Pat Carrasco Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 13 hours ago, Rheo said: In more attempts at being productive Any idea how did those pre-season ticket sales went? I will assume that everything went well and for this reason they're are having this so called BIG announcement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rheo Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 I think people (seen on Twitter and Pat) are misreading the tweet. I don't read it as PB coming in to make a big announcement but as PB coming to speak as the big announcement. But that was just my reading of it. toontownman and Alex D 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 1 hour ago, Pat Carrasco said: Any idea how did those pre-season ticket sales went? I will assume that everything went well and for this reason they're are having this so called BIG announcement. It reads more like Paul Beirne going to Edmonton to try to help boost the level of pre-season ticket sales. mpg_29 and m-g-williams 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macksam Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 On 2018-03-14 at 9:57 PM, Kent said: A new league that got rid of fighting, regular season shootouts, and loser points, and let their players go to the Olympics just might get me watching hockey again. Fighting is fine. Overtime loss points are okay, but making regulation win three points is a must, overtime wins 2 and overtime loss 1 like how they did in the Olympics. Anyhow, the biggest shot in the arm NA hockey needs is the move to a bigger ice surface, sizes that are used in IIHF events in Europe. The players today are just too athletic, too fast for the small North American ice size. The game is played at a break neck speed and it just seems like a fast game of dump and chase, battle it out in the corners, rinse-repeat. We need more creative hockey that is based on puck possession and moving to said ice surface will help. Perhaps those rumours of KHL expansion into North America will occur again. I’m all for it. Gopherbashi, grande, BenFisk'sBiggestFan and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansem Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said: It reads more like Paul Beirne going to Edmonton to try to help boost the level of pre-season ticket sales. An official press conference with the major media in Edmonton with a CPL announcement on the league, teams, stadiums would help Edmonton. Edited March 17, 2018 by Ansem Ivan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 ...but the tweet suggests that he is there to "talk to #YEG soccer fans", so not sure where you are going with that or whether there is some extra info out there that I haven't seen yet. Given Tom Fath has made it clear that it isn't just season ticket presales that are needed to convince him but also things like corporate support and the terms of stadium deals, I suspect any imminent major announcements are more likely to be elsewhere with Calgary and Halifax being the prime suspects at the moment given they appear to be furthest along on stadium solutions, if they really can use a showjumping arena for pro soccer and the problems caused by Waye Mason's amendments can be straightened out so the Wanderers Ground pop-up can have 8000 to 10000 seats with expandability. Suspect Ottawa and Edmonton would only happen later, if they can be persuaded by the pieces falling neatly into place elsewhere, and a lot depends on how well the stadium negotiations have been going in Surrey and Saskatoon. Time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toontownman Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Stadium in Saskatoon seems unlikely downtown. The hockey arena wants to move downtown and will be discussed on Monday. Lots of people against a downtown stadium regardless. Poor infrastructure and 6-8 or 15 (cpl/lacrosse) thousand people downtown for a game with zero parking and poor public transport is freaking people out. The upside is the CPL stadium proposed it wouldn't cost taxpayers any money. Hockey/lacrosse arena almost certainly will. Downside is the hockey arena will almost certainly trump a soccer one despite the WHL attendance being poor. I don't see a huge issue with where they were planning on starting in Saskatoon and would hope downtown isn't a deal breaker to get started next year. It would have atmosphere, great parking, good public transport links. Hell they could run ferry taxis to downtown as the ground would be virtually next to the river (because putting drunk football fans on a ferry makes sense ). It's a good 20-25 minute walk downtown though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 (edited) 12 hours ago, toontownman said: ...I don't see a huge issue with where they were planning on starting in Saskatoon and would hope downtown isn't a deal breaker to get started next year... If it is then the 132 signatures since March 10th (many from outside Saskatchewan despite the Saskatchewan residents only line being displayed prominently in bold face) out of a 10,000 target on this petition isn't looking great in optics terms at the moment: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sign-to-support-downtown-saskatoon-stadium and there appears to be an urgent need to engage with people in the mainstream soccer community in the Saskatoon area that are outside of the small fringe internet bubble. Edited March 18, 2018 by BringBackTheBlizzard toontownman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rheo Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Anybody have a clue about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toontownman Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 (edited) 4 hours ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said: If it is then the 132 signatures since March 10th (many from outside Saskatchewan despite the Saskatchewan residents only line being displayed prominently in bold face) out of a 10,000 target on this petition isn't looking great in optics terms at the moment: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sign-to-support-downtown-saskatoon-stadium and there appears to be an urgent need to engage with people in the mainstream soccer community in the Saskatoon area that are outside of the small fringe internet bubble. The optics are a little deceiving but you're not wrong at the moment. The first posting I saw of it was Thursday though then not long after here. I'm not sure where or how far else it has been posted/pushed. So is it reaching people and have they read it? I doubt it. Which speaks to your mobilisation point. Confusing the petition with support for a team in Saskatoon (you didn't do that fwiw) could also be an easy assumption too but there are a ton of factors at play. - many residents are against any downtown construction due to a number of reasons like poor transport links or costing the tax payer. - some supporters might be conflicted due to the downtown ice hockey/rush lacrosse arena proposal. Not least if that comes with the future proposition of NHL. - more pertantly as you point out, How many people know about the petition? Support for a team from the small fringe bubble is nearly 2000 strong from Facebook in sask. Where the stadium location might be less an issue to fans that would come regardless its possible the same for those that aren't hardcore fans that would come 15k of which go to the edge of town to watch lacrosse. Edit: I should add I totally understand and support the reasoning for a downtown stadium. On the flipside I don't think where they are proposing initially playing being the worst fallback long term option either. Edited March 18, 2018 by toontownman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toontownman Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 9 minutes ago, Rheo said: Anybody have a clue about this? Good timing for an announcement ahead of the non televised debut of Herdman and the national team game against New Zealand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpg_29 Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Honestly I just can't wait for some actual concrete info. Sick of the cryptic tweets bullshit. If this was in the U.S. there'd be articles and leaks galore with info. Our press is to mild mannered. SpecialK, ray, BringBackTheBlizzard and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 (edited) Lorenzo de Cicco appears to be a coach of the Calgary Foothills: http://calgaryfoothillssoccer.com/default.asp?id=christine-sinclair&l=1 and a vice-president at TELUS: https://www.calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com/newsroom/telus-helps-its-customers-and-employees-grow/ Edited March 18, 2018 by BringBackTheBlizzard johnyb, Kent, Rheo and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toontownman Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Nice recon. Hopefully and finally some more conrete news to sink teeth into, teams wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 9 hours ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said: Lorenzo de Cicco appears to be a coach of the Calgary Foothills: http://calgaryfoothillssoccer.com/default.asp?id=christine-sinclair&l=1 and a vice-president at TELUS: https://www.calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com/newsroom/telus-helps-its-customers-and-employees-grow/ Thanks! I don’t like it when a tweet is treated like a reference without any mention about why we should believe that person. That being said, thanks for finding/posting that tweet Rheo. Although if this week goes by without any more announcements my annoyance at teased news that doesn’t seem to come through, will grow. Gopherbashi and Rheo 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rheo Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 PB in Edmonton is a town hall on the CPL like we thought, not an announcement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rheo Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 16 hours ago, Kent said: That being said, thanks for finding/posting that tweet Rheo. Although if this week goes by without any more announcements my annoyance at teased news that doesn’t seem to come through, will grow. I normally only post stuff that seems legit. Someone legit retweeted it (can't remember who) When I searched his name only came up with the Telus thing, didn't see the Foothills connection. That's why I asked to see if anyone knew something I didn't see (which worked lol) Kent 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 (edited) Have mentioned this Peter Wilt blog entry before when pointing out that Edmonton was one of the smallest markets in North America with pro soccer back in 2016 when it was written, while in a CanPL context it would be one of the largest. http://www.whatahowler.com/httpswhatahowler-com201610american-soccers-next-cincinnati-is-omaha-html/ Only five of the 53 markets under one million have pro soccer teams (all in the USL). Meanwhile, pro teams exist in 42 of the 54 MSAs with more than a million people. Were we to include Canada, Edmonton (pop. 1.16 million) would also make it onto the chart to the left. It's definitely worth a look for a study of the factors that can be used to predict what would be the best markets for non-MLS soccer franchises in North America: It seems to be provoking some interest on twitter at the moment: Think this guy has been smoking something as none of these youth clubs would have the finances for something like this, but a Byron Munchen CPL team would have my support even if North London Arsenal is closer to my part of town. Edited March 19, 2018 by BringBackTheBlizzard ted 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 (edited) ^ Canada and the US are completely different countries, culturally, politically, and economically. About the only thing we have in common is geographical proximity. And that is most certainly not a reason to assume that what applies there economically will also apply here in Canada. How about some numbers for Sweden? Or Australia, who face many of the same challenges we do and are much closer to Canada in many respects than the US. Edited March 20, 2018 by dsqpr nate95, toontownman, Ansem and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macksam Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, dsqpr said: ^ Canada and the US are completely different countries, culturally, politically, and economically. About the only thing we have in common is geographical proximity. And that is most certainly not a reason to assume that what applies there economically will also apply here in Canada. How about some numbers for Sweden? Or Australia, who face many of the same challenges we do and are much closer to Canada in many respects than the US. Believe me, truer words can’t be expressed. The sport has an even longer way to go over there. I was in Detroit and then Grand Rapids Michigan a few weekends back visiting my girlfriend and I don’t think I met one person who knew what MLS was. And these were places with young hipster people, MLS’ new core demographic. Lady Macksam was even dissapointed when I told her I played soccer during my teenage/high school days instead of hockey, which her mind automatically came to the conclusion to because of where I’m from. Edited March 20, 2018 by Macksam Lofty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 (edited) 7 hours ago, dsqpr said: ^ Canada and the US are completely different countries, culturally, politically, and economically... Derek Martin of S|E|A was very interested in reading it, so CanPL insiders don't necessarily agree with you on that. If you take the time to read what Peter Wilt wrote, he's actually quite keen on Hamilton and Winnpeg as small markets with no pro soccer where it might work: http://www.whatahowler.com/httpswhatahowler-com201610american-soccers-next-cincinnati-is-omaha-html/ ...The Canadian markets of Hamilton and Winnipeg are the most populous in this group. Hamilton has a great CFL venue that would showcase a pro soccer team very well... Edited March 20, 2018 by BringBackTheBlizzard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbeto Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 2 hours ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said: erek Martin of S|E|A was very interested in reading it, so CanPL insiders don't necessarily agree with you on that. If you take the time to read what Peter Wilt wrote, he's actually quite keen on Hamilton and Winnpeg as small markets with no pro soccer where it might work: http://www.whatahowler.com/httpswhatahowler-com201610american-soccers-next-cincinnati-is-omaha-html/ ...The Canadian markets of Hamilton and Winnipeg are the most populous in this group. Hamilton has a great CFL venue that would showcase a pro soccer team very well... Peter Wilt uses an American (and not Canadian) optics (and measurement). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 (edited) If you actually read it, you'll find he uses: 1. population 2. existing sports teams 3. venue 4. homegrown population 5. new American population ("new Canadian" is dated terminology but this is still easily adapted) 6. young adult population 7. youth soccer population 8. corporate support 9. climate 10. local pro and amateur soccer history to gauge the relative suitabilities of various markets with no pro soccer. I struggle to see anything in there that isn't also directly applicable in a Canadian context when the one obvious fix that is needed is made. The post-2005 expansion history of pro soccer in an MLS context strongly suggests that what has worked well in Canada (urban rather than suburban stadium accessible by transit geared towards young adults and recent immigrant soccer fans rather than the youth soccer minivan crowd) has also worked well in an American context. CanPL would not be close to happening (they've done very well to get it this far, but don't underestimate the scale of the remaining challenges) without the post-2005 expansion history of MLS in Canada, because that's what has made it obvious to corporate Canada that it is actually possible to make money through pro soccer. Canadian pro soccer has been inexorably linked to what happens in the USA for the last 50 years, since the launch of the original NASL, and that's unlikely to change any time soon, given the United bid for 2026 and the fact that MLS isn't leaving and will continue to be the de facto D1. Edited March 20, 2018 by BringBackTheBlizzard ted and Kent 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 8 hours ago, Macksam said: Believe me, truer words can’t be expressed. The sport has an even longer way to go over there. I was in Detroit and then Grand Rapids Michigan a few weekends back visiting my girlfriend and I don’t think I met one person who knew what MLS was. And these were places with young hipster people, MLS’ new core demographic. Lady Macksam was even dissapointed when I told her I played soccer during my teenage/high school days instead of hockey, which her mind automatically came to the conclusion to because of where I’m from. Um... what? Let's examine two hypothetical countries. Country A: Top tier pro teams - 20, with 2 slated to start in the near future 2nd tier pro teams - 31 including top tier reserve teams Top 3 Teams by average attendance - 48,200, 43,666, 25,022 FIFA World Ranking - 25 World Cup Appearances - 9 Best World Cup result - 3rd (if you want to discount early tournaments, let's say quarter finals) Continental Championships* - 6 Country B: Top tier pro teams - 3 in neighbouring country's league 2nd tier pro teams - 2 including a top tier reserve team Top 3 teams by average attendance - 27,647, 21,416, 20,046 FIFA World ranking - 90 World Cup Appearances - 1 Best World Cup result - last place Continental Championships* - 1 (I'm not counting 1985 since Mexico... I mean top ranked Country C, wasn't even involved) Which country do you think is further along? Objectively in every meaningful way the choice is obvious. Any stat you can pick out that has Canada ahead of USA is horribly cherry picked, and any subjective thing you can mention is probably slathered with a huge dose of bias. *Admittedly, the continental championship is a sham that is always hosted in Country A, but the reasoning is largely because they get the biggest crowds out to games. Prune_55 and ChrisinOrleans 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 ^ I think the original point was that the population at large in the US does not only not give a fig about MLS but does not even know that it exists! After 20 years of having a so-called "major league", one can only conclude they have a very long way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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