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Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame
I don't disagree with the Calgary being too large for minor pro / too small for major leagues, but I can't see an "FC Alberta" or a similar variant working. Sharing a team between Calgary and Edmonton would fracture and inhibit a very fragile fanbase - Alberta fans are far more fickle with their urban-centric rivalries than say, the "Saskatchewan Roughriders" sort of scenario. We have different NHL, CFL and various other teams that, over the course of sports history, has created a dichotomy-based relationship between two cities that IMO would not receive a joint-team very well.
Add that to the fact that Calgary would get what - 8 to 10 games tops on a home field, and you have a fan base that barely gets to see a home game every year, has a distant relationship with the players and the team brand, and can't easily go up to Edmonton to support the squad due to distance and time.
"Team Alberta" works for curling because its a niche sport; the same cannot be said for soccer. There is just too much rivalry/territorial/extreme marketing and management issues to go that route.
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You're right, its an imperfect solution, but a combined market of ~3 million (capable of buying merchandise, tickets and watching on TV), that has significant disposable income, competitive taxation and no major league sports saturation would make the MLS take note far more than either city individually (providing a reasonable business plan). A 2.5 hour drive is distant, but I think if most are weekend games, it could be overcome to an extent. It would take some getting used to though for Edmontonians and Calgarians going to each other's stadiums as fans of the same team, but I think the Albertan identity would be played up to overcome that somewhat.
Personally, I think the Edmonton-Calgary rivalry has diminished quite a bit anyway. For example, I would argue that Vancouver has become the far more hated team in hockey, and Saskatchewan has become the more hated team in football. Who thought you'd see Edmonton and Calgary co-host something like the World Junior Hockey Championships, something I dare say would be unthinkable 20 years ago.
I think good marketing could overcome that issue by emphasizing that neither city is a big fan of Vancouver or Toronto, and promoting rivalries with them. Ironically, the WHA Edmonton Oilers started out as the "Alberta Oilers," and a team meant to be shared between the two cities. So the idea isn't without precedent.
As for management, the team would have to have its head office in one of the two cities, and very little initial infrastructure in the other, save for a ticket office and merchandising hub.
For games it would essentially be a larger scale version of what Toronto does with the Buffalo Bills. Lets pretend "Alberta FC" is MLS' 20th franchise for simpler numbers. They'd play ~40 games per season. So 20 home games, 15 in Calgary, and 5 in Edmonton, or vice versa. Or more simply perhaps, all league games in one city, and all cup games in the other.
Its a hail mary proposal for sure, but I think without combining, both cities may never see MLS (so there would never be a rivalry anyway... either just Edmonton, or just Calgary with no support from the other city). Should an FC Alberta come into being, fans would catch on to the fact that its either going to be Team Alberta v. Vancouver, Toronto, etc., having to cheer for far flung cities like Vancouver, Seattle or Toronto, or losing out on the only other attainable major sports league for Alberta.
Frankly, I'm not sure Calgary sports fans (or sports media) will ever be content with being in an inferior division to Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. Calgary may be the distant 4th market in Canada by size, but its also by far the richest per capita which allows the city to punch above its weight a fair amount... the too big for minor/too small for major issue that we agree on.
Having FC Edmonton puts Edmonton a little ahead in the race for a team. While their owners talk MLS long term, I don't see them getting on the MLS radar without being able to drag in Calgary as a secondary market, or co-host. (As a side note, I'm sort of shocked that FC Edmonton has made no attempt to build relations in Calgary, with no marketing in Calgary for weekend trips to see pro soccer, or even friendlies against AMSL teams, or Calgary United FC of the extremely mickey mouse CMISL.)
Frankly, it's MLS only to get the casual fan and corporate fan, and anything below that being at odds with the culture of major league or bust... but I don't think that means Calgary isn't a viable soccer market, just means anything less requires a big plan, smart moves and a lot of money relative to the division (and probably government assistance on bringing a stadium up to code).