Thread for Questioning CPL Attendance Numbers 2024

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Meanwhile on Reddit, it's possible to have a sensible conversation about what some of the issues are this season in a Pacific context:

without anyone needing an official league PR spin only safe space where issues like attendance are concerned. Barring the former mayor making a political comeback and pushing stadium expansion through and/or new ownership emerging, it looks to me like Pacific will only be around for as long as it takes for the league to find an alternative way to stick at a minimum of eight clubs or something else more dire happens that likely won't be on the radar screen until after CSB's big 2026 World Cup related pay day courtesy of Victor Montagliani. For now the whole operation is in a holding pattern spending as little money on the team and front office as they can get away with.

[narduch]

Nobody is stopping you form posting on reddit and ending your trolling here if you think its so great there.

And besides, the post you link to is actually interesting and topical. Not the same as your attendance conspiracy theories.

Its amazing you can't see the difference.

Funny thing too is I have read some of those same complaints here over time.

Edited August 20 by narduch

[Aird25]

The actual money guy, Shillington, is often at games. I've seen him several times this season and i haven't been to all that many games. I'm not sure why this thread is the place for this conversation though?

Edited August 20 by Aird25

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

York vs Forge announced as 1824:

https://canpl.ca/matchcentre/ajp6qf6625x4q8j4q2n847aqc/highlights

That would imply the main stand should be slightly over half full courtesy of a significant away support from Hamilton. Not much in the highlights to go on but the far side green pitch level seats were being used to a minor extent, which hasnt happened very often this season.

Edited August 24 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Latest quasi-official numbers:

 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

6359 for Halifax vs Ottawa according to the Onesoccer commentary team. Think that's almost but not quite on being a sellout because there were definitely a few tickets still available not long before kickoff.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Webite confirms Halifax number was 6359:

https://canpl.ca/matchcentre/ak412f005rpcgj5uzs8ibunmc/highlights

Sections filled the way you would expect for a near sellout.

No website number for Cavalry vs Pacific:

https://canpl.ca/matchcentre/akizbros1vktzqpz1kstoveac/highlights

But looked like it was shaping up to be one of their biggest crowds of the season on Ticketmaster so wouldn't be surprised if the announced number breaks 5000.

Edited August 25 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Calgary crowd announced as 5043 and a regular season record apparently:

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/cavalry-leave-it-late-to-knock-off-pacific-fc-in-front-of-record-crowd-at-atco-field

...It’s worth noting that Cavalry set a regular-season attendance record at ATCO Field on Saturday, with 5,043 fans in the stands.

The team has seen its attendance rise considerably this season compared to last, and Saturday afternoon set a new standard...

[SpursFlu]

I feel like there is kinda a Stockholm syndrome taking hold. @Ozzie_the_parrot is like the Russian crowd in Rocky 4. At first he's hostile and closeminded but as the battle rages on he starts to have feelings for the good guy and he starts to cheer for the underdog 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

^^^incredible how some of these guys appear to be oblivious to the way I have been posting since all the way back to 2019 with what should have been obvious delight about the things that have been going well on attendance (mainly Halifax), just as I post about what's going badly when it should be blindingly obvious to all that it's going badly (York being the most extreme example now joined by Vancouver). But no, if you do the latter part you must hate the league and be some nefarious MLS shill rather than a soccer fan who is interested in how this is all unfolding and wants to see the sport succeed in Canada.

There's no great mystery to what is happening in Calgary. The Cavalry messed up big time in 2019 by having absurdly high ticket prices for the central sections of their main stand. They now appear to have addressed that.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

No announced crowd number on the league website for Valour vs Vancouver:

https://canpl.ca/matchcentre/aky07hn624s3g047ugrzyo9w4/highlights

but looked very poor in the highlights. Seriously doubt there could have been much more than 1500 actually there.

Edited August 26 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[K Edgar]

7 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

No announced crowd number on the league website for Valour vs Vancouver:

https://canpl.ca/matchcentre/aky07hn624s3g047ugrzyo9w4/highlights

but looked very poor in the highlights. Seriously doubt there could have been much more than 1500 actually there.

Valour fans sit on the sun baked east side while looking across at empty seats in the nicely shaded west side.  On a very hot afternoon such as yesterday fans are going to stay away.

[BearcatSA]

27 minutes ago, K Edgar said:

Valour fans sit on the sun baked east side while looking across at empty seats in the nicely shaded west side.  On a very hot afternoon such as yesterday fans are going to stay away.

Some of that could be solved with evening scheduling during the summer dog days.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Vaguely remember seeing it stated elsewhere (probably Reddit) that the issue on this one is that there is a corporate level lounge that is being accessed by the season ticket holders in the most expensive section at the halfway line as part of their package of benefits related to the Pinnacle Club that is located on that side of the stadium.

https://valourfc.canpl.ca/pinnacle-club/

What was stated is that if they moved the other spectators over to the other side in the shade they would have to open up more stadium facilities on both sides of the field adding significantly to the overall gameday costs.

Edited August 26 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

Latest quasi-official numbers:

 

[Watchmen]

A thread for questioning some of the attendance numbers for the Leagues Cup.

[SpursFlu]

57 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

A thread for questioning some of the attendance numbers for the Leagues Cup.

If you looked at the camera angle during corner kicks and when the teams were walking out of the tunnel you could clearly see large patches of empty seats. There was also a couple heavy set fellows clearly occupying 2 seats. If you cross reference that with a screen shot from SeatGeek 15 minutes prior to kickoff it's pretty clear the actual attendance was closer to 1400 people

Edited August 27 by SpursFlu

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

15 hours ago, Watchmen said:

A thread for questioning some of the attendance numbers for the Leagues Cup.

Many of the Leagues Cup crowds were less than stellar this year. MLS and LigaMX clearly need to rethink the format. The same can also be said for the Canadian Championship though after last night's crowds (or relative lack thereof) at BMO Stadium and BC Place. Both of those ties were far from done and dusted but the TFC and Whitecaps supports were still largely apathetic to the whole thing. Don't think the move to two legs is necessarily the best way to handle it. Fewer games played to a decision would likely mean less squad rotation and a higher quality of soccer rather than the current scenario of giving MLS clubs (and arguably also CanPL when playing League One clubs) a second bite of the cherry to do just enough to advance. That in turn leads to more fan engagement.

[SoccMan]

Anybody know what the attendance was for the Cup semi final last night between TFC and Forge ? Looked like one of TFC’s lowest crowds apart from the other two Canadian Championship games they played at BMO earlier this season which looked even emptier . I might venture and guess that the first leg at Tim Hortons Field between these two teams had just as many in attendance or more than last night at BMO . Not a good look when this game was part of the TFC season ticket holders package of which TFC has something like 22000 season ticket holders .

Edited August 28 by SoccMan

[narduch]

2 minutes ago, SoccMan said:

Anybody know what the attendance was for the Cup semi final last night between TFC and Forge ? Looked like one of TFC’s lowest crowds apart from the other two Canadian Championship games they played at BMO earlier this season which looked even emptier . I might venture and guess that the first leg at Tim Hortons Field between these two teams had just as many in attendance or more than last night at BMO .

Announced attendance 20,173 in Toronto. 

10,966 in Vancouver 

[SoccMan]

1 minute ago, narduch said:

Announced attendance 20,173 in Toronto. 

10,966 in Vancouver 

Looked very empty on TV regarding the TFC game , however , I was only really seeing the one side to be fair .

[narduch]

7 minutes ago, SoccMan said:

Looked very empty on TV regarding the TFC game , however , I was only really seeing the one side to be fair .

I think it's pretty fair to question the Toronto number.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

3 hours ago, SoccMan said:

...Not a good look when this game was part of the TFC season ticket holders package of which TFC has something like 22000 season ticket holders .

Did fans not get a chance to opt out of this game and the Leagues Cup one? Vaguely remember reading about that. If so, looks like lots of people neglected to do so and then didn't bother to show up. There are camera shots early in the highlights where you can tell that the main stand side is very sparse as well.

Sadly anyone who remembers what happened to Blizzard crowds on moving from the NASL to the NSL and then to the CSL will not be shocked in any way by what happens once a Canadian rather than a relatively high budget North American competition is involved in a GTA context. Shouldn't be that way but you have to deal with the world as it is rather than as you want it to be.

Edited August 28 by Ozzie_the_parrot

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

No website number for the Forge game:

https://canpl.ca/matchcentre/ald33228pztmq2elgx1vtwtg4/highlights

while the Cavalry game was announced as 4055:

https://canpl.ca/matchcentre/als6oovnt6yjhspfybbw14i6s/highlights

Think it's on the generous side to suggest that the difference from the last game was only -20% but guess there's scope for lots of no shows on a Friday evening game at the start of a long weekend. If the active sections opposite the cameras were only approximately half full for the Forge game as the highlights suggest then the actual crowd is unlikely to have been significantly north of 3000 for reasons I have outlined in depth previously in this thread.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

7022 announced in Ottawa apparently. Think there's been more of an overspill into the stand on the opposite side from the cameras than is apparent in the highlights when they have announced that high previously. Wasn't checking Ticketmaster before the game kicked off so maybe something was opened on the camera side that wouldn't normally be. Regardless, there being a need to open the opposite side at all suggests Friday evening isn't necessarily the best way to go on long weekends.

Edited September 1 by Ozzie_the_parrot