Ottawa CPL Club

[Initial B]

At least OSEG gets to keep the Fury name. They're selling the franchise and they'll play under the Miami FC banner.

Here's a link  to the Atlantic article.

Still, this makes me wonder - they just sold the franchise to USL that could go towards a franchise in CanPL, but they haven't. All optics point to OSEG being done with soccer, with the lack of sanctioning being just an excuse. I feel so bad for John Pugh and angry at Mark Goudie, who seems to have orchestrated all this.

Edited December 11, 2019 by Initial B

[Bison44]

I guess we'll find out what a USL franchise is really worth.  And if OSEG really want to be in the soccer business or not.  

[CDNFootballer]

1 hour ago, Initial B said:

At least OSEG gets to keep the Fury name. They're selling the franchise and they'll play under the Miami FC banner.

Here's a link  to the Atlantic article.

Still, this makes me wonder - they just sold the franchise to USL that could go towards a franchise in CanPL, but they haven't. All optics point to OSEG being done with soccer, with the lack of sanctioning being just an excuse. I feel so bad for John Pugh and angry at Mark Goudie, who seems to have orchestrated all this.

Article is behind a paywall, can you quote the statement from the article where it says that OSEG keeps the Fury name?

[Bison44]

 

Give the name back if you are not using it!!  

 

Edited December 12, 2019 by Bison44

[CDNFootballer]

RIP the USA's USL D2 in Canada

Ottawa Fury FC sells USL Championship franchise rights to Miami FC

 

"Ottawa Fury FC, which suspended operations last month, has sold its USL Championship franchise rights to Miami FC.

After we announced our cessation of operations, discussions took place about our USL franchise rights and things progressed very quickly from there.”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/article-ottawa-fury-fc-sells-usl-championship-franchise-rights-to-miami-fc/

[Ansem]

So...

Let me get this straight..

Beckham and Inter Miami are forced to play out of Fort.Lauderdale for the near future.

Miami FC sneaks into USL Championship and plays in Miami proper thanks to the Fury.

🤣😂🥴

USL and Ricardo Silva must be laughing their a-- off! 

Wishful thinking that Miami people drives to Fort Lauderdale for games over just going to Miami FC

Edited December 12, 2019 by Ansem

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

Plus other people saying they have heard similar in the replies.

Edited December 12, 2019 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Rattler280]

It doesn't really matter whose to blame at this point, soccer in Ottawa is dead for the foreseeable future and it absolutely sucks.

[m-g-williams]

From an article in Le Droit: 

« C’est la fin de notre aventure au soccer, affirme Mark Goudie, président-directeur général de l’OSEG. Nous avons vendu nos droits, mais nous conservons notre compagnie. Celle-ci a toujours un stade, mais plus de club de soccer. Nous n’avons pas de désir de continuer à faire du soccer non plus. Par contre, si quelqu’un souhaite ramener du soccer professionnel à Ottawa dans la Canadian Premier League (CPL), nous avons un terrain à louer. Jusqu’à présent, nous n’avons pas été approchés en ce sens et nous n’avons pas parlé avec la CPL depuis l’été 2018.

Mark Goudie ne s’attend pas à avoir de contacts avec des gens intéressés à relancer le soccer dans la capitale dans l’immédiat. Pour lui, il se fait un peu tard pour la saison 2020, mais à présent que les droits de sa franchise ont été vendus, il pense que le dossier pourrait débloquer en fonction de 2021.

. . .

Avec cette vente, l’OSEG pourra éponger une partie des pertes financières accumulées pendant les six années d’opération du Fury, mais le club rappelle qu’il n’a pas cessé ses opérations pour des considérations financières, mais plutôt en raison de sa sanction refusée. »

So OSEG is open to a new soccer tennant, doesn't expect anything right now but possibly in 2021, and this move helps them address the Fury's debt. By no means ideal, but hopefully a step in the right direction! 

Edited December 12, 2019 by m-g-williams

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

1 hour ago, Rattler280 said:

It doesn't really matter whose to blame at this point, soccer in Ottawa is dead for the foreseeable future and it absolutely sucks.

Suspect that's the case for the next few years, because the finances of sharing a stadium with a CFL team probably only make sense when the same tickets sales and marketing team etc can be used. Paying the normal market rates for multiple field marking conversions per year won't be an inexpensive thing to do, for example, and I doubt access to concessions and parking revenues would be anything like as favorable.

[Aird25]

^ Ah if only the ticket sales team were cheaper we might have an 8th team for next season..

[Treppy2]

4 hours ago, m-g-williams said:

 

So OSEG is open to a new soccer tennant, doesn't expect anything right now but possibly in 2021, and this move helps them address the Fury's debt. By no means ideal, but hopefully a step in the right direction! 

Here's a long and interesting article on OSEG's finances and their involvement in Ottawa's sports scene:

https://ottawacitizen.com/business/local-business/ottawas-abysmal-year-in-sports-why-its-so-difficult-to-build-sustainable-teams-here

 

For those who don't want to read the whole thing, here are some highlights from the article relating to Ottawa Fury FC (with a couple of comments from me).

 

• OSEG is trying to increase the number of visitors to Lansdowne from 4 million to 5 million by 2022. Fewer than 20 per cent of those visitors need to be sports fans. OSEG generates most of their money from the rent paid by retailers and restaurants at Lansdowne.
• The new Ottawa Blackjacks franchise in Canadian Elite Basketball League will begin play at Lansdowne in 2020 and pay rent to OSEG. An Ottawa rugby league team will likely start up in 2021 and also pay rent to OSEG for playing at Lansdowne.  (As also mentioned in the Le Droit article, a soccer club not run by OSEG would be welcome to pay rent and play at Lansdowne.)
• OSEG-owned Ottawa 67s and Redblacks collectively generate less than one-quarter of the annual revenue of the Ottawa Senators. 
• Financially, the Redblacks are close to breaking even. In future, OSEG is counting on the Redblacks to account for 30 per cent of OSEG’S total revenue; the 67's just 2 or 3 per cent of their revenue.
• Ottawa Fury’s value, based on the fee paid by USL expansion teams in 2019, was $10 million. According to OSEG, If the Fury had joined the CPL their value would drop to $1 million.
• OSEG was concerned the CPL might not be around in a few years.
• Fury lost $2.5 million every year since the club’s inception.
• In 2008, Ottawa was a contender for one of two MLS franchises to be awarded in 2011. Senators owner Eugene Melnyk unveiled plans for a 20,000-seat soccer stadium in Kanata, near the Senators arena. The City of Ottawa agreed to co-finance the stadium if the new Redblacks CFL team could play 9 games a year at the stadium. Melnyk refused, not wanting to share the stadium with a CFL team, and the deal was killed. (So maybe Melynk can be blamed for Ottawa not having an MLS franchise, though it might have been a long shot to get one. Portland and Vancouver were awarded franchises for 2011, Montreal got their MLS franchise in 2012.)

 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

29 minutes ago, Treppy2 said:

• Fury lost $2.5 million every year since the club’s inception.

Not quite what it says. The phrase used was "average annual losses of $2.5 million since inception". That seems on the high side but maybe makes sense if expansion fees are factored in and it isn't a straight annual operating loss.

[Winnipeg Fury]

17 hours ago, Bison44 said:

 

Give the name back if you are not using it!!  

 

 

The day Ottawa stole our name, that actually really pissed me off, because it meant the Winnipeg FURY were going to remain in the grave, regardless of what happened on the local professional front.

It rankles me less now that I have Valour.

 

 

 

 

[MtlMario]

6 hours ago, m-g-williams said:

From an article in Le Droit: 

« nous n’avons pas parlé avec la CPL depuis l’été 2018.

 

Funny that it says no contact with CPL since summer 2018. I'm sure I read or heard that there were discussions with them after that????????

[Ottawafan]

On 12/7/2019 at 9:16 PM, JamboAl said:

I would prefer to be wrong.  The summer of 2020 (at least) is going to be sadder without footy in this city.

I’d say it’s a long shot for this season but very likely for 2021. 

[Ottawafan]

18 hours ago, Winnipeg Fury said:

 

The day Ottawa stole our name, that actually really pissed me off, because it meant the Winnipeg FURY were going to remain in the grave, regardless of what happened on the local professional front.

It rankles me less now that I have Valour.

 

 

 

 

The Ottawa Fury actually started out as a women’s team over 20 years ago. But over the years it’s morphed into different entities and eventually became the men’s team. That’s one of their biggest mistakes, keeping that name. It gave the local clubs ( OSU ) cover to not support the only professional club in the city and do their part in not actually growing the game, just their bank accounts. 

[JamboAl]

5 hours ago, Ottawafan said:

I’d say it’s a long shot for this season but very likely for 2021. 

Strange- do you know of someone/some organization kicking the tires?  I haven’t heard a peep.

[Ansem]

This is what the Fury should have done. That below is professional, no acting dumb or throwing the world under the bus.

Says a lot about the Fury when an "amateur" club understands sanctioning issues way better than they ever could...

 

 

The Victoria Highlanders FC 1st team will be participating in the Pacific Coast Soccer League for the upcoming 2020 season as the club prepares for the introduction of a new league in 2021. 

Sanctioning to participate in USL League 2 occurs annually. Sanctioning must be provided and approved by CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football), as well as the member nations involved; in this case the Canadian Soccer Association and United States Soccer Federation. 

With the changing landscape in Canadian and BC soccer it was unclear and not guaranteed that sanctioning would be provided beyond 2020. The club has made the decision to support BC and Canadian soccer and their plans around Tier 1 (CPL), Tier 2 (Division 2) and Tier 3 (BCL1, L1 Ontario, PLSQ) soccer. 

Edited December 13, 2019 by Ansem

[CANMNT_SUPERFAN]

F the Fury, LMFAO!!!!! 👹

[CDNFootballer]

6 hours ago, JamboAl said:

Strange- do you know of someone/some organization kicking the tires?  I haven’t heard a peep.

The league has stated its had interest from at least two groups if I recall correctly, it will likely be a priority for the CPL to get a club in Ottawa. I think 2022 is more likely for that to come to fruition.

[CDNFootballer]

3 hours ago, CANMNT_SUPERFAN said:

F the Fury, LMFAO!!!!! 👹

It seems the Fury are completely F'd from Canada, the name likely went to Miami FC when they purchased the franchise rights with the wording that the Fury were transferred to the Miami market and then sold the Miami team.

USL is restrictive on trademarks used outside of its league by its teams/former teams and OSEG would not likely have paid to keep the trademark for use at a later date.

[JamboAl]

10 hours ago, CDNFootballer said:

The league has stated its had interest from at least two groups if I recall correctly, it will likely be a priority for the CPL to get a club in Ottawa. I think 2022 is more likely for that to come to fruition.

I agree that the Ottawa market is a priority.  I’m also starting to take statements from the CPL about expansion with a certain amount of scepticism.  Hope that’s just my current state of disappointment with all that’s happened with the local soccer scene and certain people’s reaction (joy) in it.

Edited December 14, 2019 by JamboAl

[Ansem]

6 hours ago, JamboAl said:

I agree that the Ottawa market is a priority.  I’m also starting to take statements from the CPL about expansion with a certain amount of scepticism.  Hope that’s just my current state of disappointment with all that’s happened with the local soccer scene and certain people’s reaction (joy) in it.

I think the timeline was too optimistic at first and until recently. Agreed that the league needs to stop with the silly 30 days announcements.

But I doubt the league is lying on actual interest and stadiums being the main obstacle. 

As for Ottawa, the fact that OSEG said that TD place would be made available and the folding of the Fury should speed things up on bringing a team to the city. I also think 2022 makes sense.

 

[Bison44]

7 hours ago, JamboAl said:

I agree that the Ottawa market is a priority.  I’m also starting to take statements from the CPL about expansion with a certain amount of scepticism.  Hope that’s just my current state of disappointment with all that’s happened with the local soccer scene and certain people’s reaction (joy) in it.

You are fine JamboAl (same boat as the rest of us)....as with anyone trying to promote something their statements have all been ambitious, overzoalous and optimisitic.  They arent going to make somber, sober, cautious predictions about a 18 team league and pro/reg sometime around 2050...nobody gets excited with that.

They need to tone it down some..as it is grating to hear the same line of baloney every couple months.  But we are crying for announcements and updates...so I imagine we will continue to get these interviews until something concrete happens.