 NASL commissioner to meet with CSA execs: To discuss how NASL “can be a better partner” to Canada http://the11.ca/2014/04/08/nasl-commissioner-to-meet-with-csa-execs-to-discuss-how-nasl-can-be-a-better-partner-to-canada/#comment-23861 With Edmonton and Ottawa leading the way filling their roster with more playing Canadians than the MLS Canadian teams, the NASL is the way forward to help develop Canadian Pro players. I can see 2 to 3 Canadian expansion teams added to the NASL it the years ahead, maybe a Canadian NASL Division in the future as well to be sort of a league within a league in NASL. Hope the meetings with the CSA amount to something positive and good on the NASL to recognize the Canadian content in their league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narduch Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Have to wonder if the USSF will loosen its restrictions on non-American teams in the NASL, as the MLS continues to steal all of its good markets. I am worried about the stability of the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmd Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 NASL commissioner to meet with CSA execs: To discuss how NASL “can be a better partner” to Canada http://the11.ca/2014/04/08/nasl-commissioner-to-meet-with-csa-execs-to-discuss-how-nasl-can-be-a-better-partner-to-canada/#comment-23861 With Edmonton and Ottawa leading the way filling their roster with more playing Canadians than the MLS Canadian teams, the NASL is the way forward to help develop Canadian Pro players. I can see 2 to 3 Canadian expansion teams added to the NASL it the years ahead, maybe a Canadian NASL Division in the future as well to be sort of a league within a league in NASL. Hope the meetings with the CSA amount to something positive and good on the NASL to recognize the Canadian content in their league. Would be nice to have a Canadian Division of 10 and an American Division of 10. It is called the NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE I think having another team in Hamilton, Quebec, Calgary....but that is only 5 Canadian teams. Would NASL teams in Victoria and another in BC, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, another Toronto team playing out of York U for the 905'ers, work? I know I'm getting ahead of myself. But the CSA and the NASL working together could bring greater Stability with more Canadian teams. Soccer is growing rapidly as we saw with the new L1O announcement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmateo Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 There are a lot of decent sized markets in the US for NASL expansion (for stadiums of 10-15k as a future goal) if the league stops chasing the dream of replacing the MLS. The problem with the MLS is they are dependent on expansion fees still, with television contracts not really coming into play, so they need to convince ownership groups coming to the league that there is a viable soccer market. Easiest way to do that is watch USL-Pro and NASL teams perform in an area and then multiply the crowd by 3 or 4 to show an MLS team could fill a stadium. But they also look at television markets for future potential to replace the expansion fee revenue. Hence the interest in Orlando, Atlanta, and potentially San Antonio and Indianapolis. NASL can find a niche by no chasing television markets and locating urban areas that support local sports - the revenues come from (local) sponsorship, merchandise, gate sales, and in stadium sales. This is where Canadian cities might be more attractive because they are discrete, clear 'markets' for a stadium and local soccer during the summer and MLS is not likely to move into Canada, already capturing the three major urban areas. The other thing NASL could do, to be more aggressive, would be to find the gaps of MLS teams in their urban markets: like the Cosmos on Long Island or a team in Boston proper. The risk is clear though: spend a lot of time and effort finding owner groups, working stadium deals, getting fans to a stadium, and if you are really successful MLS as a behemouth supported by tens of millions each year in franchise fees crushes you and takes whatever it feels it can benefit from. They want to be a 32 team league, do not want to open up to the other leagues (which are based on different ownership and revenue models), and do not want semi-direct competition. USL-Pro has let the MLS dictate them the terms to gain a 'useful place' within the MLS world. NASL getting sanction from the CSA or seeking more support from the CSA might be seen as an attempt to push back against MLS' desire to own all of soccer in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdude Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Would be nice to have a Canadian Division of 10 and an American Division of 10. It is called the NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE If there were 10 Canadian teams, why would we be in an American league? And there's no way USSF would let something like that happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 If there were 10 Canadian teams, why would we be in an American league? And there's no way USSF would let something like that happen. ^ This. (I would have just "liked" the post but I am still on some sort of shit-list. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 ^ Just its not as though we'll ever see a domestic league forming anytime soon. NASL adding a team here and a team there to their league may one day add up to a serious Canadian contingent. Within that league of course. Think 10 franchises is A LOT to ask now or for the foreseeable future. Would be very pleased with 5-6 stable franchises. Even happier with 7-8. Guess you never know though. Funny how sometimes success builds on success and before you realize it you're traveled someplace further than you'd have ever expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulliganl Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 ...The other thing NASL could do, to be more aggressive, would be to find the gaps of MLS teams in their urban markets: like the Cosmos on Long Island or a team in Boston proper... ^This is a brilliant idea. Foxboro is so far away and the ownership group will NEVER look to move the team outside of their Patriot place fiefdom. Further, MLS wouldn't dream of upsetting the Krafts by awarding another franchise to a Boston ownership group. So, no threat from MLS. This could be successful at a small stadium at one of the numerous colleges accessible by transit. Could gain an urban fanbase who won't travel to Foxboro for games, and steal some Revs fans who value the convenience. Interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macksam Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 ^^^^^^Or get a wealthy owner and plan something big in Boston like what the Cosmos want to do in New York. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tovan1 Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 Did anything come out of these discussions? Haven't seen any press releases or articles on the matter.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdude Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 Did anything come out of these discussions? Haven't seen any press releases or articles on the matter.. I doubt that something will go public from these meetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1996 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Look I'm not very impressed with the attendance numbers in Ottawa or Edmonton actually think the attendance to the games in these two cities is a joke really basically averaging about 2000 a game give or take, come on who are we all trying to fool here, these attendance figures are not going to pay any bills and how long will the owners of these two teams continue to support this really, they need to be getting at the very least 4 to 5 thousand a game but it's not happening I just don't see soccer economically viable at this level in Canada if with these attendance figures so far for these two teams is any indication so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protega Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Look I'm not very impressed with the attendance numbers in Ottawa or Edmonton actually think the attendance to the games in these two cities is a joke really basically averaging about 2000 a game give or take, come on who are we all trying to fool here, these attendance figures are not going to pay any bills and how long will the owners of these two teams continue to support this really, they need to be getting at the very least 4 to 5 thousand a game but it's not happening I just don't see soccer economically viable at this level in Canada if with these attendance figures so far for these two teams is any indication so far. You're not kidding. Pathetic crowd in Ottawa last night. Less than 2,200, which includes who knows how many free tickets given away to kids from one local club. And for all the talk about the Fury playing a possession game, I've been shocked so far. The players can't get rid of the ball fast enough. Not exaggerating - I saw a U9 team yesterday move the ball better than the Fury did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fussball_eh Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 You're not kidding. Pathetic crowd in Ottawa last night. Less than 2,200, which includes who knows how many free tickets given away to kids from one local club. And for all the talk about the Fury playing a possession game, I've been shocked so far. The players can't get rid of the ball fast enough. Not exaggerating - I saw a U9 team yesterday move the ball better than the Fury did. Now you are exaggerating a bit. I agree the attendance numbers are worrying, but watch the Carolina game to see that the Ottawa Fury can move the ball well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigzTFC Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 It's more the quality of the pitch IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermanator Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Look I'm not very impressed with the attendance numbers in Ottawa or Edmonton actually think the attendance to the games in these two cities is a joke really basically averaging about 2000 a game give or take, come on who are we all trying to fool here, these attendance figures are not going to pay any bills and how long will the owners of these two teams continue to support this really, they need to be getting at the very least 4 to 5 thousand a game but it's not happening I just don't see soccer economically viable at this level in Canada if with these attendance figures so far for these two teams is any indication so far. Yup, let's just give up on the Fury after 4 home games. FFS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Yup, let's just give up on the Fury after 4 home games. FFS... I agree, also red blacks season ticket sales likely cover the CFL salary and the Fury's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shamrock Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Not exaggerating - I saw a U9 team yesterday move the ball better than the Fury did. Against what opposition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironcub14 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 You're not kidding. Pathetic crowd in Ottawa last night. Less than 2,200, which includes who knows how many free tickets given away to kids from one local club. And for all the talk about the Fury playing a possession game, I've been shocked so far. The players can't get rid of the ball fast enough. Not exaggerating - I saw a U9 team yesterday move the ball better than the Fury did. Playing at 7pm on Saturday night is not helping the attendance figures either, they need to reconsider the kickoff times. Once the NHL/NBA playoffs are over, I could see the attendance getting a small boost as well. Not having Landsdowne ready by April is really killing us, on and off the pitch. The Carleton pitch is crap, according to the coaches and the players, and since these guys spent their whole lives on the pitches, I am sure they feel it much more than any of us can. And having these first home games of our existence in a pretty crap stadium like Keith Harris is really hurting us off the pitch. OSEG/OFFC could have done better on that, but it is what it is. Anybody within driving distance of Ottawa, let's make sure we kill it in the home opener at Landsdowne, July 20th. I'll be making the 5 hour drive. And, I hope the NASL continues to grow in US and Canada. Calgary, Victoria and Quebec City come to mind immediately for me, to go along with the expansion franchises in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trillium Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 After three league home games the average attendance is 2,593 in 2014 for Ottawa Fury with general admission seating at $20.00 The Indy Eleven after three home games have three sell-outs in a 12,100 seat stadium with general admission from 10.00 to 30.00 In 2013 league attendance was... Spring Season (Apertura) Fall Season (Clausura) New York did not play New York Cosmos (7): 6859 Tickets 15.00 end zone 25.00 and 35.00 San Antonio (6): 7140 San Antonio Scorpions (7): 6763 Ticket 14.00 enzone 15.00 sideline Minnesota (5): 5255 * Minnesota United FC (7): 3679 End zone 15.00 sideline 15 and 20. Atlanta (6): 5042 Atlanta Silverbacks (7): 4364 Carolina (6): 4707 Carolina Railhawks (7): 4708 Fort Lauderdale (6): 4314 Fort Lauderdale Strikers (7): 4224 Tampa Bay (6): 4037 Tampa Bay Rowdies (7): 4051 Edmonton (6): 2059 FC Edmonton (7): 2760 general admission $18.00, $22.00 and $30.00 I have said it before ... the price point for NASL to be successfull in a market like Ottawa, especially in a big venue is to have a price point equal to what it costs to go see a first run movie on a Saturday night..i.e. IMAX in Ottawa goes at 15.00 per ticket.. or as cheap as $11:00 for regular movies. So combine marketing that is aimed at soccer mom's and kids, when the crowd in the stands so far is really much more 18 to 35 at least in the North end seating from the centre of the stadium to the Supporters section and you are fighting a price point that may be too high. Heading into TD Place they will need to refine who the market is, and change the placement of radio ads etc. Go with much more on-line advertising, tailored to Facebook users and reduce the ads on Team 1200 where the majority of listeners are not soccer fans or inclined to go out to a party atmosphere. A few well place flares will help the attendance enjoyment. Flaming Moe needs to be more active getting the fans going in the sections far away from the supporters group. All that said a few wins in the new stadium will do wonders to bring the average up to the 5k range and its the promo action is really good attendance like Indy Eleven is possible in this market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protega Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Against what opposition? I was just thinking more of my reaction to watching a U9 team play against a U10 team and thinking to myself "wow, these kids ball movement is unreal" (they probably kept the ball for over five minutes straight at one point). Then going to watch the Fury play later that evening, and I can honestly say I don't recall three consecutive passes strung together (I'm not exaggerating there). Obviously can't compare the levels of play, but it's more that I saw what I would say are two very opposite styles that day, and I was more impressed with the kids. The Fury game itself was exciting in that the teams were both physical, there were a bunch of good chances at both ends, two penalties,...so it was entertaining from that end. Just not very pretty soccer. I do agree with Ironcub that Keith Harris isn't a great field and hopefully the better surface at TD will help. And I realize the guys haven't been together for very long, so hopefully they can build some chemistry over the coming weeks. That said, I'll keep going to the games. I just think if they can start playing a more attractive style, it would help the word get out and bring in the casual fans as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradMack Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 I agree, also red blacks season ticket sales likely cover the CFL salary and the Fury's. Ticket sales might not fully cover it, but the new TSN TV deal makes every CFL team profitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 After three league home games the average attendance is 2,593 in 2014 for Ottawa Fury with general admission seating at $20.00 Hopefully the paid admission number is reasonably close to that or they probably won't be around for long. If, as often often happens, they are handing out freebies to youth clubs, left, ring and centre that's not a good number, because opening up a CFL stadium for an event is expensive to do. The success of the three MLS teams is driven by a recent immigrant demographic that isn't there in Ottawa and Edmonton to the same extent. Hamilton is probably the best fit for the NASL of any non-MLS CFL city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Playing at 7pm on Saturday night is not helping the attendance figures either, they need to reconsider the kickoff times. Once the NHL/NBA playoffs are over, I could see the attendance getting a small boost as well. [snip] And, I hope the NASL continues to grow in US and Canada. Calgary, Victoria and Quebec City come to mind immediately for me, to go along with the expansion franchises in the US. First, thanks for the kind thoughts but as Greater Victoria has a population of app. 350,000 I am not sure we are the best candidate for an NASL spot. Second, I find you comment on kick-off interesting. We get much better attendances with a Saturday, 7:00 pm kick-off than any other time. It becomes part of a night out and you can still go kayaking, hiking, whatever on summer afternoons. (Competition is not just other spectator sports.) As well it improves the stadium revenue as people are more likely to eat and drink than if we play mid-afternoon (ie. 2:00 pm kickoff). After three league home games the average attendance is 2,593 in 2014 for Ottawa Fury with general admission seating at $20.00 Ouch! Maybe I need to revise my estimate above. Victoria could draw an average higher than that for NASL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bob Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Victoria certainly outdrew Ottawa in PDL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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