Ottawa CPL Club

[Unnamed Trialist]

Just to clarify the parent name: fans of Atlético call it Atleti or even Aleti. But in the club hymn it is clearly "Atlético". So if there is name confusion, even in Spain you see variations in pronounciation.

Fans of Athletic Club de Bilbao also call it "Athletic" or really "Atleti", the final "c" not pronounced and the "th" not as it is done in English.

I do think that for branding, either Atlético chooses the Spanish, or they get confused with Ath. Bilbao. So that it could be expected for them to not opt for either.

Here's a video of the Ath Bilbao hymn, starts with the club name repeated a few times:

 

[toontownman]

If they finish bottom can we call them Athletes foot?

[CDNFootballer]

5 hours ago, Initial B said:

 There are a couple of ex-Fury players still in the area, so they could easily flesh out a team that might not be pretty, but the quality to price ratio of the transplanted Atletico players should shine through.

Don't think they will have as much of a problem putting a decent roster together as some think, and will be interesting to see if any Athletico Madrid players are brought in at all - Rayo OKC put together a late roster for their one season in NASL which had zero players that came from the Euro organization and competed very well. They brought in some quality imports and even Georgios Samaras for a name player.

[Ottawafan]

46 minutes ago, Blackdude said:

Reading that Jeff Hunt who stopped investing in the Fury is involved. He's still a member of OSEG.

AM approached Hunt to be involved in the new team, but it’s separate from OSEG. 
Atletico will provide players for the the team but it won’t be anyone of high quality. 

[Ottawafan]

 

[toontownman]

6 minutes ago, CDNFootballer said:

Don't think they will have as much of a problem putting a decent roster together as some think

It will depend on how the cap size works and who will sign up. How loans might relate to that if Athletico paid the wages etc.

Seems like the following are still available from the last Fury Squad:

• Callum Irving*
• Nana Attakora*
• Jeremy Gagon-Lapare*
• Kevin Oliveria
• Samb Mour
• David Monslave*
• Maxime Tissot*
• Antoine Coupland*
• Christiano Francois
• Thiago De Freitas
• Jordan Tisseur*
• Jamar Dixon*
• Jadon Vilfort*
• Protais Bumbu Mutambala*
• Luca Rici*
• Dakota Barnathan
• Cameron Shaw*

*Canadians

Could certainly be dated on these and some may have moved on, we know Nana is looking around and Coupland is on trial in Europe. Really only going off Wiki for that which might shock people to know, isn't always reliable. 

[Kent]

10 hours ago, JamboAl said:

You know this is big when AS has Ottawa as the 3rd story after Gareth Bale and the new Barca manager.

So I guess today is the day that more Spaniards know about the CPL than Canadians

Seriously though, it’s always nice to have international coverage for the league!

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

13 hours ago, Tigers said:

Not a huge fan of the name if true. At the very least anglicize to Ottawa Athletic FC or even Ottawa Athletics.

The Ottawa region has a large francophone population and Canada is bilingual so not sure I follow the logic. That kind of mentality is probably not helping on Quebec expansion. Beyond that Atletico sounds a lot more like soccer to me than Fury or Wizards or Intrepid or Pioneers and this is a soccer league not the CFL. If this gets the league to ditch the "By Canadians For Canadians" style nationalism and having David Clanachan droning on about rockem sockem soccer all the time and prompts it to shift over to welcoming in all investors that will help it to be as high a quality league as possible very much in the mainstream of the sport in international terms then it will be a positive watershed moment.

Edited January 18, 2020 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

14 hours ago, Initial B said:

...I remember how NASL loved Rayo Vallecano being involved with Rayo OKC and that went south very quickly...

Atletico Madrid are an order of magnitude larger as a club than Rayo Vallecano. I would have been posting stuff along those lines if it had turned out to be Espanyol, but having Atletico involved is a massive step forward for the league in credibility terms. This type of investment wasn't part of the original CSL playbook that often provides a feeling of deja vu where CanPL is concerned and not in a good way.

[Winnipeg Fury]

2 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

The Ottawa region has a large francophone population and Canada is bilingual so not sure I follow the logic. That kind of mentality is probably not helping on Quebec expansion. Beyond that Atletico sounds a lot more like soccer to me than Fury or Wizards or Intrepid or Pioneers and this is a soccer league not the CFL. If this gets the league to ditch the "By Canadians For Canadians" style nationalism and having David Clanachan droning on about rockem sockem soccer all the time and prompts it to shift over to welcoming in all investors that will help it to be as high a quality league as possible very much in the mainstream of the sport in international terms then it will be a positive watershed moment.

 

Atletico is just as bad a name as Fury.  It has nothing to do with the community, it's identity or it's history.  And it's in a language that's neither french or english.  

I'm glad AM want to be involved and I'm happy Ottawa will have a team, but the name Atletico fails on every level.

 

 

[CanSuffer]

3 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

 If this gets the league to ditch the "By Canadians For Canadians" style nationalism 

Clearly, appealing to Canadians latent but strong self pride as a nation is right on the mark in terms of marketing strategy. What else would you appeal to? Canadians love of the sport of soccer? Quality of play ? And the strategy is working I will say.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

The focus primarily should be on having high quality soccer and not constantly suggesting that our sport has something to apologize for or change to make it work in Canada like David Clanachan does with all the nonsense about diving. Soccer is the greatest sport in the world bar none and will succeed on its merits in any country if played to a high enough standard. As for the strategy working I think something like the Atletico Madrid investment would have helped considerably with York 9, where things clearly aren't working well so far.

Edited January 18, 2020 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Winnipeg Fury]

1 hour ago, CanSuffer said:

Clearly, appealing to Canadians latent but strong self pride as a nation is right on the mark in terms of marketing strategy. What else would you appeal to? Canadians love of the sport of soccer? Quality of play ? And the strategy is working I will say.

 

Take no notice, it's just the never ending trolling he does against CPL.

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

5 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Atletico Madrid are an order of magnitude larger as a club than Rayo Vallecano. I would have been posting stuff along those lines if it had turned out to be Espanyol, but having Atletico involved is a massive step forward for the league in credibility terms. This type of investment wasn't part of the original CSL playbook that often provides a feeling of deja vu where CanPL is concerned and not in a good way.

Actually, Espanyol has pockets as deep as Atlético, Chinese ownership and a great new stadium, one of the nicest mid-sized facilities in Europe. They would have been a perfect fit as well. They are just chronic underacheivers--but like Atlético Madrid in fact, whose nickname is "los colchoneros", the mattresses, because they are always underneath and there is always another on top. 

In any case, a lot of At Madrid fans I am reading on forums here are cynical about this move and the one to Mexico as well. Some argue it is a way of unnecessarily diverting income from the team in Spain, when the club still needs more to really compete with Barça and Madrid. Others say it is the Gil family's way of diverting benefits--they are making money, profits-- into investment, to reduce taxables, or even worse, a form of laundering. In this line many argue it will be short-lived, as the team has no long-term strategy. They don't even need a foothold in Mexico as they have a long history of signing top Mexicans with no difficulties. They don't need San Luis to do that. 

I am not second guessing the move, I am thrilled by it, but I do think we have to be wary and see to what degree they play by the same rules, and show the same sort of apparently long-term committment the original 7 have--since unlike those teams, who need it, the One Soccer deal is chicken feed for them.

 

[Cheeta]

Seems like Clanachan & Co. are on something of a winning streak no?  

The whole season one launch was at every layer all helter-skelter with a lot of stumbles, bumbles, trips & falls HOWEVER, at the end, as a whole, they managed to pull it all off rather successfully I thought.  And we are getting a feeling that so far this close season the powers that be are, behind the curtain, hard at work making the improvements that are necessary.   

You can narrow your focus onto any small degree of the CPL horizon as much as you like to find faults and shortcomings, but the broad sweep of that vista is looking very attractive.  I think so and at least one of the giants of European football is thinking so as well.

Patiently awaiting for this along with the other expansion announcements which are rapidly coming.

Cheeta

P.S.  Scotiabank Canadian Premier League dose have a ring to it, doesn't it?  

    

[Unnamed Trialist]

I agree with Cheeta above that the overall state of things is amazing, we are so lucky to have seen this come through. Which is why it is much better to see growth, movement, every season, just a bit, especially when it comes to expansion.

We are also proving that in a relatively short period a team can be put together. Maybe a team needs to be ready before December, but still: we now have the protocols and experience in place to see a team competiting without needing even a year's lead time.

We need another 5 cities to ride the wave, as with 12 teams we have a strong-enough structure. I don't even think 14 is necessary. I do not even think we'll get to a real second tier ever, or pro-releg either. A twelve team league with stability is fine by me. 

One reason to keep the expansion fees down is to ensure this, as if we price ourselves out we'll simply stall growth, as what we really need are investors improving stadiums, spending their millions on facilities, and players. If money is limited, let the ambitious owner groups in at reasonable fees, but just demand they have a long-term committment, improve facilities, do the right marketing, grow youth soccer in their area, and be competitive. That benefits the entire league more than the existing teams dividing up a few more million between them.

[Macksam]

UT does not think 14 clubs is necessary. What kind of thinking is this? If the demand is there and the support exists, necessity does not factor into the equation. 

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand. 

I am happy Atleti are investing into the league and happy for Ottawa, but, and maybe I'm just being greedy, you'd think Atleti would have went after the lucrative GTA market instead. Perhaps this might be the first of many foreign footholds that will occur.

[toontownman]

2 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Actually, Espanyol has pockets as deep as Atlético, Chinese ownership and a great new stadium, one of the nicest mid-sized facilities in Europe. They would have been a perfect fit as well. They are just chronic underacheivers--but like Atlético Madrid in fact, whose nickname is "los colchoneros", the mattresses, because they are always underneath and there is always another on top. 

In any case, a lot of At Madrid fans I am reading on forums here are cynical about this move and the one to Mexico as well. Some argue it is a way of unnecessarily diverting income from the team in Spain, when the club still needs more to really compete with Barça and Madrid. Others say it is the Gil family's way of diverting benefits--they are making money, profits-- into investment, to reduce taxables, or even worse, a form of laundering. In this line many argue it will be short-lived, as the team has no long-term strategy. They don't even need a foothold in Mexico as they have a long history of signing top Mexicans with no difficulties. They don't need San Luis to do that. 

I am not second guessing the move, I am thrilled by it, but I do think we have to be wary and see to what degree they play by the same rules, and show the same sort of apparently long-term committment the original 7 have--since unlike those teams, who need it, the One Soccer deal is chicken feed for them.

 

Did Ozzie steal your login? Had to scroll up for a second then!

Good info though and never discount the possibilities! 

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, toontownman said:

Did Ozzie steal your login? Had to scroll up for a second then!

Good info though and never discount the possibilities! 

If there is widespread pessimism amongst At Madrid fans, and I report it, that is not the same as being fundamentally pessimistic about CPL. 

You do have to consider that if At Madrid were to have a rough patch in terms of results, and their revenue fell, they could respond by calling in all bets and pulling out of investments that meant less to their immediate fan and sponsorship base.

That said, I suppose there is no reason to think that the committment of a foreign investor is any less solid than that of a local investor. You could argue they have less engagement with the local context. But history has proven that even locals can abandon a project quickly, that leaving your own neighbours without a team need not be a problem for some. 

[baulderdash77]

2 hours ago, Macksam said:

UT does not think 14 clubs is necessary. What kind of thinking is this? If the demand is there and the support exists, necessity does not factor into the equation. 

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand. 

I am happy Atleti are investing into the league and happy for Ottawa, but, and maybe I'm just being greedy, you'd think Atleti would have went after the lucrative GTA market instead. Perhaps this might be the first of many foreign footholds that will occur.

I’ve always been a bit less bullish on pro/rel too though.

I’d rather have say 16 teams in a D1 Canadian League than 8 in D1 and 8 in D2 or something like that.

Mostly I’m more interested in our 7 team league become 8 and eventually 12-14.  If we can get there and have stability then I think Canadian Soccer will be in great shape and we become a perennial World Cup team.  That would make me happy.

 

edit- my *dream* scenario is a 16 team CanPL with both Montreal and Vancouver moving over and having 4 D3 leagues in BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec with a total of 40-50 D3 teams.  That would be Canadian Soccer at its best I think.

Edited January 18, 2020 by baulderdash77

[toontownman]

7 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

You do have to consider that if At Madrid were to have a rough patch in terms of results, and their revenue fell, they could respond by calling in all bets and pulling out of investments that meant less to their immediate fan and sponsorship base.

Yeah, just teasing 😛

I agree, especially with foreign investment being no less of a risk than Canadian. I also do think the above is likely an extreme. If that was any type of possibility you would think they would never invest somewhere to begin with. Both sister clubs have to fund themselves and should be self sufficient entities. They would surely research that and make sure that is the case before they set up another club. 

These type of sister club purchases are surely more about global marketing than much else. As mentioned investment in the CPL is very minimal output for good potential gains. The money right now is a like buying a coffee for a club like them.

Coming back to the foreign investment. I think the CPL can gain most from this and also believe and have trust in those running CPL vetting ownerships to make sure investment is long term and viable in every aspect to benefit the league and Canadian soccer. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

I wanted to comment a bit on Mediapro-At Madrid relations. Which by all accounts seem to be very good. The owner of the club Miguel Angel Gil Marin, son of a former owner, seems to have a positive relationship with Mediapro.

When it comes to La Liga rights, it matters little what sort of relations they have, as all clubs accept the deal, negotiated by the league and not separately. They can complain, but little can be done to really pressure for an alternative tv deal.

But where this breaks down, or where you see what some clubs really think about Mediapro, is with the women's league, now called Primera Iberdrola, as One Soccer subscribers may know. 

At Madrid is one of the top teams, they've won the last three leagues. Barça and Athletic Bilbao are the other strong sides of this century, with Levante maybe fourth in importance. Real Madrid does not have a team quite yet. 

The tv rights were negotiated last spring by an association of 12 clubs, including At Madrid and all but four in top flight. Those opting out were FC Barcelona, Ath Bilbao, Madrid CFF, and Tacón, this latter now affiliated with Real Madrid and will likely become their team starting next season. According to Mediapro, the four teams opting out cannot show any match involving any of the other 12 teams. Thing is, they do, so that Mediapro took Barça to court for showing the home match Barça-Atletico last September. In turn, Mediapro never offers any match involving one of the four "rebel" sides, as the OneSoccer deal makes clear. Meaning, you can't get the best matches in Spanish football on OneSoccer, as they would always have to involve one of the top 3 sides. 

I think that the idea that At Madrid is in with the rest of the women's teams on the deal with Mediapro, does not try to negotiate its own deal though they could, and even being the strongest team potentially in the league (with the biggest potential fanbase as well), suggests that the relationship is good. So it would be likely that At Madrid has entered the CPL through a Mediapro mediation, when that would not have been possible for Barça or Real Madrid. 

 

[m-g-williams]

Team for 2020 confirmed, players already being scouted, plans in place - this might just be the real deal. 🙂

[ray]

^ Yep, Jeff Hunt going on record that CPL will have Ottawa as 8th team in 2020.  He is confirming all the rumours except which foreign club is behind this venture and that work has been going on behind the scenes for months.

Indeed, this seems like the most official statement possible without having a CPL announcement.

[johnyb]

9 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

The focus primarily should be on having high quality soccer and not constantly suggesting that our sport has something to apologize for or change to make it work in Canada like David Clanachan does with all the nonsense about diving. Soccer is the greatest sport in the world bar none and will succeed on its merits in any country if played to a high enough standard. As for the strategy working I think something like the Atletico Madrid investment would have helped considerably with York 9, where things clearly aren't working well so far.

I agree with him on this one. Diving in Soccer is an embarrassment to the sport and is one of the few things about the sport that needs to be fixed.