The whole idea of two regional based division 2 leagues playing a 4 month season feels like more of a division 3 concept in nature, but given that there is no division 2 in Canada, and the division 3 leagues that are around are very low budget and unstable, this seems like a decent fit for the short term. Long term, it could get really messy.
The real root of the issue is that the CSA is moving full speed ahead on getting all non-MLS clubs to play in Canadian equivalent leagues. But the issue with forcing the USL League 2 clubs into a Canadian equivalent league is that there isn’t a Canadian equivalent league. League1 Ontario and the anticipated League1 BC are very low budget, and there is no League1 equivalent in Alberta or Manitoba.
Basically, the standard of play and off-field setup in USL League 2 doesn’t exist in Canada.
Short term, this idea solves the problem of getting an equivalent level of play and budget for the clubs who want to invest in Canadian soccer, but not at the level of CPL level. Promising, but there are a lot of questions around how this fits long term:
- Does promotion / relegation happen right away? Or is it implemented when it becomes something that can be realistically done? Or is it not implemented at all?
- How does promotion / relegation work when regional leagues are in use? What if the bottom two CPL clubs are on the same side of the country? This works in other countries but with travel being the big reason to go regional, how does that get solved?
- For CPL 2 clubs in CPL cities, how are you going to attract fans?
- How do you get professional talent to play in a CPL 2? Or how do you get a semi-pro league if you rely on amateur USports level players?
For Calgary Foothills, I know the case for having them in a league makes sense from their point of view, but financially I don’t see how it makes sense. It’s basically taking USL League 2 costs and ramping them up, while maintaining the same small fan base that they had in USL League 2. It may make sense for Foothills to partner with a club like Lethbridge FC, where they can work together to provide the talent for the team, and being in Lethbridge will allow them to have a dedicated market to draw fans from, complete with a built-in supporters group already there.
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