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2 hours ago, Kingston said:

Those of us who follow the league know about Media Pro and stadium issues for expansion teams, so address them rather than hand waving over them.

I think if you're going on TSN and reaching a broader audience, you don't always get in to the finer details though. That's the trade off (better exposure to casuals but less detail for those already in the know).

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I haven't listened myself yet but apparently in the below Noonan interview he said the league could have added at least one expansion team in 2025 but they wanted to give the prospective owners a longer window to launch.

In regards to Quebec, there are two active ownership groups and potentially a third group. He also talked about Kelowna, and it sounds like that may be one of the next teams.

Also, the league conducted a cap compliance audit this year, because there were four teams the league was concerned about potentially coming in over the cap. As a result of that audit, the league didn't approve certain transfers/signings that were presented.

https://pod.co/wanderer-grounds/one-on-one-w-commissioner-mark-noonan-and-atlantic-womens-fc-news

Edited by Aird25
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15 minutes ago, Aird25 said:

I haven't listened myself yet but apparently in the below Noonan interview he said the league could have added at least one expansion team in 2025 but they wanted to give the prospective owners a longer window to launch.

In regards to Quebec, there are two active ownership groups and potentially a third group. He also talked about Kelowna, and it sounds like that may be one of the next teams.

 

2026 would be a logical expansion time tying in with the World Cup in Canada.

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On 4/11/2024 at 7:57 AM, Kent said:

Honestly I thought the same thing about the strength financially. At least a follow up of asking what has improved. I know attendance has improved if you don't count year 1. With the Media Pro deal almost certainly going to be reduced and uncertainty about the stability of the CSB/Canada Soccer deal, it doesn't feel like it could actually be more stable at the moment. There could very well be more sponsorship money, but with the threat of their share of that money getting reduced.

I listened to the TSN interview today finally. About the financially stable league, in context it could very well just have been about ownership groups. Meaning, York United's situation is more stable than it was in previous years (and presumably Vancouver's and Ottawa's are more stable than Edmonton's was), so the league is more stable financially. Not necessarily in terms of revenue vs expenses, but rather the owner's commitments to the league. But I could have been reading into what he was saying.

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2 hours ago, Aird25 said:

Can anyone from one of the bigger Canadian cities help me understand the complacency around losing to smaller cities constantly?

Is this a dig at Calgary? Toronto (York)? Or everyone that is bigger than Hamilton?

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12 hours ago, Aird25 said:

Can anyone from one of the bigger Canadian cities help me understand the complacency around losing to smaller cities constantly?

In a league with a $1.1 million salary cap and the low profile of the CPL, is there any reason to think the size of the city makes a difference to a team's ability to afford or attract better players?

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48 minutes ago, Kingston said:

In a league with a $1.1 million salary cap and the low profile of the CPL, is there any reason to think the size of the city makes a difference to a team's ability to afford or attract better players?

Exactly. The Winnipegers suffer from Winnipegosis, but in reality, if the team is put together well and the organization is good, and if salaries are decent, most players would be happy as hell. Especially guys at this level of football. In fact, as I posted on the Valour thread, José Galán spoke very well of his time there. The Blue Bombers have no problem, and the Jets seem fine, both wining teams with quality rosters.

Anyways, size can be reinterpreted easily, as NCAA basketball programs demonstrate, you can build a winner out of a small university in a small city (I'm a Gonzaga fan). Green Bay. In England some of the great football legacies are in tougher northern cities with little glamour and a lot fewer amenities than London. I mean, Liverpool, I'm a fan, but how about the place? It's all in your imagination. Then I think about Norway, the biggest team ever is from a freezing northern city that is third largest, Oslo and Bergen have no winning legacy at all.

Edited by Unnamed Trialist
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48 minutes ago, Kingston said:

In a league with a $1.1 million salary cap and the low profile of the CPL, is there any reason to think the size of the city makes a difference to a team's ability to afford or attract better players?

Smaller cities tend to be more affordable, which makes a big difference if your salary is low.

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3 hours ago, Kingston said:

In a league with a $1.1 million salary cap and the low profile of the CPL, is there any reason to think the size of the city makes a difference to a team's ability to afford or attract better players?

The biggest advantage for attracting players is held by York and Hamilton, and to a lesser extent the BC teams, because they have the largest talent pool at their doorstep, and any local players signed won't have to pay the extra expense of moving to and maintaining a second residence in another city for half of the year. Getting to play where you live is likely worth at least $10k to players like that.

For Winnipeg, for example, where there are literally no local players of a professional standard, every Canadian player likely either is good enough to have a better (read: cheaper) option to play in, or is desperate (read: quite bad). 

The results speak for themselves.

Edited by jonovision
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1 hour ago, jonovision said:

The biggest advantage for attracting players is held by York and Hamilton, and to a lesser extent the BC teams, because they have the largest talent pool at their doorstep, and any local players signed won't have to pay the extra expense of moving to and maintaining a second residence in another city for half of the year. Getting to play where you live is likely worth at least $10k to players like that.

For Winnipeg, for example, where there are literally no local players of a professional standard, every Canadian player likely either is good enough to have a better (read: cheaper) option to play in, or is desperate (read: quite bad). 

The results speak for themselves.

Thunder Bay Chill has regularly drawn players from all over North America and has a winning tradition, so I just don't buy the argument. Sure, it is for 3 months, but they still do it. T-Bay is even more isolated than Winnipeg, and their travel is a nightmare.

Winnipeg is less expensive, you are there in the summer, not the heart of a dire winter, you don't have the worst travel in the nation, and you have a decent and passionate fan base supporting you--as you discover when you play rivals elsewhere. The club there, as with other cities, is supplying housing or helping with it. I think you are just expressing an emotion, but it has no basis in reality. 

Assuming you'd want to live with your parents still, or high school friends--how many players at Pacific are local and can live at home? How many at HFX? HFX is full of Québec and Ontario L1 players, and guys out of University, but not Maritimers. You are not talking about more than 2-3 "local guys" in normal circumstances, of a roster of 23. 

The only thing I'll give you is that the lack of university programmes in soccer in Manitoba is a problem.

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13 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Thunder Bay Chill has regularly drawn players from all over North America and has a winning tradition, so I just don't buy the argument. Sure, it is for 3 months, but they still do it. T-Bay is even more isolated than Winnipeg, and their travel is a nightmare.

Winnipeg is less expensive, you are there in the summer, not the heart of a dire winter, you don't have the worst travel in the nation, and you have a decent and passionate fan base supporting you--as you discover when you play rivals elsewhere. The club there, as with other cities, is supplying housing or helping with it. I think you are just expressing an emotion, but it has no basis in reality. 

Assuming you'd want to live with your parents still, or high school friends--how many players at Pacific are local and can live at home? How many at HFX? HFX is full of Québec and Ontario L1 players, and guys out of University, but not Maritimers. You are not talking about more than 2-3 "local guys" in normal circumstances, of a roster of 23. 

The only thing I'll give you is that the lack of university programmes in soccer in Manitoba is a problem.

Thunder Bay's travel isn't that bad.

Five exhibition matches, all at home.
Only league away games are below:
Minneapolis and Rochester June 5th & 7th (5-6 hour drive)
Racine and Bavarian (Wisconsin) July 5th & 7th (9-10 hour drive)
St. Croix and Minneapolis July 10th & 12th (5-6 hour drive)

Compare this to something like Windsor in L1O whose closest opponent is two hours away and who are likely on the road for ~3-4 hours each way to play every other week. More matches and more travel.

Neither of these are really comparable since USL2 and L1O are bus leagues (at best) whereas CPL is flying over timezones every week. If players have the choice between GTA or Winnipeg they're almost always going to take GTA, especially if they're from there.

Edited by Mihairokov
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42 minutes ago, Mihairokov said:

Thunder Bay's travel isn't that bad.

Five exhibition matches, all at home.
Only league away games are below:
Minneapolis and Rochester June 5th & 7th (5-6 hour drive)
Racine and Bavarian (Wisconsin) July 5th & 7th (9-10 hour drive)
St. Croix and Minneapolis July 10th & 12th (5-6 hour drive)

Compare this to something like Windsor in L1O whose closest opponent is two hours away and who are likely on the road for ~3-4 hours each way to play every other week. More matches and more travel.

Neither of these are really comparable since USL2 and L1O are bus leagues (at best) whereas CPL is flying over timezones every week.

Those players are not professionals,

 

54 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Thunder Bay Chill has regularly drawn players from all over North America and has a winning tradition, so I just don't buy the argument. Sure, it is for 3 months, but they still do it. T-Bay is even more isolated than Winnipeg, and their travel is a nightmare.

Winnipeg is less expensive, you are there in the summer, not the heart of a dire winter, you don't have the worst travel in the nation, and you have a decent and passionate fan base supporting you--as you discover when you play rivals elsewhere. The club there, as with other cities, is supplying housing or helping with it. I think you are just expressing an emotion, but it has no basis in reality. 

Assuming you'd want to live with your parents still, or high school friends--how many players at Pacific are local and can live at home? How many at HFX? HFX is full of Québec and Ontario L1 players, and guys out of University, but not Maritimers. You are not talking about more than 2-3 "local guys" in normal circumstances, of a roster of 23. 

The only thing I'll give you is that the lack of university programmes in soccer in Manitoba is a problem.

Let's try this again.

Imagine you are Jordan Hamilton. You don't live with your parents. You have your own home in southern Ontario, where you live. 

You have two contract offers. $50k from Valour or $50k from Forge FC. Disregard any competitive factors.

If you choose Forge, congrats. You just signed on for a job earning $50k.

If you choose Valour, congrats. You just signed on for a job earning $50k. You will have approximately $2k of moving expenses, maybe another thousand for any travel home to southern Ontario during the season, plus add another $1500 a month for a reasonable apartment in Winnipeg. You won't give up your home in southern Ontario because that would be silly, and you'll be returning there in 6 months.

Which offer are you choosing?

Winnipeg's lower cost of living, which is basically only a difference in rent prices, is no advantage to you whatsoever. For foreign players, or a player from, say, Saskatoon, different story. 

The in-season travel (ie: road trips) is not relevant to this conversation.

I'm not saying Valour shouldn't be disadvantaged because there is no local soccer scene to speak of. But it sure does suck. There is nothing anyone can do about this.

Thunder Bay is not a useful comparison because those are not professionals, and they play basically a 1.5 month season and then go back to college.

Edited by jonovision
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