Great points, Shermanator. I appreciate your insight and decorum in discussing the issue.
To me, the on-field product can suffer somewhat as long as the fan experience is fun, friendly, and accessible. While the Stadium station is quite convenient, the general location is a "get in, get out" location where you would not want to spend more than five extra minutes. There is no general food and retail presence around to attract fans before and after games. It's basically retreat back home, to downtown, or Uber/cab back to Whyte.
I'm not too concerned about the Supporters groups; at the end of the day their role is to make noise during a game so it looks better on TV and sounds more lively at the games. Hopefully one of these groups will take pole position. The team also should do more to enhance the Supporters section. Cavalry also as the leg up with their stadium design with having loud, reverberating seating. This comes across well on TV and likely plays into a robust supporters section and south-side attendance.
I am hoping the savings the Fath Group sees on the team via salaries and reduced travel (compared to the NASL) will enable to them to start planning for long-term future upgrades. If the CPL is going to be popular, it would be a shame to see Edmonton get left behind due to a crappy facility. I hope there is a longer-term plan. I am not sure Clarke was their number one location when deciding on a location before the season started (Telus field was considered, but that would have been odd).
Once Cavalry comes back down to earth, I think a healthy Cavalry/FCE rivalry is going to keep football support strong and growing in Alberta.
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