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Has there been any movement/campaign by the Ottawa Fury supporter groups and/or fans to push for the team to leave the USA's Usl league and join the CPL? Would be great for them to do so and make the fans feelings well known to the ownership.

 

A league launch with both Ottawa Fury and FC Edmonton on board is the best option for CPL and would benefit both clubs instead of remaining in the foreign league's they're in now.

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25 minutes ago, CDNFootballer said:

Has there been any movement/campaign by the Ottawa Fury supporter groups and/or fans to push for the team to leave the USA's Usl league and join the CPL? Would be great for them to do so and make the fans feelings well known to the ownership.

 

A league launch with both Ottawa Fury and FC Edmonton on board is the best option for CPL and would benefit both clubs instead of remaining in the foreign league's they're in now.

Yes, they have.

 

And no doubt, it's just a question of whether OSEG is willing to spend the money required to both leave the USL and join the CPL. Not to mention that they moved to the USL largely as a cost-cutting measure and while travel likely won't be much better or worse overall in the CPL, the cost of wages to stay competitive will presumably he higher in the CPL in the long term, if not right away.

So it's a question of whether Jeff Hunt can be convinced that moving to the CPL is the better long-term move, which given the club's ownership decisions in the last couple years is uncertain at best.

That said, Ottawa knows the CSA's short-term plan with the CPL and semi-pro leagues is to get Canadian teams out of the American lower divisions, so I'd have to think they're planning to move eventually.

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15 hours ago, CDNFootballer said:

Has there been any movement/campaign by the Ottawa Fury supporter groups and/or fans to push for the team to leave the USA's Usl league and join the CPL? Would be great for them to do so and make the fans feelings well known to the ownership.

 

A league launch with both Ottawa Fury and FC Edmonton on board is the best option for CPL and would benefit both clubs instead of remaining in the foreign league's they're in now.

Sure, but would it benefit the Fury? I am highly suspicious of whether it would be in OSEG's interest to move the team over to the CanPL when 1. No teams are concrete yet, except Winnipeg and 2. no ball has been kicked, no ticket has been purchased and no merch has been sold. As far as Bernie Ashe, OSEG and their chief partner, Minto, are concerned; CanPL is a pipe dream with no financial incentive being offered to the Fury to switch. 

After losing $2-million dollars a year, the Fury cut an affiliation deal with their closest neighbour, l'Impact de Montréal, to pay a few salaries in exchange for some academy players. That helped ease the burden, and moving to a lower league (The USL) sure helped the financial position, however the Fury are still in a tight financial position. I cannot see them taking a risk on an unproven league. The CanPL needs the Fury more than they need CanPL - especially if it means no more affiliation with the Impact (and paying 3 - 5 more salaries).

Also, attendance has leveled at around 5,000 average, after growing in 2015 and 2016. The awful results could be to blame (along with a moronic Brit coach who couldn't tell soccer from cricket), but the league switch and the appearance of 'relegation' after a last-place finish sure didn't help matters any. I highly doubt that after a crap season in 2017 the OSEG brass are likely to repeat that effort again, as that loss of growth means 600 - 900 fewer tickets per game, if we assume the baseline growth from 2015 - 2016 was a constant. 

I cannot see them moving until season 3-4 of CanPL.  

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35 minutes ago, ChrisinOrleans said:

Sure, but would it benefit the Fury? I am highly suspicious of whether it would be in OSEG's interest to move the team over to the CanPL when 1. No teams are concrete yet, except Winnipeg and 2. no ball has been kicked, no ticket has been purchased and no merch has been sold. As far as Bernie Ashe, OSEG and their chief partner, Minto, are concerned; CanPL is a pipe dream with no financial incentive being offered to the Fury to switch. 

After losing $2-million dollars a year, the Fury cut an affiliation deal with their closest neighbour, l'Impact de Montréal, to pay a few salaries in exchange for some academy players. That helped ease the burden, and moving to a lower league (The USL) sure helped the financial position, however the Fury are still in a tight financial position. I cannot see them taking a risk on an unproven league. The CanPL needs the Fury more than they need CanPL - especially if it means no more affiliation with the Impact (and paying 3 - 5 more salaries).

Also, attendance has leveled at around 5,000 average, after growing in 2015 and 2016. The awful results could be to blame (along with a moronic Brit coach who couldn't tell soccer from cricket), but the league switch and the appearance of 'relegation' after a last-place finish sure didn't help matters any. I highly doubt that after a crap season in 2017 the OSEG brass are likely to repeat that effort again, as that loss of growth means 600 - 900 fewer tickets per game, if we assume the baseline growth from 2015 - 2016 was a constant. 

I cannot see them moving until season 3-4 of CanPL.  

That’s a lot of speculation and assumption.

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On 10/20/2017 at 8:01 PM, CDNFootballer said:

Has there been any movement/campaign by the Ottawa Fury supporter groups and/or fans to push for the team to leave the USA's Usl league and join the CPL? Would be great for them to do so and make the fans feelings well known to the ownership.

 

A league launch with both Ottawa Fury and FC Edmonton on board is the best option for CPL and would benefit both clubs instead of remaining in the foreign league's they're in now.

You must have seen this tifo on the internet somewhere at the time, it was on May 23rd of this year, Ottawa vs Toronto, VCup Semis 1st leg. It made TSN as well during the match coverage.

Ottawa supporters have been calling for CPL earlier and louder than most other supporters, absolutely no doubt about it.

 

 

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  • 10 months later...

If this turns out to be legit (and I would be very surprised if it's not as the same guy was tweeting correctly about the move from the NASL to USL long before it was officially announced), the irony given what we were being told two or three years ago is that there will be as many CFL ownership groups involved with USL next summer as there will be with CanPL. Agree that banners of that type would be the best way for supporters groups to let their feelings be known, but they don't have anything like the numbers that the south end at BMO Field does and the business model appears to revolve mainly around youth club group sales rather than young adult supporters group types, so I doubt it would make the difference. 

Edited by BringBackTheBlizzard
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2 hours ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

If this turns out to be legit (and I would be very surprised if it's not as the same guy was tweeting correctly about the move from the NASL to USL long before it was officially announced), the irony given what we were being told two or three years ago is that there will be as many CFL ownership groups involved with USL next summer as there will be with CanPL. Agree that banners of that type would be the best way for supporters groups to let their feelings be known, but they don't have anything like the numbers that the south end at BMO Field does and the business model appears to revolve mainly around youth club group sales rather than young adult supporters group types, so I doubt it would make the difference. 

Am I missing something? Is there another CFL ownership group involved in USL? This is my current assumption below (what am I missing?)

Redblacks-Fury-USL (if they indeed do stay...I'm not sure I believe that yet)

Tigercats-Forge-CPL

BlueBombers-Valour-CPL

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Ottawa fans don't expect derby matches with TFC II next year as they have self demoted down to USL 3 and since other MLS '2' and 'B' and 'II' teams have joined them they will have to travel to places like Arizona to find opponents because there may be barely ten teams.  Maybe Rochester will return as a USL 3 team but that reads like it may be in 2020.  

Two TFC II home games this next month Thursday the 6th and Wednesday the 26th are games against Ottawa and I can just see with TFC becoming hot, it may be them that keeps Ottawa out of the playoffs.  

 

 

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From what I can see, the Fury has leverage that they are likely using on the CPL.  I'm sure they want to retain all of their players and do not want to lose some through whatever scheme the CPL uses to allocate players.  I'd guess that they'll try to negotiate the best possible terms for entry, and they can say they can stick in the more certain and stable USL if it doesn't work out.  The CSA ultimately decides on sanctioning a club and could block Ottawa staying in USL.  But if Ottawa really wants to play hardball, they can tell the CSA they couldn't agree to terms with the CPL and if they don't let them play in USL, they'll just fold.  Remember that before the CSA said they would not force FCE to leave NASL to join the CPL so it's possible they'd do the same with Ottawa.  

I'd like to see Ottawa in CPL next year, but I'd rather have them in USL as opposed to folding.  And I'm guessing there is no other option for an 8th team for the CPL.  With this much time left, I can only imagine an existing club could be ready for 2019.

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2 minutes ago, Jason said:

...The CSA ultimately decides on sanctioning a club and could block Ottawa staying in USL...

All the statements I've seen over the years that came directly from CSA related figures have suggested both FCE and the Ottawa Fury were very much welcome to join but wouldn't be forced to. Understandable when there's scope for some very expensive lawsuits. Worth noting CanPL have already had their meeting with participating teams related to the rules under which the league will operate and subsequently announced seven rather than eight open tryouts. There's only so long this Ottawa thing can drag on before it starts to get in the way of what is happening elsewhere for an April 2019 launch and it's far from inconceivable that the timeline on that has run out, hence the tweets emanating from Ottawa.

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27 minutes ago, Jason said:

But if Ottawa really wants to play hardball, they can tell the CSA they couldn't agree to terms with the CPL and if they don't let them play in USL, they'll just fold.

Don't know about you, but I'd rather have a new ownership than that shitty attitude.

Folding or not, CPL is getting those players one way or another. Up to the Fury to decide to go along with it or to "fold" and leave the 5th biggest Metro area in the country wide open for other investors to fill that void.

27 minutes ago, Jason said:

Remember that before the CSA said they would not force FCE to leave NASL to join the CPL so it's possible they'd do the same with Ottawa.   

They won't force you to join CPL, but they don't have to let you stay in a USSF league.

The creation of CPL killed any leverage they had in my opinion. The argument that players would have nowhere to go doesn't fly anymore. If anything, less dilution of talent while another ownership group bids for Ottawa.

 

Edited by Ansem
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2 minutes ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

That's what I always assumed as well, but it was just that an assumption unless you know otherwise?

No, I don't know anything. But it is a fair assumption and the most likely scenario.  The other scenarios are that it is officially confirmed, or officially denied, before.  But I don't think many people would consider this to be "dragging on" until after October.

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2 hours ago, Ansem said:

Don't know about you, but I'd rather have a new ownership than that shitty attitude.

Folding or not, CPL is getting those players one way or another. Up to the Fury to decide to go along with it or to "fold" and leave the 5th biggest Metro area in the country wide open for other investors to fill that void.

They won't force you to join CPL, but they don't have to let you stay in a USSF league.

The creation of CPL killed any leverage they had in my opinion. The argument that players would have nowhere to go doesn't fly anymore. If anything, less dilution of talent while another ownership group bids for Ottawa.

 

I really doubt the Ottawa group will play hardball and threaten to fold.  But they could theoretically take it that far.  I have no idea of the relationships there.  My feeling is that Ottawa prefers to join, CPL wants them, and so does the CSA.  But Ottawa wants to ensure if they go into this new venture, they will be the most advantageous position possible.  If they get to keep their players, they will be several steps ahead of other clubs.  If I'm the Fury I want that.

I'd be very surprised if they don't all come to some kind of agreement.

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Hopefully they are just doing some last minute negotiating to keep as much of their roster that they can but IF they don't join then CSA should move to deny them sanctioning to play in a US league and at the same time CPL should also move ahead with attracting another ownership group to start an Ottawa club.

Wouldn't be good to have the Fury playing a delaying tactic each year saying they will think about it for next year and then continuing on in USL anyway. CPL needs an Ottawa club.

Edited by CDNFootballer
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1 hour ago, Jason said:

But Ottawa wants to ensure if they go into this new venture, they will be the most advantageous position possible.  If they get to keep their players, they will be several steps ahead of other clubs.  If I'm the Fury I want that.

I'm sure they can keep their roster as long as it abides by the league's rules. 

Edited by Ansem
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