CPL Season Schedule

[SkuseisLoose]

8 hours ago, Kent said:

As well in the closing season the CPL teams join with the provincial league winners and the MLS teams for the Voyageurs Cup with regional playdowns leading to the East West final.

I was with you until this. I don't think it should end east vs west I think it should be like the fa cup where they just have a draw after every round because for example if all the best teams are in the east it doesn't make sense that a west team which is considerably less deserving has a guaranteed spot in the final.

[Kent]

13 hours ago, SkuseisLoose said:

I was with you until this. I don't think it should end east vs west I think it should be like the fa cup where they just have a draw after every round because for example if all the best teams are in the east it doesn't make sense that a west team which is considerably less deserving has a guaranteed spot in the final.

I'm not sure why your quote was saying me. That was @Impactsupporter.

[johnyb]

17 hours ago, SkuseisLoose said:

I was with you until this. I don't think it should end east vs west I think it should be like the fa cup where they just have a draw after every round because for example if all the best teams are in the east it doesn't make sense that a west team which is considerably less deserving has a guaranteed spot in the final.

Agree, but West vs East alleviates some travel costs.

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

Here is my suggestion. Make it regional for the first couple rounds, then make it a draw when there are 8 teams left or even 4 teams for 2019. Regional competition in the first couple rounds is important to cut costs, especially if there are pro/am teams in the comp like L1O and PLSQ. Making it regional helps expand the competition in the future as well. The draw for the quarterfinals or semis will help even it all out in the end.

 

[deschamp86]

22 minutes ago, BenFisk'sBiggestFan said:

Here is my suggestion. Make it regional for the first couple rounds, then make it a draw when there are 8 teams left or even 4 teams for 2019. Regional competition in the first couple rounds is important to cut costs, especially if there are pro/am teams in the comp like L1O and PLSQ. Making it regional helps expand the competition in the future as well. The draw for the quarterfinals or semis will help even it all out in the end.

 

It would also likely boost attendance for lower level teams and create more local rivalries.

Oakville Blue Devils I'm sure would love the revenue of playing TFC

[garmc]

1 hour ago, BenFisk'sBiggestFan said:

Here is my suggestion. Make it regional for the first couple rounds, then make it a draw when there are 8 teams left or even 4 teams for 2019. Regional competition in the first couple rounds is important to cut costs, especially if there are pro/am teams in the comp like L1O and PLSQ. Making it regional helps expand the competition in the future as well. The draw for the quarterfinals or semis will help even it all out in the end.

 

Well unless we expand this wayyyyy down the pyramid and allow teams from minor provincial leagues, that means Halifax won't *have* a regional team to play against. So every year someone would have to play outside their region in every round.

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

3 hours ago, garmc said:

Well unless we expand this wayyyyy down the pyramid and allow teams from minor provincial leagues, that means Halifax won't *have* a regional team to play against. So every year someone would have to play outside their region in every round.

At the beginning the regions could be just east and west... although the east will have way more teams, so that won’t work either...

[Unnamed Trialist]

20 hours ago, BenFisk'sBiggestFan said:

Here is my suggestion. Make it regional for the first couple rounds, then make it a draw when there are 8 teams left or even 4 teams for 2019. Regional competition in the first couple rounds is important to cut costs, especially if there are pro/am teams in the comp like L1O and PLSQ. Making it regional helps expand the competition in the future as well. The draw for the quarterfinals or semis will help even it all out in the end.

 

That is actually what happens in early Cup rounds in many countries, including Spain, or US Open Cup. Precisely to avoid travel costs since your draws may not be that attractive and playing midweek you may not get the fans out to compensate the expenses.

Otherwise, the CSA should be subsidizing the Cup, or be finding a sponsor to help precisely with this question of travel costs.

[mtlsab]

12 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

That is actually what happens in early Cup rounds in many countries, including Spain, or US Open Cup. Precisely to avoid travel costs since your draws may not be that attractive and playing midweek you may not get the fans out to compensate the expenses.

Otherwise, the CSA should be subsidizing the Cup, or be finding a sponsor to help precisely with this question of travel costs.

I just verified and Copa del Rey in Spain doesnt include any regional round. The fact is that in the early rounds, the team playin in a lower level receive for a single game, and later there are knockout.

Recently, Barcelona requested that all the competition will be one-game instead of knockout:
https://en.as.com/en/2018/03/11/football/1520780936_715761.html

[Blackdude]

55 minutes ago, mtlsab said:

 I just verified and Copa del Rey in Spain doesnt include any regional round. The fact is that in the early rounds, the team playin in a lower level receive for a single game, and later there are knockout.

Recently, Barcelona requested that all the competition will be one-game instead of knockout:
https://en.as.com/en/2018/03/11/football/1520780936_715761.html

They do. The first round they draw teams that are close together, so you wouldn't get a team from Catalunya playing a team from Galicia. 

[Initial B]

This is all fine if there are only 8 teams in the league, but what happens to the league when it gets to double that number? As the league keeps expanding, there are going to be seasons where there is an odd number of teams or ones that don't break into a balanced schedule. What do we do then?

[Unnamed Trialist]

On 5/22/2018 at 2:47 AM, Blackdude said:

They do. The first round they draw teams that are close together, so you wouldn't get a team from Catalunya playing a team from Galicia. 

Thanks Blackdude; as he says, you are mistaken @mtlsab, and I don't have to verify anything to know that. I just know because I go. Last summer I went to a first round match, Badalona hosting Elche, two teams who later played in the same group in 2B during the season.

For the first round, between teams from the upper part of 3rd and the top of fourth tier, they play a single game, and the draw groups teams together by regional proximity. Castille teams played teams from Castille, Madrid from Madrid, Andalucia from Andalucia, or they were both from the north, or the eastern Mediterrean, etc. The only exceptions were matches with teams from the Canary Islands and from the north African enclaves, like Melilla, but they get special provisions from the Spanish federation.

For the second round, teams from 2nd division come into the draw, and you can play a team from anywhere. Two years ago in 2nd round I saw two 2B teams, Cornellà vs. Extremadura, the team Iain Hume signed for afterwards. A fair distance away, the team and some fans actually bused up. (BTW this year I also saw a round of 16, Lleida from 2B, host Atletico Madrid, in Diego Costa's first match back, just after New Year's).

Oddly, in the promotion playoffs going on now, they completely ignore regional criteria and do a pure draw, I suppose because all teams, even in 4th tier, have a huge interest in moving up a division and are willing to pay for it, and in fact fans support promotion playoffs better than the Cup, with exceptions.

In any case, Spain is a country with, excepting the Canary Islands, you can fly anywhere in an hour and a half.

It makes perfect sense for a regional provision to be put into place in Canada, as it does to try to encourage every team in the country playing in a legit league to participate in the Cup.  But for that to happen, you cannot put modest teams in a situation where they are going to lose a signficant amount of money just to play. You have to play MNT friendlies at home to make money, and use it to support things like getting teams hyped about playing the Cup. 

[mpg_29]

 

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Wonder what 20/28 means exactly and what it implies about the number of teams? 

Edit: having listened to the clip I think he just stumbled over saying 28. He adds "14 home and 14 away" and "it could be slightly up or down from that", so don't think there's any new info there and it's still up in the air a bit given they only have 7 confirmed.

[Unnamed Trialist]

10 hours ago, mpg_29 said:

 

I'm bored, so here we go:

From April 19-20 weekend, actually Easter weekend in 2019, to the last weekend of October, is exactly 28 weekends. 

So we use them all and only play weekends. Providing we have a balanced schedule. 

Also if we do not take off any time for FIFA International dates.

If we need dates for the Voyageurs Cup, we do that midweek, as is currently the case. 

If we do respect FIFA dates or Gold Cup, or anything related, we will need to add regular season dates midweek. Since midweek games seemed to be the way to save on travelling cost, that made sense. Against that, midweek games takes down our attendance averages, most likely, and cuts into revenue.

¿Alguna pregunta más?

 

 

[Toronto Ruffrider]

I figured the length of the schedule would vary depending on the number of teams. Assuming a balanced schedule of 2 home/2 away games against each team, a seven-team league would yield a 24-game schedule. An extra team would bump the schedule up to 28 games.

[Cheeta]

It's going to be a lot of fixtures for what I expect will be smallish rosters.  The quantity end of the roster anyway.

Doable.  Going to be a tough go for Valour as they win their way through the Vs Cup with the extra dates and all but I'm sure they'll be up to it.

Two rounds of play offs and we're wrapped up before the Grey Cup.

Works for me

 

[Kent]

16 minutes ago, Cheeta said:

Two rounds of play offs and we're wrapped up before the Grey Cup.

Works for me

I don't know if this is subject to change or not but I believe the last we heard was that there will not be any playoffs.

[Blackjack15]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I'm bored, so here we go:

From April 19-20 weekend, actually Easter weekend in 2019, to the last weekend of October, is exactly 28 weekends. 

So we use them all and only play weekends. Providing we have a balanced schedule. 

Also if we do not take off any time for FIFA International dates.

If we need dates for the Voyageurs Cup, we do that midweek, as is currently the case. 

If we do respect FIFA dates or Gold Cup, or anything related, we will need to add regular season dates midweek. Since midweek games seemed to be the way to save on travelling cost, that made sense. Against that, midweek games takes down our attendance averages, most likely, and cuts into revenue.

¿Alguna pregunta más?

That’s exactly it

Clanachan mentioned in the interview about Canadian Championship & International break(s) But really since the vast majority of League Matches will take place on weekends we cannot take any time off like at all 

I’m sure we’ll have a 1 or 2 players if any go to Gold Cup so nothing  to worry about there

What can’t happen is have the season extend until November, in David’s own words 

“We’re in Canada here, we gotta we careful with that” 

I know they want to respect the FIFA Calendar but the September and October breaks for 2019 won’t affect our league one bit

Hoping for that 8th team so we can balance the schedule! 26 games would be Okay ish / acceptable

[Cheeta]

1 hour ago, Kent said:

I don't know if this is subject to change or not but I believe the last we heard was that there will not be any playoffs.

Don't know one way or the other, just speculating.  We all want as long as a season as possible but yeah, as fun as those fall matches are going to be by October you're playing with fire, at least in this part of the country.

That being said, IGF is very sheltered.  

[Ams1984]

On 5/17/2018 at 9:26 PM, Gopherbashi said:

Ugh... no split schedules please! It’s so gimmicky. 

[sting]

I see no playoffs. Do you think this is a good idea in a country that has playoffs for almost all sports. Hockey, baseball, football and even soccer for kids and adults is the normal. 

[Ams1984]

16 minutes ago, sting said:

I see no playoffs. Do you think this is a good idea in a country that has playoffs for almost all sports. Hockey, baseball, football and even soccer for kids and adults is the normal. 

I find it refreshing that they aren’t trying to be basketball or whatever. It’s a good old fashioned soccer league. 

[nolando]

16 minutes ago, sting said:

I see no playoffs. Do you think this is a good idea in a country that has playoffs for almost all sports. Hockey, baseball, football and even soccer for kids and adults is the normal. 

No need for it, especially if there is a domestic cup, imo. Lots to play for. Traditional sports here don't have half the fun of a proper footy match, including all of the energy created by the supporters groups, which hockey and football can only dream of. Besides we shouldn't be in the business of trying to convert hockey and football fans; there are enough people in this country who properly understand the game to have stadiums full the country over as long as the product and the promotion of it is correct.

[Kent]

2 hours ago, sting said:

I see no playoffs. Do you think this is a good idea in a country that has playoffs for almost all sports. Hockey, baseball, football and even soccer for kids and adults is the normal. 

It’s a bold move. I don’t mind following a league that doesn’t have playoffs, I just hope that if it pushes fans away that they won’t make it their hill to die on. They have to be able to course correct in future seasons if it can help the league survive.

I think it’s worth reminding the traditionalists that playoffs and soccer are not mutually exclusive. Probably the 3 biggest soccer competitions are the World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the Euro Cup. All three of those have playoffs.