CPL new teams speculation

[CDNFootballer]

Will be interesting to hear the league's side of this, and hopefully the investor directly, rather than a 2nd or 3rd hand source where the story might have spun and evolved from what was actually said.

Investor may not have had the net worth possibly though if they didn't then it also wouldn't make sense they were offered Valour if that part is true. They could already have a better investor group in the mix for the area as well. There's definitely more to the story.

Maybe Joey Saputo is jumping the MLS ship for CPL and they want to protect his interests:)

[shermanator]

CS St. Laurent put out a press release denying this. 

Quote

Reports suggesting that CS Saint-Laurent and a group of North American investors pulled out of an expansion due to increased costs are incorrect. We have always maintained an open and positive relationship with Canadian soccer organizations and continue to work together to support the sport at all levels.

Any discussions between CPL and external investor groups took place independently of CS Saint-Laurent, and we were not involved in these decisions.

https://soccerstlpro.ca/fr/response-to-recent-media-reports/

[red card]

And original source who reported says he had 2 sources and now a third. 

CPL denies it. 

Back in May, Josh Healey reported CPL & St. Laurent were in talks and there were several interested investors.

https://wanderersnotebook.ca/2024/05/17/cs-saint-laurent-cpl-discussing-promotion-from-ligue1-quebec/

Noonan was on Wanderers podcast last week and said this about St. Laurent:

 

Edited yesterday at 01:04 AM by red card

[Macksam]

2 hours ago, CDNFootballer said:

Maybe Joey Saputo is jumping the MLS ship for CPL and they want to protect his interests:)

[brianjc]

so now Quebec is without an expansion team for the CPL and we cannot go back to Bunbury.   This is totally shameful.  The only chance I can see now is if the NSL Montreal owners got involved.   What an underhanded move by the CPL to first raise the franchise fee and then sell this same owner on Valour.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

6 hours ago, red card said:

...Noonan was on Wanderers podcast last week and said this about St. Laurent:

 

Graphic is taken from this tweet:

Mark Noonan was clearly talking about Centre Sportif Claude Robillard. If it was good enough for the Impact to draw low five figure crowds in a USL context, why is it not suitable for CanPL? Think it's also clear from that quote that he views Princess Auto Stadium as being the sort of stadium where they want to showcase the game. Think this quote actually very much fits the story that was being reported.

[vancanman]

5 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Graphic is taken from this tweet:

Mark Noonan was clearly talking about Centre Sportif Claude Robillard. If it was good enough for the Impact to draw low five figure crowds in a USL context, why is it not suitable for CanPL? Think it's also clear from that quote that he views Princess Auto Stadium as being the sort of stadium where they want to showcase the game. Think this quote actually very much fits the story that was being reported.

I agree with you.  However, if that's the case, beggars can't be choosers.  We sit somewhere between Antarctica and Vatican City as far as stadium infrastructure goes in this country, and I don't think Claude Robillard is any worse than York playing at what looks like a neighbourhood park.   

[Mihairokov]

8 hours ago, brianjc said:

so now Quebec is without an expansion team for the CPL and we cannot go back to Bunbury.   This is totally shameful.  

If it's true. 

I can understand the league being hesitant to add another stadium to the league that isn't soccer-specific. Right now it's a rough amalgamation of gridiron stadia and popups. I haven't been to Claude-Robillard but it strikes me as a concrete block with a running track. If the stand is anything like Lamport it might need work to be brought up to standard. I'm sure there are people at CPLHQ very hesitant of running tracks after York.

[Kingston]

28 minutes ago, Mihairokov said:

I can understand the league being hesitant to add another stadium to the league that isn't soccer-specific. Right now it's a rough amalgamation of gridiron stadia and popups. I haven't been to Claude-Robillard but it strikes me as a concrete block with a running track. If the stand is anything like Lamport it might need work to be brought up to standard. I'm sure there are people at CPLHQ very hesitant of running tracks after York.

I think the league is at the stage of "good enough" right now.  Find a stadium that is good enough to host a team, don't hold out for perfection and therefore no new teams.

I don't know CR so I don't know if it is good enough.  For York, I really don't think it is the presence of a track that is the problem there.

[Mihairokov]

35 minutes ago, Kingston said:

I don't know CR so I don't know if it is good enough.  For York, I really don't think it is the presence of a track that is the problem there.

Definitely, i'm just saying that the running track is the most direct impediment to whatever gameday CPLHQ must be striving for. Claude-Robillard at least isn't in a far-flung suburban university campus - in fact I really like where it is on the island. 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

1 hour ago, Kingston said:

I think the league is at the stage of "good enough" right now.  Find a stadium that is good enough to host a team, don't hold out for perfection and therefore no new teams...

Look no further than Halifax for that but in retrospect that was probably done in anticipation that the Halifax Schooners, or whatever they were going to be called, and another 20,000+ seater CFL wind tunnel stadium were just around the corner.

 

Edited yesterday at 02:58 PM by Ozzie_the_parrot

[shermanator]

1 hour ago, vancanman said:

I agree with you.  However, if that's the case, beggars can't be choosers.  We sit somewhere between Antarctica and Vatican City as far as stadium infrastructure goes in this country, and I don't think Claude Robillard is any worse than York playing at what looks like a neighbourhood park.   

The most successful club at drawing people plays in a stadium that is nothing more than bleachers with dirt and porta potties surrounding the stadium. Claude Robillard is an upgrade on that, IMO.

[Kingston]

13 minutes ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Look no further in Halifax than that but in retrospect that was probably done in anticipation that the Halifax Schooners, or whatever they were going to be called, and another 20,000+ seater CFL wind tunnel stadium were just around the corner.

I don't think so.  The location wouldn't fit a CFL-size stadium and such a stadium would be way too big for soccer.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

The CFL stadium was going to be in Dartmouth rather than at the Wanderers Grounds:

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/potential-cfl-stadium-generates-excitement-in-dartmouth-business-comunity-1.4164099?cache=%2F7.430310

If that had happened the Wanderers Ground popup was just going to be a stopgap measure.

Edited yesterday at 02:51 PM by Ozzie_the_parrot

[narduch]

Has the Montreal NSL team confirmed where they are playing?

Edit: They haven't confirmed yet

 

Edited yesterday at 03:14 PM by narduch

[Kingston]

3 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

The CFL stadium was going to be in Dartmouth rather than at the Wanderers Grounds:

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/potential-cfl-stadium-generates-excitement-in-dartmouth-business-comunity-1.4164099?cache=%2F7.430310

If that had happened the Wanderers Ground popup was just going to be a stopgap measure.

Then, for the Wanderers, I'm glad it didn't. Their current location is terrific.  If they can get a higher quality, permanent stadium build there then so much the better.

As a CFL fan, I'd also love to see that league put a team in Halifax but, unfortunately, I don't think the two stadiums would be compatible which makes it unlikely they would both happen.

 

[Mihairokov]

4 hours ago, Kingston said:

Then, for the Wanderers, I'm glad it didn't. Their current location is terrific.  If they can get a higher

AFAIK there was never a contingency for the Wanderers to play in the CFL stadium which never coalesced. Wanderers Grounds has always been the spot and I'm certain Derek Martin would say the same. 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

^^^then why have we not seen the Halifax approach of temporary bleachers emulated in other markets? Kitchener, Saskatoon and now Montreal all had interested investor groups that likely could have launched if the league had been willing to be more flexible where stadium and/or other requirements are concerned. If even Claude Robillard is not viewed as an acceptable way to break into the Quebec market then they are setting the bar very high.

Why is SixFive Sports so insistent that the City of Langford has to expand Starlight Stadium when Pacific crowds seldom get close to the current 5100 capacity? The obvious answer is that the league as currently configured doesn't actually really make sense financially until they start hitting the 8000-12000 range on paid attendance. Even the 5000 Wade Miller has talked about as the target that the Valour must achieve is probably just where they need to be to tread water in fiscal terms.

Given what we see regularly on crowds or lack thereof from Winnipeg on Onesoccer it would not be the least bit surprising if finding new owners for the Valour is a much more pressing priority for the league right now than adding a ninth expansion club.

Edited 4 hours ago by Ozzie_the_parrot