CPL inaugural match - #1 attended match for 2019?

[1996]

2 minutes ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

Inex Canada was exhibitions only. After that I think during the 1985 season (?) the Blizzard purchased the Dynamo Latino franchise in the NSL and played as the Toronto Blizzard in that league in 1986 prior to joining the CSL in 1987.

Dinamo Latino lol ya definitely remember them , did London have a team in the old NASL?

[Robert]

3 minutes ago, gator said:

The team only played exhibition games!

Friday, August 23, 1985

JAMES DAVIDSON

By JAMES DAVIDSON Although Inex Canada's first, and perhaps, last season was largely unprofitable, club president Edward Cavalier says his venture into professional soccer didn't cost as much as he had expected.

 

Inex finished play earlier this month with a 2-3-3 record in a series of exhibition games against international competition.

Though home attendance at Toronto's Varsity Stadium averaged only about 6,000, it was enough to please Cavalier. ''When we started, we calculated we'd have an average of 4,000 per game,'' said Cavalier, who is also chairman of Inex Technologies Inc., a high-tech firm. ''Over all, it was a pleasant surprise and I'm not just saying that.'' Cavalier pumped about $1-million into the team, which rose this spring to provide an employment opportunity for Canada's World Cup players and to fill a professional soccer void left by the demise of the North American Soccer League and the Toronto Blizzard. ''My purpose wasn't to make money. If I expected to make money, I wouldn't have got into soccer,'' Cavalier said. ''There's no way I lost a million dollars on it. I don't think I lost a quarter of that.'' Since the team's bookwork is not completed, an exact loss figure has not been determined.

Cavalier is noncommital about his 1986 plans. ''As far as I'm concerned, we've fulfilled our commitment to the national team. As far as there being an Inex Canada team next year, I really don't know.'' Cavalier said he'd like to see both a revamped North American league and a new Canadian soccer circuit in place with Toronto franchises for 1986. But he doesn't see himself as an owner in that scenario. A sponsor's role appeals more to him. ''If anything, I'd like to be a number-one supporter or number- one fan of whatever comes up.'' The Canadian Soccer Association has talked of forming a new national league, but it is far from a certainty for next year. Another North American League is also unlikely so soon after the NASL's death.

So it is quite possible the same soccer circumstances will prevail in Toronto next season.

The key to Cavalier's further involvement with an Inex team appears to be Canada's performance in the current qualifying round for the World Cup.

Canada plays its second match of a four-game, final-round series Sunday in Honduras. In its first match last week, Canada tied Costa Rica 1-1.

If Canada wins the series and qualifies for the 1986 Cup in Mexico, then Inex could again serve a purpose as a place for national-team players to keep in competitive shape.

Cavalier's only hint of his intentions was to say, ''If I get involved again, it will be something to do with the national-team program.'' The 1985 season would have been more successful financially if Inex hadn't been late in starting up, Cavalier said. ''If we had had another two or three months to prepare and line up more sponsors, we could have broken even.''

[1996]

7 minutes ago, Robert said:

Friday, August 23, 1985

JAMES DAVIDSON

By JAMES DAVIDSON Although Inex Canada's first, and perhaps, last season was largely unprofitable, club president Edward Cavalier says his venture into professional soccer didn't cost as much as he had expected.

 

Inex finished play earlier this month with a 2-3-3 record in a series of exhibition games against international competition.

Though home attendance at Toronto's Varsity Stadium averaged only about 6,000, it was enough to please Cavalier. ''When we started, we calculated we'd have an average of 4,000 per game,'' said Cavalier, who is also chairman of Inex Technologies Inc., a high-tech firm. ''Over all, it was a pleasant surprise and I'm not just saying that.'' Cavalier pumped about $1-million into the team, which rose this spring to provide an employment opportunity for Canada's World Cup players and to fill a professional soccer void left by the demise of the North American Soccer League and the Toronto Blizzard. ''My purpose wasn't to make money. If I expected to make money, I wouldn't have got into soccer,'' Cavalier said. ''There's no way I lost a million dollars on it. I don't think I lost a quarter of that.'' Since the team's bookwork is not completed, an exact loss figure has not been determined.

Cavalier is noncommital about his 1986 plans. ''As far as I'm concerned, we've fulfilled our commitment to the national team. As far as there being an Inex Canada team next year, I really don't know.'' Cavalier said he'd like to see both a revamped North American league and a new Canadian soccer circuit in place with Toronto franchises for 1986. But he doesn't see himself as an owner in that scenario. A sponsor's role appeals more to him. ''If anything, I'd like to be a number-one supporter or number- one fan of whatever comes up.'' The Canadian Soccer Association has talked of forming a new national league, but it is far from a certainty for next year. Another North American League is also unlikely so soon after the NASL's death.

So it is quite possible the same soccer circumstances will prevail in Toronto next season.

The key to Cavalier's further involvement with an Inex team appears to be Canada's performance in the current qualifying round for the World Cup.

Canada plays its second match of a four-game, final-round series Sunday in Honduras. In its first match last week, Canada tied Costa Rica 1-1.

If Canada wins the series and qualifies for the 1986 Cup in Mexico, then Inex could again serve a purpose as a place for national-team players to keep in competitive shape.

Cavalier's only hint of his intentions was to say, ''If I get involved again, it will be something to do with the national-team program.'' The 1985 season would have been more successful financially if Inex hadn't been late in starting up, Cavalier said. ''If we had had another two or three months to prepare and line up more sponsors, we could have broken even.''

Nice find!

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

2 minutes ago, 1996 said:

Dinamo Latino lol ya definitely remember them , did London have a team in the old NASL?

First German-Canadians and then London City (one of my cousins played for them) under Marcus Gauss at the German club from around 72 to 83 and then London Marconi, who won it I think around 1987 but dropped out not long after. City started up again under Harry Gauss in 1990 the same year the Lasers entered the CSL, but the NSL was a bit of a joke at that point beyond Italia and Croatia. City carried on through the CNSL and CPSL years.

[Robert]

I wonder if Edward Cavalier is still around, and if he is still involved with soccer? The guy deserves to be in The Soccer Hall of Fame!

The CPL sure could use a few men like him.

[Robert]

It seems this story had a sad ending:

High flier owes millions in taxes

00:00 EST Friday, April 04, 1986

Inex Technologies Inc. was created by Edward Cavalier in 1984. Within a year, the company stunned the computer industry as it obtained millions through the SRTC program, bought expensive buildings and condominiums, acquired state-of-the-art equipment and lured top professionals on to its staff with high salaries and such perks as expensive cars.

Mr. Cavalier, who had a net worth of only $50 and narrowly escaped bankruptcy only a year before he created Inex, moved into a $300,000 condominium, began driving a $55,000 Lotus Turbo Esprit car and sponsored the Inex Canada soccer team.

Today, Mr. Cavalier, 27, has traded in the Lotus for a cheaper Audi, the soccer team no longer exists, and the young entrepreneur is scrambling to find cash to keep Inex alive. He has tried unsuccessfully to raise capital in North America and Europe.

The Department of National Revenue has registered a $35,234,441 lien on the company's four-story building on Church Street in Toronto and on two business condominiums Inex owns on Carlton Street. The Church Street building was bought for $3.6-million and the condominiums, which occupy two floors of an office block, were bought for $7.8-million. The building and the condominiums are now for sale.

Staff at Inex has been drastically reduced, both by firings and the loss of employees to other jobs. One office condominium is empty. The other is rented out.

Mr. Cavalier could not be reached for comment and nobody else at Inex was willing to be interviewed yesterday.

Meanwhile, Mr. Cavalier's older brother, Claude, has filed two mechanic's liens on the Inex properties, saying the company owes him $431,922 for work he did remodelling the properties.

"Brothers are brothers, but business is business," Claude Cavalier said, adding that he faces bankruptcy if Inex does not pay him.

Claude Cavalier incorporated a contracting company, Matrix Development Corp., when his brother said he could do the remodelling if he wanted to.

According to court documents, Inex was to pay Matrix $1,940,602 to remodel the Church Street building. The contract called for Inex to pay Matrix's costs "plus a fee equal to 50 per cent of such cost." Matrix says it is still owed $309,786 on the contract.

The documents show Inex was to pay Matrix $316,179 to remodel the condominium offices. The contract called for Inex to pay Matrix's costs plus a fee of 20 per cent "of such cost." Matrix says it is owed $35,380 for the work.

"Basically, they ran out of money before I got my money," Claude Cavalier said. "It came down to me saying, 'Ed, you've got to pay me.' And he said, 'I've got to pay my people or I'm going out of business.' To put it in a nutshell, he doesn't have anything."

Income tax officials will not discuss Inex, citing the secrecy provisions of the Income Tax Act. But Claude Cavalier said the Department of National Revenue is virtually in partnership with his brother in an effort to save the company and avoid the political embarrassment of seeing the company go under in a blaze of adverse publicity. "They're working together, hand in hand," he said.

Edward Cavalier is the Toronto- born son of poor Sicilian immigrants (the family name was originally Cavalieri). He has no formal training in computer technology, but he has tried for years to develop a system that would permit low-cost access to electronic data-bank systems around the world.

Inex was to use the $32.5-million it raised through the sale of scientific research tax credits to develop the system. The company was supposed to match the $32.5-million with funds it raised itself. Despite extensive efforts, the company has so far been unable to attract investors and it is running out of money to continue research.

The tax credit was introduced by the former Liberal government in April, 1983, to encourage investment in research and development by providing a lucrative 50 per cent tax credit on such expenditures. The Conservative Government killed the program this year after heavy criticism of the scheme.

Since then, income tax officials have identified between $400-million and $500-million in claims for the credit that "could be in jeopardy." They say about $120-million of that total has been recovered to date through legal action.

[1996]

1 minute ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

First German-Canadians and then London City (one of my cousins played for them) under Marcus Gauss at the German club from around 72 to 83 and then London Marconi, who won it I think around 1987 but dropped out not long after. City started up again under Harry Gauss in 1990 the same year the Lasers entered the CSL, but the NSL was a bit of a joke at that point beyond Italia and Croatia. City carried on through the CNSL and CPSL years.

Ok I remember following the NSL a bit back in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Your right the NSL and then CPSL was not the same competively in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. I was involved with one of the CPSL teams in the late 90’s and apart from Ottawa and the Toronto Olympians the other teams were just not very good, but London under Harry Gauss was probably one of the weaker teams every year .

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

City would have struggled in WOSL premier. Not even close to having London's best players at the time. Harry Gauss had no money to pay players and that's a problem when a league is claiming to be pro. CanPL does seem to be walking the walk on being fully pro even if budgets are a lot lower than initially expected judging by who is being signed. It will be interesting to see if they can make it fly. Other than excluding MLS affiliates, they seem to be making sensible decisions for the most part.

[matty]

how is this thread still going? why was this not done as a simple poll lol

[Robert]

32 minutes ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

City would have struggled in WOSL premier. Not even close to having London's best players at the time. Harry Gauss had no money to pay players and that's a problem when a league is claiming to be pro. CanPL does seem to be walking the walk on being fully pro even if budgets are a lot lower than initially expected judging by who is being signed. It will be interesting to see if they can make it fly. Other than excluding MLS affiliates, they seem to be making sensible decisions for the most part.

This of course is the big dilemma for the CanPL. Throughout the six-year existence of the CSL, the Winnipeg Fury proved to be one of the only solid franchises, in spite of starting with an all-amateur roster that included the following (based on the cover of a Fury program shown above):

Jeff Cambridge, Chris Harris, Joe Poplawski, Daniel Courtois, Han Kim, Neil Munro, Jim Zinko, Tony Nocita, Des Clarke,Alex Bustos, Chico Andrade, Paul Clarke, John Berti, Dave Knock and Mike Conway.

Recognize any names? Not exactly household names. To me resembles the rosters of most of this year's CanPL teams. Therefore, if you are going to launch an entire league comprised entirely of non-drawing-name players, then how do you expect to develop and improve these players without experienced professionals playing alongside and against them? 

 

[1996]

1 hour ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

City would have struggled in WOSL premier. Not even close to having London's best players at the time. Harry Gauss had no money to pay players and that's a problem when a league is claiming to be pro. CanPL does seem to be walking the walk on being fully pro even if budgets are a lot lower than initially expected judging by who is being signed. It will be interesting to see if they can make it fly. Other than excluding MLS affiliates, they seem to be making sensible decisions for the most part.

Ya definitely Harry no money to pay their players, and your right that team would have struggled in the local London area league . I think London Portuguese was the best London team at the time , we are talking the late 90’s now. Definitely the best London area players were not playing for Harry Gauss’s London City . I remember Harry would always talk about how he had a lot of young players on his team and he was always about giving younger players a chance,  but the reason he was going with a very young squad was because these young kids played for free while the older much better players in the London area wanted to get paid , so Harry didn’t bother with the older more established London area players. But that whole CPSL was a farce and apart from a couple of teams the rest would have struggled in any local men’s top amateur league at the time.

[kacbru]

1 hour ago, matty said:

how is this thread still going? why was this not done as a simple poll lol

It's a stream of consciousness, but really interesting.  I'm enjoying and learning lots from some of these wild tangents.

[Admin]

1 hour ago, matty said:

how is this thread still going? why was this not done as a simple poll lol

[Robert]

On 2/14/2019 at 4:11 PM, Robert said:

Canadian Soccer League (Match #1)

Sunday, June 7, 1987 - Aydelu Park, Aylmer, Quebec - Attendance 2,502

National Capital Pioneers -- 1 (John Roumelis)

Hamilton Steelers ----------- 1 (Bill Domazetis)

 

Canadian Soccer League (Match #2)

Sunday, June 7, 1987 - Varsity Stadium, Toronto, Ontario - Attendance 4,326

Toronto Blizzard ----- 1 (Luis Lufi)

North York Rockets -- 1 (Zoltan Meszaros)

 

Canadian Soccer League (Match #3)

Sunday, June 7, 1987 - Mewata Stadium, Calgary, Alberta - Attendance 3,200

Calgary Kickers --- 2 (John Catliff, Chris Daniel)

Winnipeg Fury ----- 1 (Desi Clarke)

 

Canadian Soccer League (Match #4)

Sunday, June 7, 1987 - Swangard Stadium, Burnaby, British Columbia - Attendance 7,636

Vancouver 86ers ------ 4 (Carl Valentine 2, Ivor Evans, Dominic Mobilio)

Edmonton Brick Men -- 2 (Robert Ongaro, Ray Hudson)

 

Canadian Soccer League (Match #5)

Sunday, June 14, 1987 - Aydelu Park, Aylmer, Quebec - Attendance 2,200

National Capital Pioneers -- 3 (John Roumelis, Ed McNally, Mark Purdy)

North York Rockets --------- 1 (Zoltan Meszaros)

[Guest]

Are we going to get the entire season Robert? Just wondering.

[Robert]

8 minutes ago, dsqpr said:

Are we going to get the entire season Robert? Just wondering.

Canadian Soccer League (Match #6)

Sunday, June 14, 1987 - Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton, Ontario - Attendance 4,500

Hamilton Steelers ---- 2 (Zeljko Adzic, Bill Domazetis)

Toronto Blizzard ------ 1 (Luis Lufi)

[gator]

I know it looks like us old bastards have hijacked the thread with nostalgia from past Canadian football clubs, I think it is important to know what did and didn't work in the past and appeal to the new demographics of potential audiences for our brand new league!

[Robert]

1 hour ago, gator said:

I know it looks like us old bastards have hijacked the thread with nostalgia from past Canadian football clubs, I think it is important to know what did and didn't work in the past and appeal to the new demographics of potential audiences for our brand new league!

LEST WE FORGET

For those who fail to understand the point behind this thread, the hope is to avoid a repeat of the following scenario (once in a lifetime is enough):

The Canadian Soccer League officially salvaged the London franchise for the 1992 CSL season Tuesday.

The London Lasers, who were attempting to return to the CSL after a one-year leave of absence, were on the verge of folding because of financial difficulties until Tuesday's 11th-hour intervention by the league and the Canadian Soccer Association.,

Under the agreement, the five other CSL teams will "subsidize" the team financially while the CSA will provide the bulk of the players from Canada's under-20 national team.

Paul James, who has played the last five seasons in the CSL, was named the playing coach of the Lasers.

The 28-year-old James, who played for Canada at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, played 27 games for the Toronto Blizzard last season. He was a player/coach with Ottawa of the CSL in 1989.

86ers general manager/coach Bob Lenarduzzi supports the CSL/CSA partnership to save London.

"The five CSL teams are committed to putting some funding towards London along with the assistance of the CSA," said Lenarduzzi.

Lenarduzzi said the funding to save London will come out of the five other team's existing league fees, which is $65,000 per team.

London's return gives the CSL six teams for the 1992 season. League play begins Sunday.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Robert said:

LEST WE FORGET

For those who fail to understand the point behind this thread, the hope is to avoid a repeat of the following scenario...

I'd be interested to know how you think this thread will accomplish that lofty goal.

[Rocket Robin]

The Toronto Star had a story about Paul James sometime before Christmas as a homeless man living at Coronation Park near the CNE grounds and going to kill himself within a short time.  

I didn't hear anything more so I'm guessing he's still alive.  

He was an early encourager or my posting my Toronto Lynx summaries to message boards (pre internet days).   

[Bison44]

I thought it was wondering about if the the highest attended game would be the inaugural match??  It must have digressed somewhat.  

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Bison44 said:

I thought it was wondering about if the the highest attended game would be the inaugural match??  It must have digressed somewhat.  

You must have foolishly inferred that from the thread title.

[gator]

I have a feeling this is much bigger than the CSL launch  for several reasons not the least of which is sustainability, this league will draw from a much greater player pool and have larger potential audience with owners with deeper pockets!

[Robert]

11 minutes ago, dsqpr said:

You must have foolishly inferred that from the thread title.

If as some of the earlier replies in this thread are correct in predicting that the CPL's inaugural match is going to be the highest attended match this season, which means it all downhill from there. That kind of momentum will undoubtedly lead to the following:

Keating, Jack.The Province; Vancouver, B.C. 26 Nov 1992: B4.

The Canadian Soccer League may not operate in 1993.

After six years of operation, the financially-strapped CSL is considering whether to disband for the '93 season.

The league will convene a meeting Dec. 9 in Toronto to ponder its shaky future and one of the options it's considering is to take a one-year leave of absence much like a handful of teams in the CSL have done in the league's six-year history.

Unfortunately, all those teams that took a so-called one-year leave of absence - Calgary Strikers, Edmonton Brick Men, Ottawa Intrepid, Hamilton Steelers, Kitchener Kickers, Nova Scotia Clippers, Victoria Vistas - never resurfaced.

"Dec.9 is the day we either go ahead or stay behind. Stay behind means just take a year out and regroup again," said CSL vice- president Tony Fontana Wednesday after convening a "disappointing" conference call with the five remaining teams that was supposed to decide their future. Fontana, said it's uncertain whether the CSL will operate next year.

"We have a very big problem with the recession," said Fontana, who is also owner of the North York Rockets. "So soccer is the first to suffer. These (CSL) people are nearly bankrupt, all of them. We are in a very bad financial pinch."

Fontana says it costs $300,0000 to operate a CSL franchise.

Citing the fact CSL teams couldn't commit for the '93 season, the Vancouver 86ers left the league in October to join the American Professional Soccer League.

The Toronto Blizzard officially applied to the APSL Tuesday while the Montreal Supra are also considering the American option.

The CSL began its first season in 1987 with eight teams, expanding to a high of 11 teams in 1990. Six teams - Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, North York, and London competed in 1992.

Fontana said that an expansion group from Burnaby/Coquitlam will be part of the CSL in '93 if the league operates. A Kelowna bid was withdrawn after being unable to post a $25,000 bond, said Fontana.

[Robert]

2 minutes ago, gator said:

I have a feeling this is much bigger than the CSL launch  for several reasons not the least of which is sustainability, this league will draw from a much greater player pool and have larger potential audience with owners with deeper pockets!

I hope you're right. Would I bet any money it? ... I don't need to answer that, do I?