Canadian Premier League

[Kent]

5 minutes ago, matty said:

Quick note from De Guzman. He told Sportsnet this last night

“I still want to be a part of this,” he said. “I still bleed red. This is my degree right here, Canadian football. And I still believe we’re going to go to major places. We’re going to eventually have our league. That’s going to be something that could definitely help us make a World Cup at some point, and I want to be a part of that.”

Was just going to post this to. I suppose it's not surprising that mlssoccer.com had all the same quotes in an article on their site, but cut off that quote before the "our league" talk.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/09/07/world-cup-dreams-die-hard-canada-stalwarts-hutchinson-de-guzman

[ironcub14]

Been thinking the past few days about Stu (@FuryFanatic)'s tweets and Fb comments on the Fury going to USL, which seemed to explode on the internet, and a Canadian league possibly being less of a CanPL and more of a joining something that's already in place, such as USL, which didn't seem to catch attention much at all. I do see those tweets were mentioned a couple pages ago in this thread.

Just based on the fact that it came from Stu, who I worked with very closely last year on a number of Fury articles and who I know has extremely good sources, and thinking about how the CanPL rumours from Duane Rollins only started coming strongly last summer after the preliminary NASL/CSA/CFL talks went nowhere, I'd like to just say that a future USL/CSA partnership seems like a pretty positive possibility that shouldn't be easily dismissed at all, despite all the moratoriums of the past.

And the more I debated the pros and cons of a "USL Canada" vs CPL with my colleague Ansem (what's up man haha), the more I liked the idea of a future Canadian conference within USL as a more financially and sportingly viable option for the medium-term, compared to a stand-alone CPL. It reminded me of why I really was on board for awhile with the NASL Canada idea about 18 months ago. I even listed out a 3-page Word doc today summing up why I'd argue in favour of USL Canada over CPL, if anybody would ever like to read it (I doubt it lol).

That being said, I can see that we all agree on this thread the need to grow the professional club scene in Canada, in various cities around the country, if we ever hope to make a bigger impact on the international scene. It's just how to go best about it.

[ironcub14]

Just went through the NASL sub-forum quickly (it was my 2nd home up to a year ago), and I found this from BHTC Mike on the 1st page of the Fury USL thread. This is the best encapsulation of what I believe is the biggest advantage for a USL Canada over a CPL, and something I truly believe in.

"Instead of having to find five to seven more well capitalized investors, with appropriate facilities ready, and launch them all at the same time, new teams can be added one-by-one as they are ready. We can get out of the waiting game and actually manifest the growth of Canadian pro soccer."

[ThatDaveCh]

Confirmed by Anthony Totera. It's happening!

[Ruffian]

This doesn't really give us any more details. Just more hope I guess.

[shermanator]

[Ansem]

11 minutes ago, ThatDaveCh said:

Confirmed by Anthony Totera. It's happening!

Thank god. I hope it's true.

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

 

 

For real though.  What does Moncton FC look like?  

Gotta finish my catalog and would love your guys help for the last few

[Ruffian]

Maybe Stu (@FuryFanatic)'s Fury source's denial of CSL indicate the Fury are not part of this new CPL. Maybe they see themselves as already established and are not willing to risk their success with a start-up league.

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

I'm sorry but I think it's perfectly reasonable to be excited at this point

 

[OnkelDal]

Hope to hear more on this including teams that are planned to be the founders.

 

#FCTuktoyaktukForCanPL

[ironcub14]

26 minutes ago, Ruffian said:

Maybe Stu (@FuryFanatic)'s Fury source's denial of CSL indicate the Fury are not part of this new CPL. Maybe they see themselves as already established and are not willing to risk their success with a start-up league.

The fact that the Ottawa source(s) was willing to discuss with Stu their proposed plans for possibly exiting NASL and join USL, and the suggestion that a CPL would be more of a conference rather than a league, suggests to me that the Fury ownership were possibly pushing more for that conference approach, as opposed to a CPL approach. And as stated above, I could see why it was a more logical approach to achieving (nearly) the same objectives as a CPL.

One way or the other, it's fun times up in here.

[matty]

Place your bets on what the CPL turns out to be! I'm betting on a 7 team league that runs based in Hamilton, Mississauga, Kingston, Ottawa, Quebec City, Moncton and Halifax

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

2 minutes ago, matty said:

Place your bets on what the CPL turns out to be! I'm betting on a 7 team league that runs based in Hamilton, Mississauga, Kingston, Ottawa, Quebec City, Moncton and Halifax

That would be a decent bet.  But I would be pretty sad to see such little representation in the west.

[matty]

3 minutes ago, GuillermoDelQuarto said:

That would be a decent bet.  But I would be pretty sad to see such little representation in the west.

At this point I kind of picture this league not at all living up to what we're expecting from it. As a result, I honestly will not be shocked if there are no teams out west

[shermanator]

4 minutes ago, matty said:

Place your bets on what the CPL turns out to be! I'm betting on a 7 team league that runs based in Hamilton, Mississauga, Kingston, Ottawa, Quebec City, Moncton and Halifax

This would be a good way to kill a lot of support for the CPL in the West. "Hey, let's launch a domestic league and exclude half the country."

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

Just now, matty said:

At this point I kind of picture this league not at all living up to what we're expecting from it. As a result, I honestly will not be shocked if there are no teams out west

Well, then they really have no business calling it the Canadian Premier League.

As happy as I would be to root for Hamilton, that's an eastern Canadian League, no offence.

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

And honestly to even suggest that that's whats going to happen is an insult to Canadian soccer fans Winnipeg and west.

[matty]

6 minutes ago, shermanator said:

This would be a good way to kill a lot of support for the CPL in the West. "Hey, let's launch a domestic league and exclude half the country."

I 100% agree. I'm solely saying that because I think there's going to be some kind of horrific catch to this league.

[baulderdash77]

i heard very recently from some reliable sources that it's still under discussion and not to expect an announcement imminently.

This surprises me because that was less than a week ago

[matty]

10 minutes ago, GuillermoDelQuarto said:

And honestly to even suggest that that's whats going to happen is an insult to Canadian soccer fans Winnipeg and west.

how it an insult? it's mostly a joke predicton based on my greatest fears about this league and also i'm not the first to suggest it as a possibly.  carlos verde claimed that the league was looking to start up without teams in regina and winnipeg. i think it's a fair fear to have at this point

[Ansem]

I predict:

 

Phase 1 aka the “Safe phase”

• Victoria

  (A 2007 U20 World cup match was presented in Victoria in a temporary stadium of approx. 10k A new facility would be required)

   

• Calgary

Granted the CFL is already there, Calgary has a population of 1.2 Million and could support 2 summer sports. A natural rivalry with Edmonton would be a huge draw

 

• FC Edmonton

  The club already exists and with a population of over 1 Million, the city could support 2 summer sports. A natural rivalry with Calgary and the Canadian content would be a huge draw

   

• Hamilton

  Rumored Headquarter of CPL

   

• GTA Team (Halton-Peel Region based in Mississauga)

  Mississauga makes sense as the 1^st GTA team due to population size and its diversity

   

• Ottawa Fury

  Existing club, trying to escape NASL, 4^th biggest market in Canada, Ottawa Fury could be the Franchise of the league with its existing talented roster and track record

   

• Quebec City

  I know my backyard pretty well and not only does Quebec possess the market size; they can use the Laval University stadium. They would most likely build something new knowing them. CPL would have no competition and potential Canadian championship matches against Montreal Impact are guaranteed sellout.

   

   

• Moncton

  With a new stadium, Halifax makes more sense than Moncton but Moncton already have a stadium ready for 2018 of around 10K which held the Women’s World Cup

 

 

Phase 2 Expansion “Riskier Phase as you’re competing against the CFL in smaller markets”

• Regina (Brand new stadium)

  I would expect the CPL to do the ground work to market the CPL as a desirable product for Regina. When the time is right, a team in Regina could work. The new Mosaic Stadium will be gorgeous

   

   

   

• Winnipeg (Brand new stadium)

  Same for Regina, some preliminary study and marketing would be necessary to assure its viability

 

 

Possible future xpansion based on population size

 

• Kitchener-Waterloo (Bigger market than Regina and Saskatoon, geographically advantageous and a strong business presence)

• London, Ontario (Bigger market than Regina and Saskatoon)

• GTA Team (Durham Region based in Oshawa)

• Windsor, Ontario (If MLS doesn't go to Detroit and there's a demand)

• Sherbrooke, Quebec (about the same population as Regina)

• Halifax, Nova Scotia (Regional Rivalry vs Moncton, also gives them time to build a stadium)

 

*I think the classic FIFA table works best. Not enough teams for conferences

*CPL Champion gets a ticket to CONCACAF Champions League as MLS clubs are all but guarantee to win the Canadian Championship

*Draft system : Canadian Universities + Quebec’s CEGEPs & Division 3 “CHL style” structure

 

I know, I’m getting ahead of myself but if CSA can build a D3 tier just like the CHL to produce quality players to feed the CPL and the National Program, the future looks bright.

 

In term of viability, I don’t think that you need to spend that much on Canadian unproven players.  I recommend a salary that matches NASL to ensure that our best Canadian players choose home over USL and NASL. Obviously, we can’t compete with MLS yet.  Paying players in Canadian dollars and keeping the travel cost low as you can use the bus and train in the Quebec-Windsor corridor, this free up much needed financial space to sign quality Central-South American or Europeans DPs, which will help increase the quality of play and our domestic players.

 

CPL should grow slowly and steady.

Have a different approach in term of marketing than the MLS

Avoid competing against CFL nights and Blue Jays as much as possible.

Avoid MLS time slot (Saturday night in the summer...really MLS?

Make the league matter, the importance of winning CPL to go to the CCL, the Canadian Championship, our best players.

Friendlies with MLS Canadian Clubs and D2 teams from Europe.

 

The future is bright guys!

 

[shermanator]

I predict that if Calgary and Edmonton are both in a CPL, Calgary will fuck Edmonton's day up... #CityOfChumps

[GuillermoDelQuarto]

12 minutes ago, matty said:

how it an insult? it's mostly a joke predicton based on my greatest fears about this league and also i'm not the first to suggest it as a possibly.  carlos verde claimed that the league was looking to start up without teams in regina and winnipeg. i think it's a fair fear to have at this point

Well fair enough.  hopefully your greatest fears don't come true, for all our sake.  Hard to tell when people are being sarcastic or not thru text, so apologies for my knee jerk response.  There's still a difference between starting without regina and winnipeg and not having any teams in the west at all though.  

[matty]

19 minutes ago, Ansem said:

I predict:

 

Phase 1 aka the “Safe phase”

• Victoria

  (A 2007 U20 World cup match was presented in Victoria in a temporary stadium of approx. 10k A new facility would be required)

   

• Calgary

Granted the CFL is already there, Calgary has a population of 1.2 Million and could support 2 summer sports. A natural rivalry with Edmonton would be a huge draw

 

• FC Edmonton

  The club already exists and with a population of over 1 Million, the city could support 2 summer sports. A natural rivalry with Calgary and the Canadian content would be a huge draw

   

• Hamilton

  Rumored Headquarter of CPL

   

• GTA Team (Halton-Peel Region based in Mississauga)

  Mississauga makes sense as the 1^st GTA team due to population size and its diversity

   

• Ottawa Fury

  Existing club, trying to escape NASL, 4^th biggest market in Canada, Ottawa Fury could be the Franchise of the league with its existing talented roster and track record

   

• Quebec City

  I know my backyard pretty well and not only does Quebec possess the market size; they can use the Laval University stadium. They would most likely build something new knowing them. CPL would have no competition and potential Canadian championship matches against Montreal Impact are guaranteed sellout.

   

   

• Moncton

  With a new stadium, Halifax makes more sense than Moncton but Moncton already have a stadium ready for 2018 of around 10K which held the Women’s World Cup

 

 

Phase 2 Expansion “Riskier Phase as you’re competing against the CFL in smaller markets”

• Regina (Brand new stadium)

  I would expect the CPL to do the ground work to market the CPL as a desirable product for Regina. When the time is right, a team in Regina could work. The new Mosaic Stadium will be gorgeous

   

   

   

• Winnipeg (Brand new stadium)

  Same for Regina, some preliminary study and marketing would be necessary to assure its viability

 

 

Possible future xpansion based on population size

 

• Kitchener-Waterloo (Bigger market than Regina and Saskatoon, geographically advantageous and a strong business presence)

• London, Ontario (Bigger market than Regina and Saskatoon)

• GTA Team (Durham Region based in Oshawa)

• Windsor, Ontario (If MLS doesn't go to Detroit and there's a demand)

• Sherbrooke, Quebec (about the same population as Regina)

• Halifax, Nova Scotia (Regional Rivalry vs Moncton, also gives them time to build a stadium)

 

*I think the classic FIFA table works best. Not enough teams for conferences

*CPL Champion gets a ticket to CONCACAF Champions League as MLS clubs are all but guarantee to win the Canadian Championship

*Draft system : Canadian Universities + Quebec’s CEGEPs & Division 3 “CHL style” structure

 

I know, I’m getting ahead of myself but if CSA can build a D3 tier just like the CHL to produce quality players to feed the CPL and the National Program, the future looks bright.

 

In term of viability, I don’t think that you need to spend that much on Canadian unproven players.  I recommend a salary that matches NASL to ensure that our best Canadian players choose home over USL and NASL. Obviously, we can’t compete with MLS yet.  Paying players in Canadian dollars and keeping the travel cost low as you can use the bus and train in the Quebec-Windsor corridor, this free up much needed financial space to sign quality Central-South American or Europeans DPs, which will help increase the quality of play and our domestic players.

 

CPL should grow slowly and steady.

Have a different approach in term of marketing than the MLS

Avoid competing against CFL nights and Blue Jays as much as possible.

Avoid MLS time slot (Saturday night in the summer...really MLS?

Make the league matter, the importance of winning CPL to go to the CCL, the Canadian Championship, our best players.

Friendlies with MLS Canadian Clubs and D2 teams from Europe.

 

The future is bright guys!

 

This is my dream launch but I disagree on some points. I do however disagree about the conferences and think when it comes to friendlies they're going to need top flight teams to come and play.