Canadian Premier League

[Macksam]

5 hours ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

Have always been skeptical that something like an imminent pro soccer announcement could be hushed up somewhere like Calgary and Winnipeg, but I recently was told inside info about something that's happening at a lower division club in Scotland and it's mind boggling that it hasn't hit the newspapers yet or been posted about obsessively online because lots of people (as in several dozen at a minimum) are already in the know about it and not just at the club in question, so willing to admit I could be wrong on what could stay under wraps in the present day in a Canadian context given people don't take their soccer quite as seriously as they do in Scotland.

Quit holding out on us mofo. Is it going to be Calgary Hibernian FC?

[Gopherbashi]

53 minutes ago, matty said:

So guessing a timeline here assuming the 2018 mini season is the goal

May 2017 - Finalised with CSA
June 2017 - Proper announcement happens in Hamilton (the HQ it seems) with members of all parties involved. They give a debut season dates (August-October 2018), cities and owners, other random details.

Just as long as it's not "The Canadian Premier League has been granted Division I status by the Canadian Soccer Association!  We are now accepting applications from interested parties who wish to field a team in this league..."

[matty]

5 minutes ago, Gopherbashi said:

Just as long as it's not "The Canadian Premier League has been granted Division I status by the Canadian Soccer Association!  We are now accepting applications from interested parties who wish to field a team in this league..."

I will laugh myslf to death if that's the case

[Pat Carrasco]

1 hour ago, matty said:

So guessing a timeline here assuming the 2018 mini season is the goal

May 2017 - Finalised with CSA
June 2017 - Proper announcement happens in Hamilton (the HQ it seems) with members of all parties involved. They give a debut season dates (August-October 2018), cities and owners, other random details.

Let me clarify one key point here. The vote is on Saturday, May the 6. Based on this date, the announcement will probably happen before May 20th. Why this date? Because Victor Montagliani needs to vacate the position as CSA President before the 20th of May. As per the location of the announcement, you're absolutely correct in your assumption about Hamilton. This is the place where the head office of the league will be for the first 5 years of the league. Unless, league officials decide to move operations to Toronto, which eventually will happen once Toronto joins the league. It makes sense to do so as Toronto is recognized as an important hub for global businesses and media, so it will be a natural progression that the CPL evolves to be based here. Other than that, it's in major cities like Toronto where greater business opportunities are available. In fact, the NASL moved their office from Miami to New York because New York is the capital of Global Marketing. Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, NHL and even MLS all have their head corporate headquarters in a big metropolis such as New York City. Their located there for a specific reason.

[Macksam]

6 hours ago, Gopherbashi said:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/orridge-departs-cfl-commissioner-1.4067412

#CPLdrama?

I love the comments sections,

Jackie Barrett: What the CFL needs are more teams across Canada, including a second team in Saskatchewan, two more teams in Ontario (particularly in London and Oshawa), another team in Quebec (preferably Quebec City due to the Laval Rouge et Or's popularity and dominance in U-Sport Football), and at least two teams in the Atlantic Provinces (preferably Moncton and Halifax).

Phil Mortensen: I would rather see those markets get Canadian Premier League franchises.

Who here is Phil?

[TRM]

57 minutes ago, Macksam said:

"The CFL is facing a $200-million class action lawsuit filed in Ontario Superior Court in May 2016 by former players Korey Banks and Eric Allen"

*winces in pain* Ooooohhh. Could the CFL survive something like this?

In a word: No.

[Macksam]

1 minute ago, TRM said:

In a word: No.

The NFL would probably step in though....maybe, who knows. What's $200 million to them?

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

8 hours ago, matty said:

that's cold

so are both edmonton and winnipeg

[matty]

1 hour ago, Pat Carrasco said:

Let me clarify one key point here. The vote is on Saturday, May the 6. Based on this date, the announcement will probably happen before May 20th. Why this date? Because Victor Montagliani needs to vacate the position as CSA President before the 20th of May. As per the location of the announcement, you're absolutely correct in your assumption about Hamilton. This is the place where the head office of the league will be for the first 5 years of the league. Unless, league officials decide to move operations to Toronto, which eventually will happen once Toronto joins the league. It makes sense to do so as Toronto is recognized as an important hub for global businesses and media, so it will be a natural progression that the CPL evolves to be based here. Other than that, it's in major cities like Toronto where greater business opportunities are available. In fact, the NASL moved their office from Miami to New York because New York is the capital of Global Marketing. Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, NHL and even MLS all have their head corporate headquarters in a big metropolis such as New York City. Their located there for a specific reason.

I was tempted to say May announcement because Vic is an attention whore but I think they'll want eyes and doing it at a time when eyes will be on the CFL teams makes sense to me. Vic will still be there as the CONCACAF prez and still get loads of credit.

While I agree with your logic for the move from Hamilton to Toronto, I wonder if they'll feel the 45 minute move is needed.

[matty]

6 minutes ago, GuillermoDelQuarto said:

so are both edmonton and winnipeg

 

[DannyFromToronto23]

8 hours ago, ted said:

Nope. No way they do one-off venues. Too much money and time to set up that they would host only one game. 3-3-4 makes the most sense.

 

LOL, well I was teasing him for a stupid mistake but c'mon, he doesn't get a free pass because he is covering soccer.

Toronto 4 

Vancouver 2

Edmonton 2 

Montreal 2 

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

29 minutes ago, DannyFromToronto23 said:

Toronto 4 

Vancouver 2

Edmonton 2 

Montreal 2 

makes sense, but I could also see Tor 3 Mtl 3 Van 2 Ed 2

or Tor Van 3 Mtl Ed 2 

[-Hammer-]

9 hours ago, Gopherbashi said:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/orridge-departs-cfl-commissioner-1.4067412

#CPLdrama?

No, not even a little bit. Orridge made several missteps in his short reign as comish. His removal/resignation has nothing to do with the CanPL, espcially since not every CFL owner is on board with the CanPL. It's not even remotely Orridge's job to do anything with a new league. It has more to do with his handling of the Grey Cups he's presided over, his media gaffs, his rebranding which has had mixed results, his handling of various health issues the league faces, his poor approach to player and coach discipline, his lack of Football knowledge which coincided with a series of brutal officiating issues and rule changes during his tenure.

About the only things he did right was some of his media events, such as walking in Gay Pride, greatly expanding the league's social media presence, as stated mixed rebrand results.

As we've already stated before, at least three CFL ownership groups aren't going to be involved in the CanPL and another 3 are publicly owned, which makes their entry iffy.
 

8 hours ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

Bit of a stretch as even Duane Rollins has talked in terms of three CFL ownership groups in Hamilton, Ottawa and Calgary being involved with True North being mentioned instead in Winnipeg on podcasts from what I remember, so it's almost certainly not a collective CFL thing and hence something for them to be arguing about? This bit was news to me and suggests a possible source of discord as some may want to fight it, while others might want to reach a settlement:

The CFL is facing a $200-million class action lawsuit filed in Ontario Superior Court in May 2016 by former players Korey Banks and Eric Allen.

As far as this is concerned, this is the concussion lawsuit, which I doubt the CFL could survive if the entire amount was awarded, barring the intervention of a major parter (IE: The NFL or Bell Media).

That said, it's likely to be heading to union grievance and arbitration, given the force of the Weber precedent and the CFL having another concussion precendent under it's belt (the seperate Arland Burce ruling, and I believe one additional one before that one), it's likely to be sent there.

If somehow it doesn't, I expect it to be settled out of court or if they do rule in favour of the players, it will be for a reduced settlement. The biggest issue with any CTE litigation is the ability to blame somewhere else you played, which is a valid arguement that can knock down the settlement sum. How do we know you didn't get repeat concussions in the NCAA/CIS/Highschool Ball? How do you measure that blame?

[Pat Carrasco]

Devon Rowcliffe, football writer from Vancouver, examines the pitfalls that face the upcoming Canadian Premier League.

http://pogmogoal.com/culture/northern-exposure-will-the-forthcoming-canadian-premier-league-thrive-or-fail/24788/

[nolbertos]

That was a good article by Devon.  Devon I know you're reading this thread.  It was a well thought article and glad you didn't join the circus that is A. Totera and D. Rollins continous tweets of any news whether a whisper is fact and credibility goes out the window.  The CUSL proposal got far too, but couldn't go the distance.  I still have my Inside Soccer article on the CUSL plan, man wish that became reality so we'd have had a league then.

[matty]

40 minutes ago, Pat Carrasco said:

Devon Rowcliffe, football writer from Vancouver, examines the pitfalls that face the upcoming Canadian Premier League.

http://pogmogoal.com/culture/northern-exposure-will-the-forthcoming-canadian-premier-league-thrive-or-fail/24788/

Great article. Everything he brings up is fair and presented well and I'm hopeful those involved in this venture are truly ready for them.

He's right about what's needed to properly introduce the league. It can't be Totera's twitter/show (he and Rollins should maybe go silent on the matter and not disclose info about the league from the May meeting) or some Facebook video on the CSA's page. It needs to be done somewhere people will actually see it and by people the public know as authorities in Canadian sports and the mainstream media need to cover it.

Ideally have everyone key to this (the owners, Vic, Beirne, who ever the commissioner of the league is and the president of the CSA, should it not be Vic) go on TSN or Sportsnet and introduce the league in an interview segment. Actually have Canada watch you introduce it collectively.

[PJSweet]

7 hours ago, Pat Carrasco said:

Devon Rowcliffe, football writer from Vancouver, examines the pitfalls that face the upcoming Canadian Premier League.

http://pogmogoal.com/culture/northern-exposure-will-the-forthcoming-canadian-premier-league-thrive-or-fail/24788/

 

 

 

 

It appears that the main organizers of the league are realizing that the revenue from attendance won’t be enough to sustain the league financially – likely meaning that corporate sponsorship and television revenue would both be necessary to eventually turn a profit. No wonder a single entity structure will have to play a HUGE role here for the next 6-7 years. Now with that being said, are there any other ways to generate profits aside from ticket sales, sponsorships and television revenue?

[Rheo]

6 hours ago, matty said:

He's right about what's needed to properly introduce the league. It can't be Totera's twitter/show (he and Rollins should maybe go silent on the matter and not disclose info about the league from the May meeting) or some Facebook video on the CSA's page. It needs to be done somewhere people will actually see it and by people the public know as authorities in Canadian sports and the mainstream media need to cover it.

Ideally have everyone key to this (the owners, Vic, Beirne, who ever the commissioner of the league is and the president of the CSA, should it not be Vic) go on TSN or Sportsnet and introduce the league in an interview segment. Actually have Canada watch you introduce it collectively.

Couple of things on this.

-Given what we've heard about the nature of people involved in ownership (rumoured I know but with a track record in sports), I'm sure they have a good plan to announce the launch.  It's most likely going to be a major press conference that's going to be covered by the mainstream media.  There's no way in hell they would launch it through a tweet, Facebook video, email to the press, post on the board here, etc.  If it was launched like that then they're really as stupid as BBTB says they are

-I think we're vastly overrating the reach of Totera and Rollins.  Outside of our soccer bubble do we really think they're that widely read/heard?  No idea what the Totera live broadcast does but looking on YouTube at the clips most have under a hundred views.

That being said, they're journalists.  I know some will question that but they are.  There is no reason for them to "go silent".  If they have what they view as reliable information they should report it.  Given their past reports they should be taken with a grain of salt. There's a big difference between journalists reporting things and the announcement/launch of the league.

Honestly at the May meeting all we're going to hear most likely is that they league is sanctioned.  It's an important logistical step but really it's just a rubber stamp.  The people in charge have done a good job of keeping their cards close to their chest, much to our dismay lol.  We've heard what they've wanted us to hear, unless they've had to go to local governments to get things and even then it's been bare bones information.

[dyslexic nam]

Canadian Press:  "Do you think the Halifax Wanderers can win the World Cup?"

[-Hammer-]

2 hours ago, dyslexic nam said:

Canadian Press:  "Do you think the Halifax Wanderers can win the World Cup?"

Not just the world cup, but UEFA as well.

[matty]

4 hours ago, Rheo said:

Couple of things on this.

-Given what we've heard about the nature of people involved in ownership (rumoured I know but with a track record in sports), I'm sure they have a good plan to announce the launch.  It's most likely going to be a major press conference that's going to be covered by the mainstream media.  There's no way in hell they would launch it through a tweet, Facebook video, email to the press, post on the board here, etc.  If it was launched like that then they're really as stupid as BBTB says they are

-I think we're vastly overrating the reach of Totera and Rollins.  Outside of our soccer bubble do we really think they're that widely read/heard?  No idea what the Totera live broadcast does but looking on YouTube at the clips most have under a hundred views.

That being said, they're journalists.  I know some will question that but they are.  There is no reason for them to "go silent".  If they have what they view as reliable information they should report it.  Given their past reports they should be taken with a grain of salt. There's a big difference between journalists reporting things and the announcement/launch of the league.

Honestly at the May meeting all we're going to hear most likely is that they league is sanctioned.  It's an important logistical step but really it's just a rubber stamp.  The people in charge have done a good job of keeping their cards close to their chest, much to our dismay lol.  We've heard what they've wanted us to hear, unless they've had to go to local governments to get things and even then it's been bare bones information.

Go silent because once they say something larson is going to write an article and everyone will know and the announcement loses it's luster.

While they might be journalists (imo of the two only rollins actually is) the announcement that the league is official should not be broken by either of them because it completely kills the momentum and continues the trend of sloppy info leaks.

[ted]

16 hours ago, matty said:

I will laugh myslf to death if that's the case

I think you should make funeral arrangements.

 

12 hours ago, Pat Carrasco said:

Devon Rowcliffe, football writer from Vancouver...

Woo hoo! Devon,you're a "football writer" now!

[rob.notenboom]

I'm surprised no one has said anything about this (at least I have not seen anything) but I finally got around to listening to Mont Vic's interview on TSN Montreal Radio last night and he mentioned that the Canadian version of SUM was launched at the start of this week. As with everything else, there were no real details offered and the interviewer didn't really pick up on the topic as he focused mostly on the WC bid and a bit on CanPL. But I'm fairly suspicious about what this means for the league and the league's ability to attract investors who will be willing to stay the course. (Perhaps suspicious is the wrong word here ... curious maybe). SUM in the US is such a black box. I've seen almost no real information about how it operates or how profitable it is, but I suspect that if their finances were to be disclosed, and this information were to be combined with the financial information from MLS teams that the picture of MLS teams' profitability would suddenly get a whole lot rosier. Simply put, I think there's a very big story hiding behind that off-hand remark, and it doesn't appear that anyone is on it, although to be fair almost no one is on the CanPL story either.

The thing with SUM, is that they are operating in a much different context than here in Canada, so I don't think it would be at all accurate to suggest that CanSUM would have the opportunity to be as profitable (assuming that SUM is profitable ... I have no information to back this up, just my own suspicions). On the other hand, I can see why the prospect of being involved in CanSUM could be enticing to a would be investor. If it's operating similarly to SUM in that all CanPL team owners would also own shares in CanSUM, what they are getting is a (potential) monopoly over broadcasting in what is a (mostly) untapped and emerging soccer market in Canada. Perhaps that opportunity is one in which the right investor would see a lot of potential.

[rob.notenboom]

11 minutes ago, ted said:

 

Woo hoo! Devon,you're a "football writer" now!

Someone should get in touch and let him know.

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

26 minutes ago, rob.notenboom said:

I'm surprised no one has said anything about this (at least I have not seen anything) but I finally got around to listening to Mont Vic's interview on TSN Montreal Radio last night and he mentioned that the Canadian version of SUM was launched at the start of this week. As with everything else, there were no real details offered and the interviewer didn't really pick up on the topic as he focused mostly on the WC bid and a bit on CanPL. But I'm fairly suspicious about what this means for the league and the league's ability to attract investors who will be willing to stay the course. (Perhaps suspicious is the wrong word here ... curious maybe). SUM in the US is such a black box. I've seen almost no real information about how it operates or how profitable it is, but I suspect that if their finances were to be disclosed, and this information were to be combined with the financial information from MLS teams that the picture of MLS teams' profitability would suddenly get a whole lot rosier. Simply put, I think there's a very big story hiding behind that off-hand remark, and it doesn't appear that anyone is on it, although to be fair almost no one is on the CanPL story either.

The thing with SUM, is that they are operating in a much different context than here in Canada, so I don't think it would be at all accurate to suggest that CanSUM would have the opportunity to be as profitable (assuming that SUM is profitable ... I have no information to back this up, just my own suspicions). On the other hand, I can see why the prospect of being involved in CanSUM could be enticing to a would be investor. If it's operating similarly to SUM in that all CanPL team owners would also own shares in CanSUM, what they are getting is a (potential) monopoly over broadcasting in what is a (mostly) untapped and emerging soccer market in Canada. Perhaps that opportunity is one in which the right investor would see a lot of potential.

what is this SUM you speak of?