Valour FC - 2024 Season Thread

[K Edgar]

Looks like rain.  Is there an indoor facility?

[PegCityCam]

Brother-in-law ran into an FC Manitoba player last week. He asked about plans for the team this year. Not that he knew much more than us but said it'll probably be a bunch of "friendlies and exhibitions" this year and then most likely (and hopefully) League1 Prairies in '25. Also mentioned they played Valour recently, lost 1-0, and "not to expect much from them this year". At least not as constructed right now. Take all that with a grain of salt of course.

[K Edgar]

Played Leixoes SC...

Translation.... On a rainy morning, #ArmadaDoMar received @ValourFootball, a Canadian team that plays in the Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer ), for a joint training session.

[Unnamed Trialist]

4 hours ago, K Edgar said:

Played Leixoes SC...

Translation.... On a rainy morning, #ArmadaDoMar received @ValourFootball, a Canadian team that plays in the Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer ), for a joint training session.

That is basically right beside Oporto, and that looks like their stadium, with the red seats. 

Good team, historically, but having a mediocre year in 2nd division. 

[narduch]

Club is for sale

 

 

[jonovision]

I suppose it's possible, but I'm dubious given the source.

[masster]

4 hours ago, jonovision said:

I suppose it's possible, but I'm dubious given the source.

Veth is dubious? I thought his reporting has been pretty accurate. Have I missed something?

[Cheeta]

Worse kept secret in Valourdom.  Maybe they're being more active about it now?  Maybe they're getting serious with a potential buyer?  Don't know.

But if it takes a For Sale sign to get the team a pre-season training camp in Portugal and a fuller compliment of business and support staff I say sell, sell, sell.

[K Edgar]

12 hours ago, narduch said:

Club is for sale

 

 

Have they sold their social media person?  No news from Portugal in 10+ days!

Edited April 1, 2024 by K Edgar

[Unnamed Trialist]

10 hours ago, narduch said:

Club is for sale

 

New owners could also mean new partners. They don't have to be majority. When you say "in the market" that could be implied.

Perhaps Friend disengaging from Pacific invites new partners. As for Valour, as long as they are playing where they are, you're not talking about a full-scale sale.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

53 minutes ago, K Edgar said:

Have they sold their social media person?  A news from Portugal in 10+ days!

If you want an optimistic spin on the Portugal trip, am I right in thinking that the owner of Scrosoppi FC in L1O owns one of the Portuguese clubs that the Valour have played a friendly against? The club in question is called SC Vianense. No idea if he is wealthy enough to be a potential buyer where the Valour are concerned.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrosoppi_FC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SC_Vianense

https://northerntribune.ca/valour-fc-preseason-2024-preview/

[Aird25]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

New owners could also mean new partners. They don't have to be majority.

Didn't Starlight buy into partial ownership in addition to the stadium naming rights, or am I just imagining that?

[jonovision]

5 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

New owners could also mean new partners. They don't have to be majority. When you say "in the market" that could be implied.

Perhaps Friend disengaging from Pacific invites new partners. As for Valour, as long as they are playing where they are, you're not talking about a full-scale sale.

This is something that would make a bit more sense. But if the Valour owners (Winnipeg Football Club) want to get out of the business of running a soccer team, I really don't understand how another group expects to have a business case without the advantages of also being the stadium operator, being able to share staff, and other such economies. 

Edited April 1, 2024 by jonovision

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Will be interesting to see if the Valour make a not for sale statement similar to Pacific's.

[Watchmen]

4 hours ago, jonovision said:

This is something that would make a bit more sense. But if the Valour owners (Winnipeg Football Club) want to get out of the business of running a soccer team, I really don't understand how another group expects to have a business case without the advantages of also being the stadium operator, being able to share staff, and other such economies. 

It would still likely make sense for Winnipeg Football Club to make any new owners a very reasonable offer to stay. You still need dates to keep the stadium active. So while new owners may not get the benefit of concessions, stadium naming rights, etc, the rent they pay could be pretty low while not being on the hook for any maintenance/up keep expenses.

[masster]

11 hours ago, K Edgar said:

Have they sold their social media person?  No news from Portugal in 10+ days!

Stuff like this is just unacceptable. You know how many broadcast students and social media students want to get an in with a club! How hard is it to get an intern to send out some info.

[jonovision]

22 hours ago, masster said:

Stuff like this is just unacceptable. You know how many broadcast students and social media students want to get an in with a club! How hard is it to get an intern to send out some info.

Here you go, although I read the whole thing and didn't learn a whole lot:

https://valourfc.canpl.ca/article/it-felt-like-a-band-of-brothers-who-had-been-together-forever

Friendly against Liexoes is mentioned, but no result shared.

[K Edgar]

2 hours ago, jonovision said:

Here you go, although I read the whole thing and didn't learn a whole lot:

https://valourfc.canpl.ca/article/it-felt-like-a-band-of-brothers-who-had-been-together-forever

Friendly against Liexoes is mentioned, but no result shared.

"nobody got injured." is the biggest news item in the whole story.

Backs to the camera in both of the articles group player photos, it would appear Valour is trying to keep things secret.  About 24 players in the 2nd shot so several unannounced signings or trialists.  saving all the news for Thursday's gathering?

The shot in facebook/twitter is is better:

Guess that is their 3rd GK front and center - not Tisseur or Barker - no idea who he is.  USports pick Facchineri (furthest right), currently unsigned, is still with the team.

[Mihairokov]

On 4/1/2024 at 8:18 PM, masster said:

Stuff like this is just unacceptable. You know how many broadcast students and social media students want to get an in with a club! How hard is it to get an intern to send out some info.

From a logistics point of view it's another body that needs to be flown, stayed in a hotel, fed, etc. I get why it's vital to have a comms person on-site but these sorts of trips aren't meant for interns. Either they're paid staff (lol at this point) or none at all.

[K Edgar]

8 hours ago, Mihairokov said:

From a logistics point of view it's another body that needs to be flown, stayed in a hotel, fed, etc. I get why it's vital to have a comms person on-site but these sorts of trips aren't meant for interns. Either they're paid staff (lol at this point) or none at all.

I agree they should not have the expense of sending another body to Portugal.  But video calls with their social media person, some sort of update, post a photo or 2, something, anything.  10 days of media silence is not helping the team.

[Cheeta]

12 minutes ago, K Edgar said:

.....

10 days of media silence is not helping the team.

 

Say that line out loud.   

Too much to rant around this but just boil it down. They're in the sport/entertainment business, coming into their season.

Madness.

[K Edgar]

Was not expecting that!  Hoping for a strong and healthy season!

https://northerntribune.ca/club-original-raphael-ohin-re-signs-with-valour/

 

Edited April 3, 2024 by K Edgar
northern tribune link

[Cheeta]

^.  Just in time for the kit release.  Fingers and toes crossed the man keeps healthy.  Deserve a bit of better luck on that account.

By the way the old pitch is getting carved up at Princess Auto Stadium as we speak.

[jonovision]

Glad to have Ohin back. For one, it is important for the fans that remain to have some continuity in the team, some player to identify with, and a "local" one at that.

Second, Ohin is the only central midfielder on the roster, for me, that has any sort of offensive talent and playmaking vision. I know he has typically been deployed defensively but that role is filled many times over on this team already. A midfield of, say, Campbell, Polisi and Verhoeven may look solid enough but will just ping non-threatening passes around all game, and maybe combine to score 2 long range goals in a season. Ohin tries stuff, and at least in the opener against York last year, occasionally can pull something off.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing what the jersey looks like this evening. I won't be at the event but will be refreshing the thread patiently. 

Fun(?) fact: Of the current Valour squad, Ohin has the most Valour appearances (league + cup) at 59. Dante Campbell second at 31. Nobody else with more than a season's worth of games.

This squad has been remade a few times over already. Hopefully this is good enough to stick.

I do believe Valour is still required to fill its 3rd U21 spot (alongside Sanchez and Binate). Or have I missed someone.

[EnigMattic1]

On 4/3/2024 at 2:39 AM, K Edgar said:

"nobody got injured." is the biggest news item in the whole story.

Backs to the camera in both of the articles group player photos, it would appear Valour is trying to keep things secret.  About 24 players in the 2nd shot so several unannounced signings or trialists.  saving all the news for Thursday's gathering?

The shot in facebook/twitter is is better:

Guess that is their 3rd GK front and center - not Tisseur or Barker - no idea who he is.  USports pick Facchineri (furthest right), currently unsigned, is still with the team.

I know it isn't the same guy, but who was that goalkeeper we got in as an emergency backup when we had Sirois? Was it Rode? I know we had Evan Ince and Evan Barker, but this guy was nicknamed the "Berlin Wall" or something and ended up at FC Manitoba.

Edited April 4, 2024 by EnigMattic1