CPL 2022 Season Attendance

[Haligonian#1]

1 hour ago, SpursFlu said:

Isn't the CBC supposed to be some big defender of Canadian culture/content and more about that than a profit motive? 

They should be 100% pushing CPL & CEBL. I don't pay much attention to CBC nowadays or TSN for that matter but CBC seems to be more interested in driving 2 or 3 social issues in to the ground when they could be elevating Canadians and giving them a platform to showcase their talents. 

I know a certain class of people like to turn their nose up at sports but if you look at what drives interest eyeballs online or anywhere you'd have a hard time convincing me that anything has a larger impact on Canadian culture in 2022 than sports

The CBC built Canada-wide interest in the NHL in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and 1990's. They then lost the hosting rights. I think they should attempt to do the same for CPL soccer. It won't be the golden goose that lays the golden egg, at least not in the short to medium term, but, as you said, the CBC has less of a profit motive than profiling Canadian content. Radio-Canada, the French arm of the CBC used to broadcast Montreal Impact matches before they joined MLS, so there is a precedent. The CBC does broadcast some matches, but should be more supportive.

[SpursFlu]

7 minutes ago, Haligonian#1 said:

The CBC built Canada-wide interest in the NHL in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and 1990's. They then lost the hosting rights. I think they should attempt to do the same for CPL soccer. It won't be the golden goose that lays the golden egg, at least not in the short to medium term, but, as you said, the CBC has less of a profit motive than profiling Canadian content. Radio-Canada, the French arm of the CBC used to broadcast Montreal Impact matches before they joined MLS, so there is a precedent. The CBC does broadcast some matches, but should be more supportive.

Spot on

Unfortunately they're more interested in being Debbie downer and lecturing everyone 

People can say CPL is this or that but I guarantee it's more entertaining and bring more viewers than 90% of whatever it is they try and pass off as entertainment currently 

[Haligonian#1]

18 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

Spot on

Unfortunately they're more interested in being Debbie downer and lecturing everyone 

People can say CPL is this or that but I guarantee it's more entertaining and bring more viewers than 90% of whatever it is they try and pass off as entertainment currently 

 

Edited August 10, 2022 by Haligonian#1

[Watchmen]

2 hours ago, SpursFlu said:

Spot on

Unfortunately they're more interested in being Debbie downer and lecturing everyone 

People can say CPL is this or that but I guarantee it's more entertaining and bring more viewers than 90% of whatever it is they try and pass off as entertainment currently 

CBC showed the Island games, and ratings were fine. I don't think this is on the CBC. I suspect it's on MediaPro still trying to drive subscribers to their stream service.

[red card]

3 hours ago, SpursFlu said:

Spot on

Unfortunately they're more interested in being Debbie downer and lecturing everyone 

People can say CPL is this or that but I guarantee it's more entertaining and bring more viewers than 90% of whatever it is they try and pass off as entertainment currently 

CBC streams most of their sports coverage - usually more than TSN & SN streams combined in terms of both sporting variety and total hours. But they don't have a legacy paywalled platform to protect.

It's also largely Olympic sports that don't have North American pro leagues. Most of it is carrying feeds of international competitions - no cost to produce & likely low rights fee. Rarely ever shown by TSN/SN outside of the Olympics.

Likewise, for Canadian-based sports, if they can get the rights for basically free/low cost and can out source the production to the sporting body/league, they tend to show it.

This month, they're showing Cdn Little League & Canada Summer Games. If you want to watch the Men's Gold Medal Soccer match, they're streaming it this Friday at 1900 EDT.

So, it's not good news financially for CPL/Mediapro if it ends up only on CBC. 

CBC has also committed to 50/50 gender sports equity. So, more likely open to a W CPL.

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by red card

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

11 hours ago, Haligonian#1 said:

The CBC built Canada-wide interest in the NHL in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and 1990's...

...as part of a nation building project that promoted cultural exceptionalism and distance from all things British. Soccer's face didn't fit being of British origins so was not selected for that even though the NSL was up and running at much the same time as the NHL. Anyone over about 45 grew up in a Canada pre-youth soccer registration boom where the sport was being actively sidelined into a post-WWII recent immigrant ghetto with not playing or watching soccer often viewed as a litmus test on whether somebody was really Canadian.

Things are changing but the people making the decisions on corporate sponsorships and broadcast deals at the moment are typically from a demographic that is the least soccer friendly in its outlook having grown up in that sort of Canada. Will be interesting to see (hope I'll still be around) what happens about 20 years from now when that will have changed to a greater extent and the youth soccer registration boom generation will be calling the shots. Think a league like CanPL can work eventually with the sort of business model that the investors had in mind but expectations on crowds and budgets need to be dialled back in the here and now.

[Kingston]

14 hours ago, Haligonian#1 said:

The CBC built Canada-wide interest in the NHL in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and 1990's. They then lost the hosting rights. I think they should attempt to do the same for CPL soccer. 

They should build it up and then lose the rights?  That doesn't seem like much of a plan! 

[MtlMario]

If the CPL had 10000 fans average then the sports networks would be fighting to show the games. Unfortunately it's like the banks, they'll happily lend money to people that don't really need the loan but give a harder time to the poor guy who really needs it.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

 

[Kent]

On 8/10/2022 at 4:04 PM, Obinna said:

What is the state of marketing in your city? The public presence of the team through billboards and such must play a role in the attendance figures, I assume. 

Technically, York United is in Toronto, and I live in Toronto. A couple years ago I spotted a York 9 logo (think it was a banner maybe?) off the side of the highway on a building, mostly obstructed by a tree but I could see it for about 1 second as I drove past craning my neck.

Other than that the only public presence I've noticed is that I wear my year 1 York 9 hat whenever I leave the house in non-winter weather, and I also occasionally wear my year 1 York 9 jersey. The team should invest in advertising and send me some updated gear with current branding.

I haven't seen anyone else wearing gear except when I am going to/at a game, haven't seen any other advertising that I can recall, and I think I've seen 2 pieces on the team ever on TV (CP24 I feel like they showed something once, might have been the inagural game highlights, and CityTV News gave a minute of coverage for something or other, can't remember, team announcement probably).

[Kent]

Oh, and the question about a hypothetical final in Ottawa got me curious. Here are the attendances of CPL finals so far.

2019 - October 26 - Hamilton - 10,486
2019 - November 2 - Calgary - 5,831

2020 - September 19 - Charlottetown - NA

2021 - December 5 - Hamilton - 7,488

I put the dates because I thought that could partially account for the drop for Hamilton (as well as the "not the first year" factor). It's an easier sell to get fans to games in October than in December.

[jonovision]

1 minute ago, Kent said:

2021 - December 5 - Hamilton - 7,488

I put the dates because I thought that could partially account for the drop for Hamilton (as well as the "not the first year" factor). It's an easier sell to get fans to games in October than in December.

COVID played a factor in this number as well. Hamilton failed to sell out a home Grey Cup in the same month for some of the same reasons.

[Metro]

10 hours ago, Kent said:

Technically, York United is in Toronto, and I live in Toronto. A couple years ago I spotted a York 9 logo (think it was a banner maybe?) off the side of the highway on a building, mostly obstructed by a tree but I could see it for about 1 second as I drove past craning my neck.

Other than that the only public presence I've noticed is that I wear my year 1 York 9 hat whenever I leave the house in non-winter weather, and I also occasionally wear my year 1 York 9 jersey. The team should invest in advertising and send me some updated gear with current branding.

I haven't seen anyone else wearing gear except when I am going to/at a game, haven't seen any other advertising that I can recall, and I think I've seen 2 pieces on the team ever on TV (CP24 I feel like they showed something once, might have been the inagural game highlights, and CityTV News gave a minute of coverage for something or other, can't remember, team announcement probably).

York United has a weekly show on the Mississauga radio station. That’s all I have ever seen myself.
 

Edit: For those outside of Southern Ontario, Mississauga is not based in York region but in neighbouring Peel County.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Metro

[RS]

10 hours ago, Kent said:

Technically, York United is in Toronto, and I live in Toronto. A couple years ago I spotted a York 9 logo (think it was a banner maybe?) off the side of the highway on a building, mostly obstructed by a tree but I could see it for about 1 second as I drove past craning my neck.

Other than that the only public presence I've noticed is that I wear my year 1 York 9 hat whenever I leave the house in non-winter weather, and I also occasionally wear my year 1 York 9 jersey. The team should invest in advertising and send me some updated gear with current branding.

I haven't seen anyone else wearing gear except when I am going to/at a game, haven't seen any other advertising that I can recall, and I think I've seen 2 pieces on the team ever on TV (CP24 I feel like they showed something once, might have been the inagural game highlights, and CityTV News gave a minute of coverage for something or other, can't remember, team announcement probably).

Are you the dad I always see in the York 9 hat at my kid’s soccer games?

11 minutes ago, Metro said:

York United has a weekly show on the Mississauga radio station. That’s all I have ever seen myself.
 

Edit: For those outside of Southern Ontario, Mississauga is not based in York region but in neighbouring Peel County.

Peel Region. 🙂

[shermanator]

3945 in Calgary last night.

[Lurker]

I'm pretty sure I heard ~5600-5700 at the end of the Wanderers Game today.

[toontownman]

It looked very busy in halifax. Great to see. Pacific seemed reasonably full too. 

[BigBadBorto]

17 hours ago, Lurker said:

I'm pretty sure I heard ~5600-5700 at the end of the Wanderers Game today.

Yes you heard right.  It was 5600 and change.. good crowd considering the team is most likely out of playoffs 

[SpursFlu]

Some more great numbers. Really positive 

Is Pacific expecting a big crowd for Concacaf this week?

[Aird25]

36 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

Some more great numbers. Really positive 

Is Pacific expecting a big crowd for Concacaf this week?

It looks like there are far fewer seats available than there were for Saturday, but it’s impossible to tell with Ticketmaster manipulating things. You’d have to think it will be a bigger draw than Waterhouse and that was the best crowd of the season. I guess they had longer to sell tickets for that game though 

[Kent]

On 8/13/2022 at 10:10 AM, RS said:

Are you the dad I always see in the York 9 hat at my kid’s soccer games?

If it's girls soccer, it's possible!

It would be a bit of a sorry state of affairs if wearing a local team hat was enough of a unique identifier in a city of nearly 3 million people!

 

[mrstepp817]

Those attendance numbers for York and Edmonton aren't viable are they??? 

[phil03]

Just now, mrstepp817 said:

Those attendance numbers for York and Edmonton aren't viable are they??? 

Edmonton can always be attributed to being an overall mess right now and there can be hope they will rebound later on. York though? Honestly, I feel there is just not enough space left for them in the area after TFC and Forge. Which is also why I am concerned with the Vancouver team: the CPL seem about to potentially repeat the same mistake

[Kingston]

21 minutes ago, mrstepp817 said:

Those attendance numbers for York and Edmonton aren't viable are they??? 

No, they aren't.

In reality, the numbers for most teams aren't viable yet but most teams at least look like they're going somewhere.  Edmonton could possibly be reasoned away but York is simply failing.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Kingston

[Kingston]

18 minutes ago, phil03 said:

York though? Honestly, I feel there is just not enough space left for them in the area after TFC and Forge. Which is also why I am concerned with the Vancouver team: the CPL seem about to potentially repeat the same mistake

This will be the acid test for sharing a market with MLS.

If Vancouver succeeds then it can be argued that York is just doing something wrong.  If Vancouver fails then it looks like sharing with MLS is just a bad idea.