CPL Playing During the Coronavirus/Covid19 Pandemic

[CDNFootballer]

So Bundesliga (May 9), Series A (May 18), and K-League (May 8th) are set to possibly return to action, UFC is back weekly starting May 9th with UFC 249, league's in Nicaragua and Belarus continue on without stopping and other league's are planning for returns as well.

When and how will CPL return and what will the restrictions look like for it and other league's going forward in this time of the Coronavirus/Covid19 pandemic over the next year or two?

I'll predict they will most likely wait until restricted fan access is allowed and rapid test kits are readily available. Likely fans will at first deal with a seat or two between them and an alternating empty row of seats depending on if 25% or 50% capacity is allowed. Theaters that are opening in Texas are dealing with 25% in the first phase and 50% in the second. So depending on regulations, capacity for CPL at some stadiums around 1500/3000 roughly with York9 750/1500 and the larger stadiums for Valour and Forge possibly at similar levels if the use both sides with social distance seating.

Test kits need to be readily available so if a club has a player who gets the virus then the rest of the organization would need to be quickly tested and any more positives if any quarantined.

Will be interesting to see how the worlds sports league's move forward and play in the next few months and years and how they do so.

[Unnamed Trialist]

The league has a concrete problem, beyond the health question: what does it need to break even this season? Or cut losses enough to make 2021 still viable for all 8 clubs?

I don't think this is a closed door league. Perhaps the funds from Mediapro are enough to run the league, but that is not the point. This league needs fans, for the income, the enthusiasm, for the vision CPL wants to offer for Canadian soccer, and to help move forward in terms of attracting new clubs in different cities. 

If that takes the league into mid July or August to begin with fans in the stands, even if numbers are reduced, it still leaves the first problem: can CPL clubs survive and pay a full season wages for a half season of gates? Are players going to accept this half salary, which may be the only way to be able to play at all this year?

[Mikmacdo]

Maybe the government can help.offset the costs of no fans or a lack of fans this season. The CFL just asked for 150 million. 

[Bison44]

It isnt a closed door league, but the option might be no games at all,  If they can have some closed matches, get content out there on One soccer then at least they are protecting that media pro deal, getting some fans excited and reminding everyone we still have a league.  You would have no gate, but you would have something out for the public to chew on until you could have fans.  Its a big sh#t sandwich and we all have to take a bite.  Owners will have to take bigger losses and players will be lucky to be paid reduced wages for half a season.  The same as any other business dealing with the public in a situation like this.  

[Cheeta]

Unless everything goes really, really, badly with the relaxing of social distancing in May I just can't see the stamina for social distancing carrying on into summer.  Some regions will respond better than others but as sporting events around the world come gradually back on-line I suspect the urge to re-launch the leagues is going to be overwhelming. 

Which means foolish or wise we're going to get back to footie this summer. 

As mentioned its hard to visualize CanPL returning to the stadiums with any overt restrictions on public access, and those decisions aren't really in their hands, but the pressure will certainly be on to return to normal (as it were).  

Equally hard to predict is the public response.  Standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers may be a hard sell after all the conditioning we've been through.  Or not.  Who knows?

The league will have to be dililgent of course.  I'm not sure a positive test here or there is going to cause any sort of panic by that point, medical protocals may have changed by summer in that regard, but it could be pretty devistating if a team is taken out of competiton by a positive test so...

We really are learning more each day.  It may only be wishful thinking but thirty days from now we all might be surprised at how this tragic start to 2020 has turned around 180 degrees.      

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

3 hours ago, Cheeta said:

Unless everything goes really, really, badly with the relaxing of social distancing in May I just can't see the stamina for social distancing carrying on into summer.  Some regions will respond better than others but as sporting events around the world come gradually back on-line I suspect the urge to re-launch the leagues is going to be overwhelming. 

Which means foolish or wise we're going to get back to footie this summer. 

As mentioned its hard to visualize CanPL returning to the stadiums with any overt restrictions on public access, and those decisions aren't really in their hands, but the pressure will certainly be on to return to normal (as it were).  

With the obvious exception of Halifax, most CanPL crowds could probably do social distancing quite effectively especially where CFL stadia are involved. The main issue is that players can't social distance to play the game properly, so governments would have to show some flexibility in that regard. It will probably have to be the CFL that sets the precedent.

[Impactsupporter]

https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/2020/4/28/21240086/2020-season-looking-ever-less-likely-to-resume

This coming from a doctor from FIFA!

 

[SpursFlu]

I think that's more in reference of UEFA timelines. At a certain point it makes more sense to just shut down, cut your losses and prepare for September. I think UEFA has set an end of July to play the past season and Cup competitions. CPL, MLS, Brasileirao are in a different boat. They play a calendar season

[top cheese]

Mb premier announced as part of reopening that no major sports events, concerts or festival until September 

[CDNFootballer]

 

[SpursFlu]

4 hours ago, top cheese said:

Mb premier announced as part of reopening that no major sports events, concerts or festival until September 

There wont be crowds that's for sure. Hoping for crowds before the end of the year but not likely 

Edited April 29, 2020 by SpursFlu

[Watchmen]

3 hours ago, CDNFootballer said:

 

That maybe answers the question on player participation.  It doesn't yet answer if it's financially viable for the league to play in front of empty stadiums.  And that seems to be about the only way most leagues will play for the foreseeable future.

[Bison44]

How much are they going to lose if they dont play at all?  If there are no games to broadcast and everyone forgets we have a league, sponsors dry up and the fans move on??  If its possible to safely play games behind closed doors if they have to  , its might still be worth losing a bit more eh? This isnt like europe where the seasons were winding down, this will be a season wiped out, momentum lost etc.  If the teams can get practicing in may/june, start playing somewhere in July or Aug, at least you mark your territory and have something to build on for 2021.  And we are all hoping a vacine next winter will let the CPL have a normal season then.  

[Bison44]

4 hours ago, CDNFootballer said:

 

I dont know about that..it sure seems on corners or free kicks arent they wrestling and pulling jerseys for a good 20-30 seconds every time??  I guess if your not marking the guy whos infected you are ok... 😕

[SpursFlu]

50 minutes ago, Bison44 said:

I dont know about that..it sure seems on corners or free kicks arent they wrestling and pulling jerseys for a good 20-30 seconds every time??  I guess if your not marking the guy whos infected you are ok... 😕

Actually if you read the report or I guess a summary of the report. It was done by leading biologists you learn how difficult it is to actually transmit the virus from someone in outdoor spaces. It says even if you're within the 2 meters of someone without directly swapping germs(kissing, licking, spitting, coughing) you would need to stay in that space for 15 straight minutes before it was likely to transmit the virus. I stand to be corrected because I'm pulling it from memory. I encourage people to seek out and read. Shocked or maybe not shocked that espn ot tsn have not featured it because at least its the first comprehensive study I've heard of relating to sports that has come out

Here it is. Too lazy to edit my comment if I was wrong 

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.thelocal.dk/20200429/top-virologist-calls-for-danish-superliga-to-restart-after-study/amp

http://cphpost.dk/?p=113573

Edited April 30, 2020 by SpursFlu

[Bison44]

Ok, here is what i am picturing every corner kick all day long. 

[T_Bison]

If I had to guess (and I'm not arguing the morality & what ifs - purely tea leaf reading):

League will start training camps early-June, July kick-off with games being closed door affairs in the jurisdictions that are not allowing it and reduced capacity everywhere else, September all games open to public at reduced capacity.

[Mikmacdo]

10 minutes ago, T_Bison said:

If I had to guess (and I'm not arguing the morality & what ifs - purely tea leaf reading):

League will start training camps early-June, July kick-off with games being closed door affairs in the jurisdictions that are not allowing it and reduced capacity everywhere else, September all games open to public at reduced capacity.

I cant see the CPL doing any closed door games, maybe if they get money from the government they can do that and then I could see a july or Aug kickoff with hopefully 14 game season. 

[Stouffvillain]

I don't think that the season is going to operate without restrictions at any point this year. 

Forge and Valour have the stadiums to accommodate social distancing.  York and Edmonton's attendances could accommodate social distancing (based on last years numbers).

I would think that the $15 million the league asked for would be the cost to run the league with closed doors.  

[SpursFlu]

2 hours ago, neuker said:

How many non-European players compete in the world's elite leagues? It is unimaginable what the consequences would be if one or more star players from Barcelona, Real Madrid , Juventus or Bayern were to get inflected with Covid 19 and end up dying from it. 

What's so unimaginable about that?

[SpursFlu]

8 minutes ago, neuker said:

You're kidding, right? What if it happened to be Messi, Hazard, Cristiano Ronaldo or Davies? 

As apposed to the 200k + who have died?

Oh wait I'm talking to Robert. Yah going back to your original post. Yah let's keep those Europeans and their Milan Virus locked down. Keep em away from all the none euros. I'm with ya. They're so dirty. I hear patient zero got it from a pepperoni pizza, Napoli style crust

Edited April 30, 2020 by SpursFlu

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Setting aside that angle how many supremely fit 18-35 year olds are dying from COVID19? It's a short career so I suspect the players at top European clubs will think they are bullet proof on this and will very much want the gravy train running again ASAP. The real problem is likely to be the virus getting transmitted widely between younger fans that ignore social distancing and wind up doing the Poznan or something like that who then take it back home to grandma.

[T_Bison]

6 hours ago, Mikmacdo said:

I cant see the CPL doing any closed door games, maybe if they get money from the government they can do that and then I could see a july or Aug kickoff with hopefully 14 game season. 

I would expect that, yes. I would also expect that they quietly had been talking to the government about some help (since they all probably would qualify under the small & medium business rules individually) and once the CFL announced everything they probably had to say something. Asking for 1/10th of the amount of the CFL seems quite sane publicity-wise and they could quite possibly get it.

In addition, imagine if the CPL gets itself going beginning of July and none of the other summer leagues in North America get going until September. I can't imagine the exposure!

5 hours ago, Stouffvillain said:

I don't think that the season is going to operate without restrictions at any point this year. 

Forge and Valour have the stadiums to accommodate social distancing.  York and Edmonton's attendances could accommodate social distancing (based on last years numbers).

I would think that the $15 million the league asked for would be the cost to run the league with closed doors.  

100% this. I expect there to be social distancing which will only be problematic with Halifax & Pacific (I think).

[SpursFlu]

35 minutes ago, neuker said:

Remind me, where did I post that?

Robert look out your window. I'm across the street at the other troll farm. Wave. It's like the intersection with 2 Starbucks kiddy corner from each other. Cool right. Hey, let's start an argument about race or something. Get everyone fired up since they're all tense and angry from being locked in their house for 2 months. What side you wanna pick this time?

[CDNFootballer]

10 hours ago, neuker said:

How many non-European players compete in the world's elite leagues? It is unimaginable what the consequences would be if one or more star players from Barcelona, Real Madrid , Juventus or Bayern were to get inflected with Covid 19 and end up dying from it. 

They can get the virus from shopping, family, etc and other places and that can happen. Most don't die from it, and the sport of football is less likely of the major team sports where one could catch the virus being outdoors and mostly non contact in comparison.

Players will likely contract the virus tho but the key is using rapid testing for the rest of the club to isolate right away those that may be positive.