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Kevin Blue named CSA General Secretary and CEO


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33 minutes ago, Joe MacCarthy said:

It's not incredible, they went in knowing what they wanted to do and they did it.  It wasn't an oversight despite you not liking it.

We'll see if their attitude changes as the AT is nearing EOL in the next few years. They may go the Winnipeg route.

Shows you how popular soccer is in Saskatchewan then .

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9 minutes ago, SoccMan said:

Shows you how popular soccer is in Saskatchewan then .

It was a matter of cost. Gridiron football accounts for the overwhelming majority of sporting events there so they decided permanent lines was the right decision from a cost and maintenance standpoint. It was debated from both sides at the time, some think it was the wrong decision. The stadium isn't up to FIFA standards as a result, but it can still get the field in shape to host games and has had a good turnout when it does. This friendly between NY Cosmos and Valencia drew around 15k, which is more than a lot of games in Toronto. There's definitely an appetite in the province.

soccer-day-1.jpg
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On 5/22/2024 at 11:42 PM, frmr said:

It was a matter of cost. Gridiron football accounts for the overwhelming majority of sporting events there so they decided permanent lines was the right decision from a cost and maintenance standpoint. It was debated from both sides at the time, some think it was the wrong decision. The stadium isn't up to FIFA standards as a result, but it can still get the field in shape to host games and has had a good turnout when it does. This friendly between NY Cosmos and Valencia drew around 15k, which is more than a lot of games in Toronto. There's definitely an appetite in the province.

soccer-day-1.jpg

I remember that match fairly well. It looks like they partially painted over or blurred the CDN football lines, really the image is not bad at all. 

Anyone who doesn't think that is a superb venue for soccer and would work for the national team is nuts. It is just the lines that's the issue, the rest is great. 

Since they'll have to do a replacement surface soon, they can make the lines impermanent. Painting for the given sport is no problem at all. When I was at Starlight the Pacific field one summer, where they regularly shift between rugby, soccer and CDN football, they have a machine on a digital programme that does the lines, they were putting the latter in and it was fairly fast and efficient. They said they needed a day, a morning to paint over and an afternoon to add the gridiron marks. Which was slower than a soccer pitch. Then goalposts. 

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1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Since they'll have to do a replacement surface soon, they can make the lines impermanent.

Will they though? Has anything tangibly changed in eight years to change from one to the other? I can't imagine CMNT/CWNT clamoring to get there any time soon for matches and CPL shouldn't end up in another CFL stadium. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

If Canada Soccer/CSB want more naming rights ideas and money, they can look at Football Australia.

The men's team is now branded as Subway Socceroos. It's now all over their website and their social media handles

The women's team has been known as CommBank Matildas for a while.

SubSOC_RGB_Hor_Gold_Grad-navheader.png

af_tLyGZ_400x400.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Mr. Blue's focus on drumming up donor money is actually on trend with what is happening with US sports orgs and has more potential than I envisioned.

Sports Business Journal found 78% of 32 US sports orgs have seen donations increase from 2018-22. In the same period, sponsorship monies have decreased as nonendemic sponsors have been slow to come back post covid. 

“I can only service so many sponsors, and to a degree with category exclusivity, you might be only able to have one bank,” said Andrews of USA Fencing. “But I can have 25 donors who are bankers.”

In 2022, U.S. Ski & Snowboard brought in US$19 million in donations — $5 million more than it brought in through sponsors, and by far the most of any US sports org. It brings in around $2 million per year from its Gold Medal Gala, at which donors can rub elbows with Olympic medalists. It also has a Gold Pass program, offering access to more than 200 resorts for at least a $15k donation. It currently has a waiting list.

But you need to have someone in charge of fund raising and it will take a while to build and to cultivate the right kind of donors. U.S. Ski & Snowboard has a staff of 16, with 11 focused solely on bringing in donations.

Of note, the lowest revenue US sport org is USA Pentathlon, at a little over $600k,  while USSF is the highest at over $100m. US sports org get no government money but do get money from the US Olympic Committee.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/07/01/olympics?publicationSource=sbj&issue=91ad0e4bf5b849f789ae97e7b9de0c09

 

In a ESPN FC discussion about paying big bucks to get a big name manager for the US men, they noted it may cause a PR blow back if they don't top up Emma Hayes salary even if not required and already the best paid women's team manager. So, sponsors may be needed to top up Hayes salary since it would crimp USSF budget paying big bucks for 2 managers.

They mentioned their irregular ESPN contributor Klinsmann US$4m+ salary was paid by sponsors when he was overseeing Germany. So, getting MLS clubs to pay for Marsch isn't that uncommon. Only the branding is new.

 

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8 hours ago, red card said:

Mr. Blue's focus on drumming up donor money is actually on trend with what is happening with US sports orgs and has more potential than I envisioned.

Sports Business Journal found 78% of 32 US sports orgs have seen donations increase from 2018-22. In the same period, sponsorship monies have decreased as nonendemic sponsors have been slow to come back post covid. 

“I can only service so many sponsors, and to a degree with category exclusivity, you might be only able to have one bank,” said Andrews of USA Fencing. “But I can have 25 donors who are bankers.” ...

Think the complicating factor is that once CIBC have exclusivity through CSB it isn't actually possible for BMO and Scotiabank to be donors on something linked to the CSA that winds up with a title like the "MLS Canada Head Coach" without having CIBC becoming extremely litigious about it. Rival banks are more likely to do some guerilla marketing with the players during a major tournament. That's where CSB have a major problem on cashing in on the rights they were handed by Victor Montagliani & Co if they can't get the CMNT and CWNT rosters to buy into what they are doing and provide their image rights.

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13 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Think the complicating factor is that once CIBC have exclusivity through CSB it isn't actually possible for BMO and Scotiabank to be donors on something linked to the CSA that winds up with a title like the "MLS Canada Head Coach" without having CIBC becoming extremely litigious about it. Rival banks are more likely to do some guerilla marketing with the players during a major tournament. That's where CSB have a major problem on cashing in on the rights they were handed by Victor Montagliani & Co if they can't get the CMNT and CWNT rosters to buy into what they are doing and provide their image rights.

The example used by red card, applied to your example, says, "BMO and Scotiabank can't sponsor (quid pro quo) Canada Soccer, but Darryl White (BMO) and Scott Thomson (BNS) can donate money to the cause." One is selling a product to a company; the other is selling access to a team or teams. And both those CEO's could donate a LOT of money if the access is right.

Rinse, repeat for every other industry and their multi-millionaire exec's.

As far as exclusivity, I strongly suspect that some of these naming opportunities like the MLS men's coach falls into tax-deductible donations, which is quite likely outside the scope of the CSB contract. At which point theoretically you could have the assistant coach endowed by BMO and the keeper coach endowed by Scotiabank all while CIBC is a team or association sponsor...if CS was foolish.

(What the article doesn't say is that those "donations" can be used to gain influence and do some networking so that when CIBC's contract expires, or when there are other CS opportunities, their respective companies are well known and in prime position to compete for a sponsorship. Imagine that - competition to pay money to Canada Soccer. What alternate reality are we in?)

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1 hour ago, CanadianTraveller said:

The example used by red card, applied to your example, says, "BMO and Scotiabank can't sponsor (quid pro quo) Canada Soccer, but Darryl White (BMO) and Scott Thomson (BNS) can donate money to the cause." One is selling a product to a company; the other is selling access to a team or teams. And both those CEO's could donate a LOT of money if the access is right.

Rinse, repeat for every other industry and their multi-millionaire exec's.

As far as exclusivity, I strongly suspect that some of these naming opportunities like the MLS men's coach falls into tax-deductible donations, which is quite likely outside the scope of the CSB contract. At which point theoretically you could have the assistant coach endowed by BMO and the keeper coach endowed by Scotiabank all while CIBC is a team or association sponsor...if CS was foolish.

(What the article doesn't say is that those "donations" can be used to gain influence and do some networking so that when CIBC's contract expires, or when there are other CS opportunities, their respective companies are well known and in prime position to compete for a sponsorship. Imagine that - competition to pay money to Canada Soccer. What alternate reality are we in?)

You're right that (in this scenario) White and Thompson could probably be donors but Ozzie is probably right that the CS would have to be careful on how that showed up. As in, I don't think there could be a "BMO assistant manager" it would have to involve Daryl White's name, not BMO.

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30 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

You're right that (in this scenario) White and Thompson could probably be donors but Ozzie is probably right that the CS would have to be careful on how that showed up. As in, I don't think there could be a "BMO assistant manager" it would have to involve Daryl White's name, not BMO.

"Could": I suspect contractually there is no issue because CSB only hold the marketing rights, not the philanthropy rights. Of course I don't know the contract terms.

"Should": 100% agree with you, not wise over the long term.

Remember though that development/youth soccer and national teams have had different sponsors from the same industry. Having it on the same national team though...not wise.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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