FC Edmonton - 2023 Season Thread

[Big_M]

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[shermanator]

Uh.....

[RichV]

go team go.

 

[MM3/MM2/MM]

1 hour ago, shermanator said:

Uh.....

Either way there will be a lot of player movement 😎

[EnigMattic1]

Really hope this wont be the final season for Edmonton. If it is (or if last season was), I have a feeling that they will resurface in a few years with new owners.

Given that they are still listed to compete in the 2023 Canadian Championship, I would assume they have at least 1 more season.

Edited November 15, 2022 by EnigMattic1

[ATM]

2 hours ago, EnigMattic1 said:

Really hope this wont be the final season for Edmonton. If it is (or if last season was), I have a feeling that they will resurface in a few years with new owners.

Given that they are still listed to compete in the 2023 Canadian Championship, I would assume they have at least 1 more season.

Can the team not simply relocate, we know there are interested parties in other cities. I don't think the CPL is in a position to lose any team right now. We need to grow by 2 teams a year to a MAX 18 teams,  and keep the momentum going. I am a big believer that the CPL will be a top 10 league over the next 15-20 years.

[shermanator]

To relocate a club, you either have to have a both a league and owner willing to move somewhere that is ready to take that club, or someone willing to buy the club off the existing ownership group and move them somewhere that is ready to take that club.

Edmonton's owners are digging their heels in and insist that they have their debts racked up during the NASL years be made whole. Why would anyone pay that kind of money when they could just get an expansion club for less?

As for a new team popping up, the existing owners have the rights to the area, and are going to dig their heels in if another group tries to set up a new club. And again, why would anyone pay that kind of money when they could just get an expansion club elsewhere for less?

Basically, Fath is going to get his money and has no issues with holding soccer in Edmonton hostage until he does. The professional game in that city is fucked until either he moves from his demands or someone decides it is worth it to pay significantly more than market value for a club in Edmonton.

[Cicero]

4 hours ago, ATM said:

Can the team not simply relocate, we know there are interested parties in other cities. I don't think the CPL is in a position to lose any team right now. We need to grow by 2 teams a year to a MAX 18 teams,  and keep the momentum going. I am a big believer that the CPL will be a top 10 league over the next 15-20 years.

That's definitely unrealistic on the top 10 hope, and probably unrealistic on the 18 teams. That would put the CPL above the English Championship, or at least equivalent to that, Liga MX and Belgium. Though I'd love it to happen, it's just not going to.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

[Metro]

A couple of questions for those of you in the know:

So, as I understand it, the debt owed by FCE is to the Faths directly.   Therefore it is not a simple matter of bankrupting the club and rising from the ashes again as say, "FCE 2022", correct?

Also, if the Faths have territorial rights but are not actually fielding a team, wouldn't those rights be revoked?

[Ansem]

5 minutes ago, Metro said:

A couple of questions for those of you in the know:

So, as I understand it, the debt owed by FCE is to the Faths directly.   Therefore it is not a simple matter of bankrupting the club and rising from the ashes again as say, "FCE 2022", correct?

Also, if the Faths have territorial rights but are not actually fielding a team, wouldn't those rights be revoked?

Not that I'm in the know but territorial rights while FC Edmonton operates makes sense - if they close shop it just doesn't and that would be very hard to enforce legally.

Edmonton needs to start from scratch with new owners and a new venue, not doable with FC Edmonton at Clarke since the club is shackled with debts and the venue deal with the city is pure crap.

Sadly, this could take years

[toontownman]

1 hour ago, Metro said:

Also, if the Faths have territorial rights but are not actually fielding a team, wouldn't those rights be revoked?

That was my question too.

Did they buy/agree the rights up front?  Unless the faths are planning on running a team out of the stadium. I can't see how anyone wins in holding out on letting a team play.

The best case is for a rebranding and new club to come in and if need be pay a fee to the faths to play at clarke. The fact there have been several rumored interested parties and "close to an announcement" talk over the past year, yet nothing has happened, tells me the situation must be as complicated as is now being suggested.

There is lots of "this looks bad for the league" talk which of course it does but for me less so that they are potential folding. It's the Faths NASL debt that has screwed them not the league.

More so it looks bad on the CPL high brass for letting the Faths and Eddie's in likely knowing this was on the cards. They gambled on bringing in the Eddie's in the hopes it would reignite the community.

[yothat2]

Don;t think we will see another team in Edmonton until there's an investor owner willing to spent $20 million on an stadium. The Clarke model doesn't work. Only hope is the Faths just move the team down an level and run fcedmonton amsl and academy. C

[yothat2]

On 11/16/2022 at 10:06 AM, toontownman said:

That was my question too.

Did they buy/agree the rights up front?  Unless the faths are planning on running a team out of the stadium. I can't see how anyone wins in holding out on letting a team play.

The best case is for a rebranding and new club to come in and if need be pay a fee to the faths to play at clarke. The fact there have been several rumored interested parties and "close to an announcement" talk over the past year, yet nothing has happened, tells me the situation must be as complicated as is now being suggested.

There is lots of "this looks bad for the league" talk which of course it does but for me less so that they are potential folding. It's the Faths NASL debt that has screwed them not the league.

More so it looks bad on the CPL high brass for letting the Faths and Eddie's in likely knowing this was on the cards. They gambled on bringing in the Eddie's in the hopes it would reignite the community.

wasn't an bad bet I guess .. worth a shot at it again 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

On 11/16/2022 at 7:06 PM, toontownman said:

...More so it looks bad on the CPL high brass for letting the Faths and Eddie's in likely knowing this was on the cards. They gambled on bringing in the Eddie's in the hopes it would reignite the community.

If they hadn't let the Faths and FCE in the launch would have been with 6 clubs and one of those was in Langford which only got resolved after the Faths signed on AFAIR. Given that backdrop the Faths had a lot of leverage if they really did control who could have access to the only viable stadium in a market as large as Edmonton. The league might never have launched otherwise given what was happening in Ottawa with the Fury.

It's also important to bear in mind just how delusionally sky high expectations were about the league's short to medium term prospects at that time. Even just questioning whether the league actually had enough investor groups firmly on board to be able to launch got you a barrage of derision and personal abuse on here.

I seriously doubt anyone closely linked to the CanPL project was going to rock the boat and disrupt the prevailing group think by pointing out what would happen a few years down the line if less than 1000 in paid attendance became the norm for FCE now there were no big name players coming in on teams like the Cosmos, Rowdies and Miami FC.

Where Clarke Stadium is concerned from what I remember the Faths rather than the City of Edmonton paid for the seating down the far sideline from the Onesoccer cameras that was needed to meet USSF D2 requirements for sanctioning in the NASL. That sort of angle might help to explain how they could have acquired ongoing exclusivity for pro soccer in an Edmonton context.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[K Edgar]

https://canpl.ca/article/canadian-premier-league-terminates-fath-sports-right-to-operate-fc-edmonton

"This decision, while painful in the short term, will allow us to reset the market for a CPL return to Edmonton in the future."

"CPL will continue as an eight-team league in 2023"

Edited November 21, 2022 by K Edgar

[narduch]

4 minutes ago, K Edgar said:

https://canpl.ca/article/canadian-premier-league-terminates-fath-sports-right-to-operate-fc-edmonton

"This decision, while painful in the short term, will allow us to reset the market for a CPL return to Edmonton in the future."

"CPL will continue as an eight-team league in 2023"

Should have announced it during the Canada game 

[ADP10]

I wonder if York will follow suit in the next few years

[jonovision]

Which shit team will Valour drop points to in 2023 to move them out of the playoff race? Halifax, I guess.

While the loss of Edmonton is regrettable, the one bright spot is the league will remain with an even number of teams. Crap scheduling can be mostly avoided. Hopefully the next expansion is a two-fer.

Edited November 21, 2022 by jonovision

[Pottsy3]

3 minutes ago, ADP10 said:

I wonder if York will follow suit in the next few years

“Let me be very clear, FC Edmonton is a unique, one-off situation, and is not at all reflective of the overall health and viability of the CPL,” said Noonan. “Building on record post-season crowds, exceptional corporate partnerships, increases in player compensation, and with active expansion discussions in no less than six prospective markets, I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future of the CPL and soccer in Canada as we head into our fifth season.”

 

From this excerpt from the article, I wouldn't fear that at this point.

Edited November 21, 2022 by Pottsy3

[jordan]

Sorry for your loss Shermanator

[Ansem]

11 minutes ago, ADP10 said:

I wonder if York will follow suit in the next few years

They are getting a new stadium soon and the owner is still all in.

[Ansem]

I guess that means that there are no "territorial" rights for Fath. The league can bring in new investors with a new club conditional to a soccer specific stadium and the Fath will be stuck with whatever debts they accumulated pre-CPL

[toontownman]

14 minutes ago, Ansem said:

I guess that means that there are no "territorial" rights for Fath. The league can bring in new investors with a new club conditional to a soccer specific stadium and the Fath will be stuck with whatever debts they accumulated pre-CPL

Best case scenario. 

Can't see an Edmonton team returning until 2025 or 26 at the earliest. Probably the same time sask finally gets a team.

[shermanator]

2 hours ago, jordan said:

Sorry for your loss Shermanator

Thank you? My club is still around, but I will miss the away days to Edmonton.