CPL 2022 Season Attendance

[Aird25]

30 minutes ago, Ansem said:

We could just celebrate this attendance win instead of trying to dissect on how "unusual" it is or "question the source". Can we for once be happy for that market - just f'n once?

Deleted

Edited August 8, 2022 by Aird25

[Kingston]

18 hours ago, Ansem said:

We could just celebrate this attendance win instead of trying to dissect on how "unusual" it is or "question the source". Can we for once be happy for that market - just f'n once?

Speaking for myself, if I'm asking about the source it's because I like to track attendance so I'm trying to find out if there's another reputable source that reports it since the league is quite slow and/or doesn't always report attendances.

The crowd was excellent and should be celebrated.  It's the highest ever for Atletico and shows they are both trending in the right direction and, critically, breaking past the 5000 sustainability line.

If we look at Ottawa as a market and also consider the Fury games, this is the tenth highest all time attendance for a league match.  (There were also a couple of Canadian Championship games against TFC with bigger crowds.)  That's really good for a team that is new and appears to be successfully growing its attendance.

From a CPL perspective, it is the largest non-Halifax crowd since season one.  That's fantastic.  I'm dreaming of the day when one of the teams (probably Ottawa or Hamilton) achieves a critical mass of fans and becomes an off-the-field flagship with crowds that sometimes break 10 000.

[Haligonian#1]

7 hours ago, Kingston said:

Speaking for myself, if I'm asking about the source it's because I like to track attendance so I'm trying to find out if there's another reputable source that reports it since the league is quite slow and/or doesn't always report attendances.

The crowd was excellent and should be celebrated.  It's the highest ever for Atletico and shows they are both trending in the right direction and, critically, breaking past the 5000 sustainability line.

If we look at Ottawa as a market and also consider the Fury games, this is the tenth highest all time attendance for a league match.  (There were also a couple of Canadian Championship games against TFC with bigger crowds.)  That's really good for a team that is new and appears to be successfully growing its attendance.

From a CPL perspective, it is the largest non-Halifax crowd since season one.  That's fantastic.  I'm dreaming of the day when one of the teams (probably Ottawa or Hamilton) achieves a critical mass of fans and becomes an off-the-field flagship with crowds that sometimes break 10 000.

Why do people from Ontario always assume that the team that would be first to sustain 10,000 in attendance would be from Ontario? Reality check, Halifax has been consistently churning out 6,000+attendances and often sell-out. With a fast growing population (we are likely to add 20,000 people this year), we will hit 500,000 by the end of the year, and 600,000 at the current growth rate shouldn't be far behind. In reality 6,000 as a high mark for a city like Ottawa, which has a population of over 1.2 million people, is a bit of an embarrassment. You might as well not consider yourself a soccer city.

 

I am glad they are trending in the right direction, but there is much work left to be done.

[Haligonian#1]

2 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

Why do people from Ontario always assume that the team that would be first to sustain 10,000 in attendance would be from Ontario? Reality check, Halifax has been consistently churning out 6,000+attendances and often sell-out. With a fast growing population (we are likely to add 20,000 people this year), we will hit 500,000 by the end of the year, and 600,000 at the current growth rate shouldn't be far behind. In reality 6,000 as a high mark for a city like Ottawa, which has a population of over 1.2 million people, is a bit of an embarrassment. You might as well not consider yourself a soccer city.

 

I am glad they are trending in the right direction, but there is much work left to be done.

Actually latest population estimates have Ottawa at close to 1.5 million in population. Therefore, in order to impress me, it would need to attract 15,000 fans consistently, which would still be less to what Halifax is attracting proportionally.

[RS]

35 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

Why do people from Ontario always assume that the team that would be first to sustain 10,000 in attendance would be from Ontario?

Stadium capacity.

Halifax simply cannot draw more than 6,500~ now, regardless of the odd dick-measuring contest you just started.

[Obinna]

11 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

Actually latest population estimates have Ottawa at close to 1.5 million in population. Therefore, in order to impress me, it would need to attract 15,000 fans consistently, which would still be less to what Halifax is attracting proportionally.

Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton, 3 cities with metro areas of roughly 1.5 million, are not going to attract 15k fans anytime soon, we all know that. Yes that would be required to match Halifax proportionally, but to me that's not a fair way to judge things.

This is because Halifax, in my opinion, enjoys a "small market" bump. Growing up in a small city myself (St. John's), I realize that few professional sports typically leads to high attendance figures for the few options that do exist. Nova Scotians deserve all the credit in the world, so don't get me wrong. I just think you may perhaps want to factor the small market bump into your analysis.

An anecdotal story to demonstrate my "small market bump" theory:

When St. John's, Newfoundland hosted the 2002 National Challenge Cup, the final was attended by an estimated 10k people. This was at pre-renovated King George V which could host maybe 8k maximum. Where did they remaining 2k squeeze in? Anywhere they could find room! I even recall seeing in people perched atop nearby garages or sheds to get a peak of the action!

Point being is that it was a massive event in the city. Why? Because nothing exciting happens there! 

I can almost guarantee the final match of that tournament has never been so well attended, especially in places like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, or even Halifax.

The smaller the city, the more people are going to show up for events, by and large. This is why I won't be surprised to see Saskatoon match (if not exceed) the solid attendance numbers that Halifax has put up. 

[Tigers]

What teams could physically fit 10,000 without building or moving? Hamilton, Ottawa, Winnipeg. And Hamilton and Ottawa seem a bit further than Winnipeg in that regard. 

[Kingston]

13 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

Why do people from Ontario always assume that the team that would be first to sustain 10,000 in attendance would be from Ontario? Reality check, Halifax has been consistently churning out 6,000+attendances and often sell-out. With a fast growing population (we are likely to add 20,000 people this year), we will hit 500,000 by the end of the year, and 600,000 at the current growth rate shouldn't be far behind. In reality 6,000 as a high mark for a city like Ottawa, which has a population of over 1.2 million people, is a bit of an embarrassment. You might as well not consider yourself a soccer city.

It has nothing to do with my province of residence and everything to do with the numbers I see.

The short version of why I think the first team to regularly break 10 000 is likely to be Ottawa or Hamilton is:

Halifax won't hit 10 000 in a stadium that seats 6500.  Also, they frequently have crowds in the upper 5000s.  That suggests that their natural crowd range is something like 5500 to 7500, not 8000 to 10 000 with only the stadium holding them back.  So they are amazing, especially for the size of the city, but I don't see them becoming the first 10 000 attendance team.

Winnipeg has a potentially large venue and showed promise in season one but is now passing 3000 in the wrong direction.  York and the non-Winnipeg western teams face stadium size constraints.  Also, none of them are popping the occasional big crowd that suggests buoyant growth.  I deem them unlikely to be the first to 10 000.

Hamilton has not impressed in the league game crowd department this year but has a big stadium and has shown they can bring in big crowds for big games.  (13 000 for the Canadian Championship final, for example.)  I don't think they are the most likely to be first to 10 000 but I see them as in the conversation.

That leaves Ottawa.  They have a big stadium.  They are trending in the right direction for crowd size.  The market has also shown (in the Fury days) that it can repeatedly draw over 6000 and even over 7000 for league games.  Over 9000 for their biggest Canadian Championship game.  I see them as the best hope to punch it up to the 10 000 level.

It won't be this year.  It still wouldn't be as impressive proportionately as 6500 in Halifax.  It would be great, though.

That's my reasoning.

[Obinna]

7 minutes ago, Kingston said:

It has nothing to do with my province of residence and everything to do with the numbers I see.

The short version of why I think the first team to regularly break 10 000 is likely to be Ottawa or Hamilton is:

Halifax won't hit 10 000 in a stadium that seats 6500.  Also, they frequently have crowds in the upper 5000s.  That suggests that their natural crowd range is something like 5500 to 7500, not 8000 to 10 000 with only the stadium holding them back.  So they are amazing, especially for the size of the city, but I don't see them becoming the first 10 000 attendance team.

I think being a small city is actually to their benefit, not their detriment, if that's what you are getting at here.

Saskatoon are supposed to build a stadium with 8k capacity, if I recall correctly, but if they build just 2k bigger I would bet on them reaching the 10k figure before Ottawa or Hamilton, and definitely before Winnipeg. 

 

[Haligonian#1]

15 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton, 3 cities with metro areas of roughly 1.5 million, are not going to attract 15k fans anytime soon, we all know that. Yes that would be required to match Halifax proportionally, but to me that's not a fair way to judge things.

This is because Halifax, in my opinion, enjoys a "small market" bump. Growing up in a small city myself (St. John's), I realize that few professional sports typically leads to high attendance figures for the few options that do exist. Nova Scotians deserve all the credit in the world, so don't get me wrong. I just think you may perhaps want to factor the small market bump into your analysis.

An anecdotal story to demonstrate my "small market bump" theory:

When St. John's, Newfoundland hosted the 2002 National Challenge Cup, the final was attended by an estimated 10k people. This was at pre-renovated King George V which could host maybe 8k maximum. Where did they remaining 2k squeeze in? Anywhere they could find room! I even recall seeing in people perched atop nearby garages or sheds to get a peak of the action!

Point being is that it was a massive event in the city. Why? Because nothing exciting happens there! 

I can almost guarantee the final match of that tournament has never been so well attended, especially in places like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, or even Halifax.

The smaller the city, the more people are going to show up for events, by and large. This is why I won't be surprised to see Saskatoon match (if not exceed) the solid attendance numbers that Halifax has put up. 

Apart from the Senators in Ottawa from September to May and CFL in Hamilton and Ottawa, those two cities don't have that much more going on than Halifax.

[Haligonian#1]

6 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I think being a small city is actually to their benefit, not their detriment, if that's what you are getting at here.

Saskatoon are supposed to build a stadium with 8k capacity, if I recall correctly, but if they build just 2k bigger I would bet on them reaching the 10k figure before Ottawa or Hamilton, and definitely before Winnipeg. 

 

I agree that Saskatoon may pull it off before Ottawa, Hamilton, and Winnipeg.

[Haligonian#1]

28 minutes ago, RS said:

Stadium capacity.

Halifax simply cannot draw more than 6,500~ now, regardless of the odd dick-measuring contest you just started.

Sorry for pissing on your parade, but to get super excited that a city of 1.5 million people was able to muster 6,500 odd fans to one match in the entire season is a bit much. My odd-dick measuring contest is about survivability of the league. I am a bit concern that the high-mark in what should be a big market for the league is only 6,500 and only for one match in mid-season. To start saying that this "successful market" should be the first one to have regular attendance of 10,000 fans is a bit premature. Try aiming to repeat the high-mark as a regular attendance and I might start thinking the league has a chance to survive.

[Kingston]

11 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I think being a small city is actually to their benefit, not their detriment, if that's what you are getting at here.

Saskatoon are supposed to build a stadium with 8k capacity, if I recall correctly, but if they build just 2k bigger I would bet on them reaching the 10k figure before Ottawa or Hamilton, and definitely before Winnipeg. 

 

There is something about the small city benefit, I agree.  Victoria actually also does quite well proportionately to the larger CPL cities.

Before the CPL launched, I actually thought that Edmonton, Calgary, and Ottawa would be the ones hitting the sweet spot in terms of market size.  I figured they'd benefit from being larger but not such crowded entertainment centres as the MLS cities.  (It doesn't surprise me that York sucks for attendance.)  But it appears that the magic spot is actually a bit smaller than that.

Could Saskatoon do well?  Yes, it's possible.  It's also possible they'll stagnate at 2000.  I'll evaluate that when they have a team on the field and not just good intentions.

[Obinna]

17 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

Apart from the Senators in Ottawa from September to May and CFL in Hamilton and Ottawa, those two cities don't have that much more going on than Halifax.

You're right, but I suspect the people living in those places have a different mentality to Nova Scotians or Atlantic Canadians, being in the Golden Horseshoe. Those cities are right in the thick of our biggest concentration of pro sports teams, so I don't imagine they feel very isolated in that regard. 

[Haligonian#1]

7 minutes ago, Obinna said:

You're right, but I suspect the people living in those places have a different mentality to Nova Scotians or Atlantic Canadians, being in the Golden Horseshoe. Those cities are right in the thick of our biggest concentration of pro sports teams, so I don't imagine they feel very isolated in that regard. 

So what I am hearing you saying is that both Hamilton and Ottawa have Toronto envy and are really part of Toronto. Makes sense. Also that no new CPL teams should go to Ontario because they won't cut muster when compared to Halifax. I might agree with that last part. My question to you, is how does your major big town-small town theory explain attendance in Winnipeg. It is both super isolated and super boring?

[Obinna]

7 minutes ago, Kingston said:

Before the CPL launched, I actually thought that Edmonton, Calgary, and Ottawa would be the ones hitting the sweet spot in terms of market size.  I figured they'd benefit from being larger but not such crowded entertainment centres as the MLS cities.  (It doesn't surprise me that York sucks for attendance.)  But it appears that the magic spot is actually a bit smaller than that.

Exactly. I would throw Winnipeg and Hamilton in that bunch too, despite being half the size. 

Hamilton as I mentioned above is in the Golden Horseshoe, so when you can drive an hour (or whatever the commute is) to watch the Jays or Raptors, you are not exactly in the hinterlands. For many Atlantic Canadians, seeing those teams play amounts to a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage. 

And for Winnipeg it is simple: They have an NHL franchise. That automatically links you to the North American sporting landscape. That alone creates a different mentality than Halifax, for example, which is relatively isolated from the Canadian pro sports landscape, let alone the North American sports landscape. The CPL in fact is the only nation-wide show in town, as far as I know, which is probably why the Wanderers are so popular, I imagine.

You need a good product on the field and good branding too, of course, and they've achieved those things. And the gameday experience (haven't been yet, but I can see from the videos) builds on itself. That's one of the things Nova Scotians deserve a ton of credit for.

But circling back to Calgary-Edmonton-Ottawa, you just get the sense they are tied into the wider sporting landscape. I am very familiar with the two Albertan cities, but Ottawa I am not having never been there. Being the nations capital and within driving distance to the two biggest Canadian cities, it's safe to say they don't feel any lack. These 3 are big sporting cities by Canadian standards, far from the magic spot. 

The magic spot is probably Halifax/Saskatoon/Victoria, cities bigger than 300k which are reaching for half a million. 

I am curious to see what becomes of Windsor, another place I have never been. They fit that criteria population wise, but they are next door to Detroit and not-so-far from Toronto. Will be interesting to see how successful that is, attendance wise. 

[Obinna]

27 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

So what I am hearing you saying is that both Hamilton and Ottawa have Toronto envy and are really part of Toronto. Makes sense. Also that no new CPL teams should go to Ontario because they won't cut muster when compared to Halifax. I might agree with that last part. My question to you, is how does your major big town-small town theory explain attendance in Winnipeg. It is both super isolated and super boring?

To answer your question, Winnipeg is isolated geographically, and I suppose you can call it boring, but they are almost double the population of Halifax, so they are neither big town or small town, as I see it. 

Perhaps more importantly, however, are the presence of the Jets and Bombers. Those franchises push Winnipeg closer to the Edmonton/Calgary/Ottawa tier than the Saskatoon/Halifax tier, even though it's roughly in the middle of both tiers population-wise. Winnipeg is part of the national and continental sporting landscape in a way that Halifax isn't. 

As for Hamilton, I think Hamiltonians (is that the proper word?) have their own distinct identity and civic pride, but it would be foolish of us to pretend they don't routinely enjoy watching the Leafs, Jays or Raptors play (or TFC for that matter). 

For those in Ottawa, it's probably a little different. They have CFL and NHL teams of their own, so no need to go to Toronto or Montreal for those. Raptors and Jays fan? Probably you're taking occasional trips to the 6ix. Now, if you are based in Halifax (or worse, St. John's), you're probably not doing that more than once, unless you are a die-hard. 

Edit: I am skeptical about adding more teams to Ontario, actually. Clearly there are travel benefits, rivalry benefits, etc., but I think adding a team to Saskatoon first was probably the right call. 

Edited August 9, 2022 by Obinna

[RS]

35 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

Sorry for pissing on your parade, but to get super excited that a city of 1.5 million people was able to muster 6,500 odd fans to one match in the entire season is a bit much. My odd-dick measuring contest is about survivability of the league. I am a bit concern that the high-mark in what should be a big market for the league is only 6,500 and only for one match in mid-season. To start saying that this "successful market" should be the first one to have regular attendance of 10,000 fans is a bit premature. Try aiming to repeat the high-mark as a regular attendance and I might start thinking the league has a chance to survive.

It's not my parade as I'm neither from Ottawa nor am I the one getting "super excited" (your words, not mine) about their attendance figures.

I just found it odd that you would take such offense to someone suggesting that two of the three CPL teams currently playing in giant venues would be the best bet to top 10,000 regularly. It's simple arithmetic, not an affront to Halifax.

If the Wanderers expanded to 10,000 seats tomorrow, then they'd instantly be my favourite to hit that mark with regularity first. Notice how I stated that without disparaging the fan bases of other cities? It's not that hard.

[Haligonian#1]

1 minute ago, Obinna said:

The NHL franchise in Winnipeg, and the CFL franchise to a lesser extent, put it closer to the Edmonton/Calgary/Ottawa tier than the Saskatoon/Halifax tier, even though they are roughly in the middle of both groups population-wise. 

I think Hamiltonians (is that the proper word) have their own distinct identity and civil pride, but it would be foolish of us to pretend they don't routinely enjoy watching the Leafs, Jays or Raptors play (or TFC for that matter). 

For those in Ottawa, it's probably a little different. They have CFL and NHL teams of their own, so no need to go to Toronto or Montreal for those. Raptors and Jays fan? Probably you're taking occasional trips to the 6ix. Now, if you are based in Halifax (or worse, St. John's), you're probably not doing that more than once, unless you are a die-hard. 

I don't care how many other sports are being played in your town. If the most you can muster in a metropolitan area of 1.5 million people is 6,500 fans as a high-mark for the season, then that is pretty sad. People might as well start writing the obituary for this league.

[Obinna]

11 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

I don't care how many other sports are being played in your town. If the most you can muster in a metropolitan area of 1.5 million people is 6,500 fans as a high-mark for the season, then that is pretty sad. People might as well start writing the obituary for this league.

Ottawa (or the league) is not doing poorly, Halifax is doing great, which is awesome!

I don't see how anyone can expect a hell of a lot more from Ottawa right now. Just because more people live there doesn't necessarily mean more people should be showing up to games. There are other options for sporting entertainment, and entertainment in general.

I see Ottawa as being in a decent place, and Halifax as being in a great place. I am personally just a little anxious for you guys to build something more permanent. A nice little 10k stadium on those grounds. I think you guys would fill the place up, or at least come close to it. 

Edited August 9, 2022 by Obinna

[Haligonian#1]

22 minutes ago, Obinna said:

To answer your question, Winnipeg is isolated geographically, and I suppose you can call it boring, but they are almost double the population of Halifax, so they are neither big town or small town, as I see it. 

Perhaps more importantly, however, are the presence of the Jets and Bombers. Those franchises push Winnipeg closer to the Edmonton/Calgary/Ottawa tier than the Saskatoon/Halifax tier, even though it's roughly in the middle of both tiers population-wise. Winnipeg is part of the national and continental sporting landscape in a way that Halifax isn't. 

As for Hamilton, I think Hamiltonians (is that the proper word?) have their own distinct identity and civic pride, but it would be foolish of us to pretend they don't routinely enjoy watching the Leafs, Jays or Raptors play (or TFC for that matter). 

For those in Ottawa, it's probably a little different. They have CFL and NHL teams of their own, so no need to go to Toronto or Montreal for those. Raptors and Jays fan? Probably you're taking occasional trips to the 6ix. Now, if you are based in Halifax (or worse, St. John's), you're probably not doing that more than once, unless you are a die-hard. 

Edit: I am skeptical about adding more teams to Ontario, actually. Clearly there are travel benefits, rivalry benefits, etc., but I think adding a team to Saskatoon first was probably the right call. 

I am not sure when you left Newfoundland and what your knowledge of Halifax actually is, but we do have airports and are served by airlines. People who follow sports will fly on an annual basis to see the Montreal Canadians (the smart ones), the Leafs (the dumb ones), the Patriots, the Jays, the Red Sox, etc. It is something we are accustomed to. But if you are a soccer fan, then all the other sports in the world shouldn't matter, you should still go see a match in your hometown. What I am getting at is that the number of soccer fans in Ottawa is apparently not very high.

 

Imagine if the City of Halifax decided to build a permanent stadium at the Wanderers Ground (8-10K capacity) and we had a winning team on the pitch, then my guess is that we might be the first team to hit 10,000 regular attendance.

[Haligonian#1]

25 minutes ago, RS said:

It's not my parade as I'm neither from Ottawa nor am I the one getting "super excited" (your words, not mine) about their attendance figures.

I just found it odd that you would take such offense to someone suggesting that two of the three CPL teams currently playing in giant venues would be the best bet to top 10,000 regularly. It's simple arithmetic, not an affront to Halifax.

If the Wanderers expanded to 10,000 seats tomorrow, then they'd instantly be my favourite to hit that mark with regularity first. Notice how I stated that without disparaging the fan bases of other cities? It's not that hard.

What is missing in Ottawa is not the stadium capacity, it's not the population, it's the fan base. Halifax maxes out its stadium capacity on a regular basis, which is very similar to the high-mark that everyone seems to be so excited about in Ottawa. I am not impressed with Ottawa's attendance. I mean it is not York or Edmonton level, but with weak teams like those, we would need 4-5 teams regularly pulling in 6,500 for this league to even fathom surviving its first decade. I am hoping that the next two World Cups will change the trajectory, but if it doesn't, then the CPL as currently designed is likely in trouble.

[Obinna]

1 minute ago, Haligonian#1 said:

I am not sure when you left Newfoundland and what your knowledge of Halifax actually is, but we do have airports and are served by airlines. People who follow sports will fly on an annual basis to see the Montreal Canadians (the smart ones), the Leafs (the dumb ones), the Patriots, the Jays, the Red Sox, etc. It is something we are accustomed to. But if you are a soccer fan, then all the other sports in the world shouldn't matter, you should still go see a match in your hometown. What I am getting at is that the number of soccer fans in Ottawa is apparently not very high.

 

Imagine if the City of Halifax decided to build a permanent stadium at the Wanderers Ground (8-10K capacity) and we had a winning team on the pitch, then my guess is that we might be the first team to hit 10,000 regular attendance.

Listen, I got love for Scotians and know plenty of them. Been there a few times as well (once I went there to play the NS U17 team and Halifax Celtics, who I don't think exist anymore?), but it has been many years now. I know you guys love the New England teams and it's not so far away for you. Even in Newfoundland we have people who fly to Boston to see the Bruins, the really dumb ones (I am a Habs fan, or at least used to be when I cared about Hockey more)!

I just disagree with your conclusion that Ottawa doesn't have many soccer fans. You just seem to be dismissing that people in Ottawa have a lot more to do than in Halifax, no offense. Not everyone who goes to CPL games is even a soccer fan, there is a subset who are just looking for a fun event to go to in the summer. If you are even mildly into sports you have multiple options in the bigger cities. In Halifax you just have the Wanderers, which is great for them!

I do agree with the final part of your post. They really should aim for 10k. You will hit that before Ottawa, I am sure!

[Obinna]

3 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

What is missing in Ottawa is not the stadium capacity, it's not the population, it's the fan base. Halifax maxes out its stadium capacity on a regular basis, which is very similar to the high-mark that everyone seems to be so excited about in Ottawa. I am not impressed with Ottawa's attendance. I mean it is not York or Edmonton level, but with weak teams like those, we would need 4-5 teams regularly pulling in 6,500 for this league to even fathom surviving its first decade. I am hoping that the next two World Cups will change the trajectory, but if it doesn't, then the CPL as currently designed is likely in trouble.

Calgary vs Halifax is a good comparison we should perhaps make. 

(I don't know the attendance numbers so well, so bare with me)

Halifax, as far as I know, outperforms Calgary when it comes to attendance. It is fair to say Cavalry outperform the Wanderers on the pitch. Both teams have a similar capacity, if not the same. I would consider Calgary to be in a stable-to-good position when it comes to attendance, and Halifax to be in a great position, seeing they come closest to maxing out their stadium. 

So why does Halifax outperform Calgary when the latter has roughly triple the population? Is it because Halifax has 3 times the number of soccer fans relative to the population? I really doubt that. It has to be at least partly due to the fact the Wanderers are the only show in town, while the Cavs compete with the Stampeders who have been entrenched in the cities sporting culture for decades. Halifax also has an easier location to get to, so that's a factor too. I just really think you need to give other factors some due here. 

[Haligonian#1]

4 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Listen, I got love for Scotians and know plenty of them. Been there a few times as well (once I went there to play the NS U17 team and Halifax Celtics, who I don't think exist anymore?), but it has been many years now. I know you guys love the New England teams and it's not so far away for you. Even in Newfoundland we have people who fly to Boston to see the Bruins, the really dumb ones (I am a Habs fan, or at least used to be when I cared about Hockey more)!

I just disagree with your conclusion that Ottawa doesn't have many soccer fans. You just seem to be dismissing that people in Ottawa have a lot more to do than in Halifax, no offense. Not everyone who goes to CPL games is even a soccer fan, there is a subset who are just looking for a fun event to go to in the summer. If you are even mildly into sports you have multiple options in the bigger cities. In Halifax you just have the Wanderers, which is great for them!

I do agree with the final part of your post. They really should aim for 10k. You will hit that before Ottawa, I am sure!

While I have only been to Ottawa two times, which according to you is two times more than you have been, please educate me on what more Ottawa has than Halifax. I know they have the Sens, which rarely conflicts with the CPL schedule. They have CFL, but the people who regularly attend CFL matches are not the same type of people who would attend soccer matches, different crowd altogether. Ottawa has a very nice War Museum, but one would visit that infrequently. It has more big name concerts than Halifax would get...but the music industry is not what it used to be. It has bars, we have bars. It has nice parks, we have nice parks. It has the Rideau Canal, we have the Ocean. My point is that Hamilton and Ottawa are not NYC, Paris, or London, UK. You get bored in those two cities just as much as you would in Halifax.