Mississauga CPL Supporters Group Thread

[Sauga City Collective]

First things first, nice to meet you all!

I think Mississauga is a fantastic city. It's a place I've always been proud to call home. The 6th largest population centre in Canada and a city on the rise, Mississauga is looking to break out of its suburban shell and grow into a city in its own right - outside of Toronto's sphere.

I think based on the cultural landscape and because of the fact that no professional teams call Mississauga home, a Canadian Premier League team would be a great opportunity for the city and community to get behind. Soccer goes a long way in creating an identity for a community. It's inclusive, it's cheap, it benefits local businesses...etc. the list goes on and on. The time is now.

As far as a stadium is concerned: there isn't one and there aren't plans for one at this point in time. I'm working on changing that. There is only a pop-up boarded pitch in the downtown core for community use that is happening for certain. A step in the right direction but still a very very preliminary one. Discussions with the city are also at an extremely preliminary stage and there should be no mistaking that for "progress" towards a team or a stadium...again, something I'm working on changing. City Councillor's and the league pres have been in contact, and it's our job now to get the word out there and drive the interest way up. The interest is there, the potential is there, now it's time to capitalize!

Stay tuned for more and follow along on twitter, facebook and soon, on the web.

[CanSuffer]

Good luck. Glad to hear of your ambitions. I live in Toronto and work 3 days in Mississauga. Definitely two distinct cities. Of course, before moving to Toronto I had the same stereotypical-RestOfCanada viewpoint that it's all one big metropolitan conglomerate and who the hell cares. But no, not true at all. It would be a great rivalry with Hamilton and any future teams that might arise in Scarborough or North York.

[shermanator]

While the wheels are turning on showing interest in a CPL club, are there any thoughts on supporting a League1 Ontario club? I'm sure Sigma or North Mississauga could use the support, and it will help any supporters group ramp up.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

3 hours ago, CanSuffer said:

Good luck. Glad to hear of your ambitions. I live in Toronto and work 3 days in Mississauga. Definitely two distinct cities. Of course, before moving to Toronto I had the same stereotypical-RestOfCanada viewpoint that it's all one big metropolitan conglomerate and who the hell cares. But no, not true at all. It would be a great rivalry with Hamilton and any future teams that might arise in Scarborough or North York.

While I can see where you are coming from with that and you can definitely tell whether you are in Toronto or Mississauga by things like public transit, the main problem with GTA communities like Mississauga is that they usually don't have radio and TV stations and daily newspapers of their own until you get further out to cities like Hamilton and Oshawa that will cover a sports team relentlessly and build the feeling of civic pride that surrounds it. The obvious question is whether that matters so much in 2017 in the era of social media.

[Sauga City Collective]

9 hours ago, shermanator said:

While the wheels are turning on showing interest in a CPL club, are there any thoughts on supporting a League1 Ontario club? I'm sure Sigma or North Mississauga could use the support, and it will help any supporters group ramp up.

That's the next step in our plans actually...outreach. We'll be getting in touch with the clubs and leagues in the community to let them know what our ideas are and how their support will benefit all of us in the end should this venture be successful. As a former Erin Mills and North Mississauga player myself, I'd love to reconnect with them specifically, as well as reaching out to Sigma, which I've already done through social media. It's a process. The fun is just getting started!

[Sauga City Collective]

5 hours ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

While I can see where you are coming from with that and you can definitely tell whether you are in Toronto or Mississauga by things like public transit, the main problem with GTA communities like Mississauga is that they usually don't have radio and TV stations and daily newspapers of their own until you get further out to cities like Hamilton and Oshawa that will cover a sports team relentlessly and build the feeling of civic pride that surrounds it. The obvious question is whether that matters so much in 2017 in the era of social media.

Something tells me the CPL will be a mostly gate driven league. TFC barely gets TV viewership despite being carried on major networks. The playoffs notwithstanding, obviously. The most difficult thing, in my opinion, will be determining a proper location for a stadium and getting the citys approval for it. I think when that step is fulfilled, finding an owner or ownership group won't overly difficult.

[Complete Homer]

19 minutes ago, Sauga City Collective said:

Something tells me the CPL will be a mostly gate driven league. TFC barely gets TV viewership despite being carried on major networks. The playoffs notwithstanding, obviously. The most difficult thing, in my opinion, will be determining a proper location for a stadium and getting the citys approval for it. I think when that step is fulfilled, finding an owner or ownership group won't overly difficult.

Not that I'm really sure what the alternative is, but we keep hearing from Beirne, Montagliani, etc, that gate revenue will not be the driver for the league, so I wouldn't be so sure.

Doubt it will be TV either, so it's a bit of a mystery how the model will work, but there must be something to it if they keep using the line

[Ansem]

1 hour ago, Complete Homer said:

Not that I'm really sure what the alternative is, but we keep hearing from Beirne, Montagliani, etc, that gate revenue will not be the driver for the league, so I wouldn't be so sure.

Doubt it will be TV either, so it's a bit of a mystery how the model will work, but there must be something to it if they keep using the line

I think it will be TV but not in the short term.

A clue to this is how fast the league wants to reach 16 teams, within 10 years. If those teams covers the top 20 TV markets in Canada (80% of Canadians live in Urban areas), while ownership dumps cash on:

• marketing/social media/ streaming service (both free and pay to watch)
• compensating with having to live with a terrible 1st TV contract (either very low, or almost giving it away to possibly help pay producing fees)
• Investing on talent/players is key to grow their attendances/viewership (Quality is one of the only ways to draw fans)

They could could grow the viewership enough to rival MLS numbers in Canada, which would allow them to ask for more on the next contract. Reaching CFL numbers would be heaven to CPL but before you get there, ownership will have to dump a lot of capital at CPL to grow it to profitability. There's really no other way about it, hence Montagliani who kept saying ownerships will have "deep pockets both able and willing to lose money for the long term" Furthermore, don't we all remember him saying that as long as contracts committing owners to CPL long term weren't signed, they'd be no announcements? Let's not forget reports saying that CPL minimum salary will be in CFL ballpark. Quality of play is very important to the league and they understand that without it, you can't draw

So perhaps their goal is:

1. 1st TV deal will be terrible due to low coverage nationwide of the league, unproven, new, etc...
2. Massive investment of capital to grow the league (talent, infrastructure, marketing, subsidizing ticket costs etc...)
3. Expansion to cover Canada from coast to coast
4. Work to match and/or surpass MLS TV numbers in Canada within 10 years on TV and other form of media.
5. Once that's done, you can get a better TV deal with a major national sport network in both language since your league cover all of Canada, you have demonstrated that you draw viewership to MLS level or more. Which results in more cash. Growing attendances will also increase league's revenue who in time will increase tickets/merchandise prices.
6. Next level? CFL numbers 2 decades from now

Anyway you put it, banking it all on gates revenues is very dangerous and an unsustainable model. It's smarter to take initial loss to grow the product so you can increase your revenue flow overtime while the value of the league as a whole also increases than to park the bus and peg your league decisions on current gate revenues. If you do that, you're guarantee to mediocre quality on the pitch and you won't attract the viewership and attendance that is needed to be profitable in the long term.

The importance of the type of owners you allow in the league is crucial, and like Montagliani said, only deep pocket owners, willing and able to lose money can do it. We have to assume that those going after a club are fully aware of all the risks before signing up.

Edited June 22, 2017 by Ansem

[Gopherbashi]

Does anyone have an idea if the CFL receives government subsidies, and if so, how much?

[Rheo]

8 minutes ago, Gopherbashi said:

Does anyone have an idea if the CFL receives government subsidies, and if so, how much?

I seem to remember a few years ago the government paid to "advertise" by getting the Canadian flag on the helmet.  Not sure it was much but it was something when they were struggling.  I'd look it up but just ran into a big mess at work and I'm done in a half hour lol

[lazlo_80]

12 minutes ago, Gopherbashi said:

Does anyone have an idea if the CFL receives government subsidies, and if so, how much?

Yes. They come in the form of massive 20-30K stadiums.

[mrstepp817]

Mississauga does have Raptors905...

Having lived in Mississauga I think there would be support there for a CanPL team....media coverage would concern me though since everything is focused on Toronto

[Admin]

1 hour ago, Gopherbashi said:

Does anyone have an idea if the CFL receives government subsidies, and if so, how much?

Good lord yes.

[matty]

4 hours ago, Sauga City Collective said:

That's the next step in our plans actually...outreach. We'll be getting in touch with the clubs and leagues in the community to let them know what our ideas are and how their support will benefit all of us in the end should this venture be successful. As a former Erin Mills and North Mississauga player myself, I'd love to reconnect with them specifically, as well as reaching out to Sigma, which I've already done through social media. It's a process. The fun is just getting started!

You guys should go to the game next Friday with the Toronto Supporters and help make that the L1O event of June

[-Hammer-]

2 hours ago, Gopherbashi said:

Does anyone have an idea if the CFL receives government subsidies, and if so, how much?

Typically only three forms of "subsidy" exist. The first is the cost of stadiums, which frankly, every major sporting venue in our country except a few hockey venues (I'm pretty sure, only the ACC, the Bell Centre and Rogers Arena were built entirely on private sector dime) and  have been built with the assistance of government funds, so it's not quite fair to say this is a CFL subsidy. Most of these venues were built as multipurpose venues to host major events (Like the Commonwealth Games for Commonwealth Stadium) or to be shared with the local university (like Investors Group Field and the University of Manitoba), so it's more then just a CFL subsidy. Some could also argue the amount of rent some CFL teams pay for stadium rights amounts to a subsidy, but I think most pay a fair amount for use.

The second is three of the teams are community owned. In a sense, this means when these teams post losses, the local taxpayer/ownership structure of the community is on the hook. However, two of the three community owned teams (Saskatchewan and Edmonton) are considered to be the two most profitable franchises in the league, and the third (Winnipeg) is likely around the same level of success as Hamilton and Ottawa are, who are both selling out their stadiums consistently. They tend to draw better, but suffer from a lot of stadium debt that needs to be paid. So, if anything these three teams subsidize their respective local governments.

The third is the Grey Cup festival. For some time, a Grey Cup bid is no longer a team affair, the municipality and the team must express a desire to host the Grey Cup and typically produce a bid of sorts for the event. The bid however, is less a donation to the league (although I am sure they get a cut somehow), and more evidence of spending towards the festival before the game itself. From there the CFL BoG select a bid based on several factors. That said, these bids are in the millions (like most major festivals), and the league has gotten money from the provincial and federal governments for landmark Grey Cups (the 100th being the only recent example, unsure if the 105th and Canada 150 might also be linked a bit). Generally the most common factors are the quality of the bid, how long it has been since that market hosted a Grey Cup, the financial consideration and state for the host team and it's ownership and the probability to run a successful event in that market.

Usually the first two are the most important factors, and why Ottawa was pretty much given an automatic approval when they produced a bid for this year, however the last two factors are the reason Toronto was able to host the 100th and 104th Grey Cup and why it's unlikely the Grey Cup is coming back to Toronto anytime in the near future after the debacle last year's was.

Edited June 22, 2017 by -Hammer-

[Sauga City Collective]

1 hour ago, mrstepp817 said:

Mississauga does have Raptors905...

Having lived in Mississauga I think there would be support there for a CanPL team....media coverage would concern me though since everything is focused on Toronto

Raptors 905, although important for the city's sporting landscape, is a developmental league team with players hoping for a call up to the Raptors main squad. In theory at least, a Canadian Premier League team will be the top of heap, D1. A player shouldn't feel the need to prove themselves to receive a call up to anything besides the national team. And that is something this city has never had.

The proximity to Toronto will always cause us to have "little brother" syndrome whether we like it or not. Its a geographical fact. But to always be relegate ourselves to the sidelines despite our size and developing culture would be a disservice...we have to give it a try at the very least.

[mrstepp817]

Is there a spot near downtown that a popup stadium could be placed??  I think that area could be a great spot for games and atmosphere if a stadium location can be secured...

 

I am hopeful a team gets to Mississauaga eventually..my inlaws live in Erin Mills and when we visit it'd be nice to have a local option for games rather than fighting traffic on the Gardiner...

[Sauga City Collective]

5 minutes ago, mrstepp817 said:

Is there a spot near downtown that a popup stadium could be placed??  I think that area could be a great spot for games and atmosphere if a stadium location can be secured...

 

I am hopeful a team gets to Mississauaga eventually..my inlaws live in Erin Mills and when we visit it'd be nice to have a local option for games rather than fighting traffic on the Gardiner...

Unfortunately putting something downtown may not be feasible. However, that's the beauty of our city. With so many different boroughs that have their own "downtown", it would be possible to put a stadium in almost any spot and have it still be convenient. But I don't disagree with you...a downtown spot would be excellent. Tons of foot traffic, public transport, bars, restaurants, small businesses, parking, accomodations...etc. 

To be honest though, I'd love a spot in Port Credit

Edited June 22, 2017 by Mississauga SG

[mrstepp817]

Port Credit would be tremendous.....right on the water somewhere....

Streetsville would be cool but I don't think there's enough land there...

There's open land in the Erin Mills area but its not really close to anything cool...

[Admin]

Can you guys add this group to the Supporters Directory on the site?   

Thanks

JM

[kodiakTFC]

8 hours ago, mrstepp817 said:

Port Credit would be tremendous.....right on the water somewhere....

Streetsville would be cool but I don't think there's enough land there...

There's open land in the Erin Mills area but its not really close to anything cool...

Streetsville would be certainly be interesting if it wasn't it being a logistical nightmare. I dare you to drive through Streetsville during a busy hour. A 7-8pm kick off during the week would be just awful.

[mrstepp817]

10 hours ago, kodiakTFC said:

Streetsville would be certainly be interesting if it wasn't it being a logistical nightmare. I dare you to drive through Streetsville during a busy hour. A 7-8pm kick off during the week would be just awful.

Yeah it would be rough.....if there was area near Square One and downtown that'd be ideal...especially with the transit hub being there...

[grasshopper1917]

Has Mississauga ever really supported any sports team? I recall the Ice Dogs were there when I lived in Toronto but I think they moved. The population is there for sure - hard to say if the people will turn out though.

[Macksam]

9 minutes ago, grasshopper1917 said:

Has Mississauga ever really supported any sports team? I recall the Ice Dogs were there when I lived in Toronto but I think they moved. The population is there for sure - hard to say if the people will turn out though.

I wouldn't put much stock into a junior hockey team and a borderline amateur basketball operation as any sort of meaningful litmus for a CPL team. Soccer is a different beast altogether. 

[Sauga City Collective]

On 6/23/2017 at 4:57 PM, Macksam said:

I wouldn't put much stock into a junior hockey team and a borderline amateur basketball operation as any sort of meaningful litmus for a CPL team. Soccer is a different beast altogether. 

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Mississauga has never had a truly D1 professional team. OHL and D League basketball are great for what they are. I've always felt that people don't come out in droves to support them because of the turn over levels (its junior hockey, so the kids will either get drafted or fall off the radar eventually) and precisely because they are not D1 leagues. The top kids use the team as a stepping stone to get to somewhere else. There no real attachment to the city or the community besides playing in a venue within the city limits.

Now, put a professional soccer team that plays in a league that is the top division, somewhere a player can have a career and become an icon, someone kids and adults alike can idolize and feel is representative of their community and personify the city.......basically a team that residents can identify with....well that's a whole new ball game.