Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire
Calgary will never get a MLS team if they can't support the lower levels.
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Agree with this 100%. If folks want MLS here, they will have to get out and support the teams we get first, and maybe, just maybe, MLS will look to Calgary. So that means, every person here that says they will support MLS when they come to Calgary needs to get out and support the Calgary Foothills PDL team first.
If you want to see the model Calgary would have to follow to get to MLS, you would have to look south to see a few blueprints where support for lower level clubs basically forced MLS' hand to getting a team. Orlando City is a good example. The Austin Aztex club from USSF Division 2 moved to Orlando in 2011, and were immediately the most popular draw in the new USL Pro (division 3) league. After 3 years of drawing consistently higher crowds (5265 in 2011, 6606 in 2012, 8053 in 2013), they were granted a team.
Look back a few years and the same model of very loyal support for lower division soccer got Portland an MLS team in 2011. If you want a current example, you can look to Sacramento, who were granted a USL Pro team this year and have drawn in excess of 20000 to games this year, and are now trying to get an MLS team.
Also, people seem to be unaware that MLS Commissioner Don Garber has stated that there will be no further expansion into Canada for the time being, so taking this into consideration hurts Calgary's chances even more.
What might be a more realistic shot at professional soccer in Calgary would be an all-Canadian league as part of the NASL setting up shop. There have been rumours that the NASL, CFL, CSA and TSN are in talks to get an all Canadian league starting up in the next few years...