Two draws for Foothills this weekend against Lane United. 0-0 on Friday night and 1-1 on Sunday. Highlights are below. Two more games this upcoming weekend Friday and Sunday against Sounders U-23 which will make or break the season.
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Last edited by shermanator; 06-19-2017 at 07:16 PM.
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2 more wins against Sounders U23 all but guarantees Calgary will be in the playoffs again this year. 4 points up on Timbers U23 and 10 points up on Sounders U 23 with 4 games left.
Currently discussing the potential of a home playoff game with the club, specifically the date and location. It sounds like the game would be on July 18, and the supporters group is pushing to get it at Broadview. Of course, both items are not set in stone right now.
So Foothills' premier league team (in CUSA) is going to be challenging for a spot in Majors (AMSL) for the 2018 season. They'll act as a feeder team for PDL. Will be good for them, as the AMSL is very good soccer.
After going 1-1-1 playing 3 games in 4 days, Foothills' last game of the regular season is this Sunday. It will be Foothills and Timbers U23 in the playoffs, but where that will be is TBD. Currently Foothills are 2 points up, but way behind in goal difference should a tiebreaker be needed.
Yup, the location for games this year has harpooned the club's momentum from last year's run. I'm really hopeful that any playoff games are at Broadview.
That said, I'm also not putting much effort in trying to get people out this year. It's clear most people in Calgary couldn't care less about PDL, and I'm somewhat souring on it myself.
The club just let me know that if there is a home playoff game, it will be at the Soccer Centre. Broadview was unavailable. So much for that wish!
That is really disappointing. If they are relying on revenue from ticket sales and fan interest to drive things forward, they are shooting themselves in the foot(clan).
I'm in the same boat this year. Playing at the soccer centre and doubling up on the games (Friday and Sunday the same weekend) has sunk my interest too.
I'll buy the seasons tickets again next year, I want to support the team with the hopes that higher level league sets up shop here, but another year like this one and I'll probably be done.
That said, I'm also not putting much effort in trying to get people out this year. It's clear most people in Calgary couldn't care less about PDL, and I'm somewhat souring on it myself.
How come, if you don't mind me asking? Just from following this thread, you seem like the #1 cheerleader for the club. What's changed?
I've been tempted to go to a game here and there, but it's just too expensive for what's on offer. I've seen some highlights videos and to be honest (and a little bit harsh maybe) the quality and location is no better than what I could see in my local park on a Sunday back home. Wanting to check out a game (before shelling out for a season ticket) costs $45 for me, my wife and son before you even get to parking, food, etc.
How come, if you don't mind me asking? Just from following this thread, you seem like the #1 cheerleader for the club. What's changed?
I've been tempted to go to a game here and there, but it's just too expensive for what's on offer. I've seen some highlights videos and to be honest (and a little bit harsh maybe) the quality and location is no better than what I could see in my local park on a Sunday back home. Wanting to check out a game (before shelling out for a season ticket) costs $45 for me, my wife and son before you even get to parking, food, etc.
After 3 years of trying to build a supporters culture from scratch, I think I'm realizing that the interest that was inherently around for the launch is not growing.
For me, the main drawbacks around PDL are lack of any sort of atmosphere outside of what us supporters are trying to bring, a lack of a professionalism from the club and the scheduling itself.
Regarding the atmosphere, I went to a Shamrock Rovers game in Ireland last week, and it's just a completely different culture around the game. I think this is more of a European vs North America thing in general, but here people react to the play rather than trying to influence it from the stands. Even sitting far away from the supporters, the experience was just completely different than you get at any game in any sport in this city. My wife, who couldn't care less about the sport, was even excited in the game as the game went on as she got caught up in the atmosphere. Having a group of 15-20 supporters trying to get 750 people who look at you like your a bunch of drunken idiots (which to be fair is sometimes true) gets tiring after a while.
My issue with the professionalism is largely around what they've slapped together for a venue. The Soccer Centre is just an abomination of a venue, location wise and setup wise. The only positive I can think of are the stands (which are just the three row metal bleachers from inside) are close to the pitch. Everything else, quite frankly, sucks. There wasn't even a scoreboard for the last year and a half until a sponsor donated one. The club had a good thing going at Glenmore with food trucks, Village beer on tap, a grass pitch and a decent set of stands. If the club can get back there next year, I think that will go a long way.
Outside of the venue, there have been a lot of failed promises from the club to the supporters this year. There was supposed to be a marquee friendly that didn't happen. Other exhibition games were cancelled with a day's notice. There was supposed to be a jersey release and tour of the new facility for season ticket holders that never happened. We had watch parties for away games planned where the club couldn't get us a table reserved for game time. We were promised instructions on how to order jerseys online which never came. Those sorts of things.
Regarding the scheduling, the PDL season is so short to begin with, and within that season, games are clustered. For example, there were no home games from August to May. Then 2 in 3 days. Then no games for 6 weeks. Then 4 in 9 days. Then no games for a month. And each two game set is the same opponent, because Foothills has to pay the airfare of visiting teams.
Personally, I think there is some great talent on the team, but off the pitch there is a lot left to be desired. At this point, I'm just biding time waiting for the Canadian Premier League to announce a club in Calgary.
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Regarding the atmosphere, I went to a Shamrock Rovers game in Ireland last week, and it's just a completely different culture around the game. I think this is more of a European vs North America thing in general, but here people react to the play rather than trying to influence it from the stands. Even sitting far away from the supporters, the experience was just completely different than you get at any game in any sport in this city. My wife, who couldn't care less about the sport, was even excited in the game as the game went on as she got caught up in the atmosphere. Having a group of 15-20 supporters trying to get 750 people who look at you like your a bunch of drunken idiots (which to be fair is sometimes true) gets tiring after a while.
Funny you bring this up as I was just comparing the price of a game in Ireland (where I'm from) when posting my previous post. A match at Shelbourne still costs roughly the same (15 euro for an adult) and while the football isn't the greatest, the atmosphere and stadium are a lot, lot better as you pointed out. Granted some of that is down to longevity and a different culture, but I'm not sure how a club would go about obtaining that feeling here.
I agree on all above sherm, thanks for taking the time to type all that out.
Another issue with the team is communication, with ticket holders and in general. It doesn't seem like they feel they should have any part in informing their supporters. They should have my email, I'm a seasons ticket holder, and yet no email about the game Sunday. If Sherm didn't post here I probably wouldn't have even known about it. Where is the game? Do I get in free or do I have to buy a ticket? When those questions pile up people tend to find something else to do, you can't make being a fan of a team difficult. People have way too many other options.
Funny you bring this up as I was just comparing the price of a game in Ireland (where I'm from) when posting my previous post. A match at Shelbourne still costs roughly the same (15 euro for an adult) and while the football isn't the greatest, the atmosphere and stadium are a lot, lot better as you pointed out. Granted some of that is down to longevity and a different culture, but I'm not sure how a club would go about obtaining that feeling here.
My tickets for the Europa league game were $15 euros as well. I thought that was a completely reasonable price for a club that was about the same quality as what you'd see in an FC Edmonton game. Honestly, I don't know if you'll find a sporting event for much cheaper than you would get with Foothills in this city. If you want to factor in food and drinks it's around the same price as going to a movie.
I don't know what the Hitmen are charging, but the tickets for 2015-16 were in the same range at $18.50 for adults and $13 for kids before additional fees are factored in. None of the Flames, Stampeders or Roughnecks are close to $15 a ticket. Dawgs tickets are the same price if you want seats, or much cheaper if you want to sit in the grass.
It's hard to compare the sport in Canada where the professional game is just now starting to be stable in a few markets, and completely unstable everywhere else, with a country where the sport has been around for generations. It's like comparing the Flames to the Dublin Rams of the Irish Ice Hockey League. What's the right price to get enough people out to a game without losing boatloads of money or siphoning funds from your youth club (which is the whole reason for the PDL club in the first place)?
I'm of the belief that if people want to go, they will. If they don't want to go, they'll make excuses as to why they can't. I do the same thing myself with other sports in this city.
After 3 years of trying to build a supporters culture from scratch, I think I'm realizing that the interest that was inherently around for the launch is not growing.
For me, the main drawbacks around PDL are lack of any sort of atmosphere outside of what us supporters are trying to bring, a lack of a professionalism from the club and the scheduling itself.
Regarding the atmosphere, I went to a Shamrock Rovers game in Ireland last week, and it's just a completely different culture around the game. I think this is more of a European vs North America thing in general, but here people react to the play rather than trying to influence it from the stands. Even sitting far away from the supporters, the experience was just completely different than you get at any game in any sport in this city. My wife, who couldn't care less about the sport, was even excited in the game as the game went on as she got caught up in the atmosphere. Having a group of 15-20 supporters trying to get 750 people who look at you like your a bunch of drunken idiots (which to be fair is sometimes true) gets tiring after a while.
One of the reasons why I love football is the atmosphere at matches. As such, it is a bit ironic that I'm not all that bothered by a lack of atmosphere at Foothills matches. Watching Foothills is like watching non-league football in the UK. I get my fix of the Terrace Culture when I watch the Arsenal so going to non-league matches is a much more relaxed event. It might be a bit less tiring following Foothills if we just concentrated on making the most of our own match day experience.
What do I mean by the above exactly? Instead of trying to get the other spectators onto our wagon, just enjoy our own sing-song while we watch the match. If we're not trying to sing for the entire match but just as the songs happen to arise, the other spectators might notice the pattern and join in every once a while. If they do, great. If they don't, oh well.
In regards to the schedule, it would be helpful if a few other cities in the Province got a PDL club. It would also be great for the sport and supporters.
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Foothills draw Victoria 1-1. Club gave up an injury time goal on some very poor marking, and following that the ref pulled back Pasquotti while he was on a breakaway to issue a red card to a Highlanders player. Crowd did not leave happy.
Won't know sure about the home playoff date until later tonight after the Timbers U23 / Lane United result. Foothills are 3 points up on Timbers U23, but a Timbers win means Foothills finish in second place on goal difference.