Major League Soccer feasibility in Cgy?

[Magnum PEI]

I would give up a testicle for an MLS team in Calgary.
The problem is the MLS season is approx. the same time as the CFL season, which is fine for big cities like Toronto and Montreal, but I think it would be a problem for a smaller city like Calgary.
Though a downtown soccer-specific, ~25 000 stadium would be awesome. Toronto and Montreal have outdoor stadiums, I think Calgary could pull it off, we have hardy sports fans here.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I have no idea why putting renos on McMahon is going is a good idea. It's just a band-aid when we need a full limb replacement.

The layout foundation of McMahon is fine. It's fairly incomplete still since they can add permanent seating to both sides of the endzones. What they would just need to do is basically strip away the sideline seatings, build a row of luxury suites on both sides, and reinsert the seats that all have backrests and cup holders. And if they ever wanted to expand the sideline seatings outwards more, they got plenty of room for that still.

Also opening up the concourse more for more space while adding more options, and enclosing to provide more heat in the winter months should be part of the plans also.

Doing all that though may be more than 100M. I'm just purely guessing there. If they do all that though, they should go all the way and add a retractable roof, transforming the stadium into a domed stadium, so it has all year use as a convention centre when sport events aren't ongoing. Could allow for more concerts to occur there.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

My one wish is for the next multi-sport stadium to be an outdoor one. Especially if it has a soccer club in it. If that club was to someday make the MLS it could be huge home field advantage against some of the teams from the southern States

[Matty81]

You never know but I can't see many people gambling huge money on MLS in Calgary. NASL would be a great fit. I think the stadium is more important to get pro soccer started in Calgary than the league though, some fans seem to go to sports for the game day experience as much as the sport these days and the Storm/Mustangs left because of the poor facilities in my opinion. If there was a nice 3-6,000 seat stadium with some concessions and decent seating somewhere central people would turn up.

Ever since Mewata went under, the lack of a small-mid sized community stadium in Calgary for semi-pro and high level amateur sport is, frankly, pathetic for a city of that size and prosperity. I think there are nicer stadiums in Victoria and Kelowna for soccer/football with a fraction of the size. When I think of the civic government spending $25 mil on the peace bridge... anyway getting off topic. As somebody pointed out, our morons in BC spent half a billion on BC Place when the whitecaps wanted to build their own stadium and pay for it.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by Matty81

You never know but I can't see many people gambling huge money on MLS in Calgary. NASL would be a great fit. I think the stadium is more important to get pro soccer started in Calgary than the league though, some fans seem to go to sports for the game day experience as much as the sport these days and the Storm/Mustangs left because of the poor facilities in my opinion. If there was a nice 3-6,000 seat stadium with some concessions and decent seating somewhere central people would turn up.

Ever since Mewata went under, the lack of a small-mid sized community stadium in Calgary for semi-pro and high level amateur sport is, frankly, pathetic for a city of that size and prosperity. I think there are nicer stadiums in Victoria and Kelowna for soccer/football with a fraction of the size. When I think of the civic government spending $25 mil on the peace bridge... anyway getting off topic. As somebody pointed out, our morons in BC spent half a billion on BC Place when the whitecaps wanted to build their own stadium and pay for it.

I find it somewhat pathetic as well. Really the only reason we even have one decent stadium is the Olympics. Otherwise hard to believe a city this wealthy has such poor facilities.

[mac_82]

Sign me up for at least 2 seasons tickets in a supporters section.

But in terms of success in the MLS, it seems like established NASL teams make the transition easier than just dumping a team in MLS, see Toronto FC.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fluffy Bunnies

Call them Calgary United by the way.

Disagree. Keep it simple and unfabricated.

[Plett25]

There is a trend in MLS to use Euro sounding names... TFC, DC United, Real Salt Lake, Sporting Kansas City.

I think those are horrible names. TFC? Don't we call it soccer in Canada? DC United? Which clubs united? What does Spanish royalty have to do with SLC?

So having said that, there is a perfect Euro-y name for a Calgary team. Spurs.

Is it a Tottenham ripoff? A cheesy western name? Neither? Both?

Calgary Spurs.

[Montana Moe]

Calgary Spurs? I hate them already.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Plett25

There is a trend in MLS to use Euro sounding names... TFC, DC United, Real Salt Lake, Sporting Kansas City.

I think those are horrible names. TFC? Don't we call it soccer in Canada? DC United? Which clubs united? What does Spanish royalty have to do with SLC?

So having said that, there is a perfect Euro-y name for a Calgary team. Spurs.

Is it a Tottenham ripoff? A cheesy western name? Neither? Both?

Calgary Spurs.

The use of United is apparently partially due to it being the capital of the UNITED States, but I'm pretty sure that's just a convenient story to hide the obvious attempt to sound like an English club.

[Ozy_Flame]

I think it's way classier to be following European naming conventions. Seems to give it a bit of credibility.

North America seems to have this obsession with having following a city name with a noun. And usually it's something that tries to sound menacing. I'll never understand it. At least in England, it's usually a historic club name, or a region/neighbourhood.

I think it's great Toronto uses the FC, and same with the Whitecaps (technically). I've always enjoyed "Chivas USA" because it's more club-focused than location focused.

Calgary Spurs? Sounds like a low-budget basketball team that will fold after 20 games.

BTW, it's Tottenham Hotspurs.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I think it's way classier to be following European naming conventions. Seems to give it a bit of credibility.

North America seems to have this obsession with having following a city name with a noun. And usually it's something that tries to sound menacing. I'll never understand it. At least in England, it's usually a historic club name, or a region/neighbourhood.

I think it's great Toronto uses the FC, and same with the Whitecaps (technically). I've always enjoyed "Chivas USA" because it's more club-focused than location focused.

Calgary Spurs? Sounds like a low-budget basketball team that will fold after 20 games.

BTW, it's Tottenham Hotspurs.

Biggest problem is that by adopting those you assume not only the fans of that team but adopt the animosity as well. Better to either be original or honest.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I think it's way classier to be following European naming conventions. Seems to give it a bit of credibility.

North America seems to have this obsession with having following a city name with a noun. And usually it's something that tries to sound menacing. I'll never understand it. At least in England, it's usually a historic club name, or a region/neighbourhood.

I think it's great Toronto uses the FC, and same with the Whitecaps (technically). I've always enjoyed "Chivas USA" because it's more club-focused than location focused.

Calgary Spurs? Sounds like a low-budget basketball team that will fold after 20 games.

BTW, it's Tottenham Hotspurs.

No, it's Tottenham Hotspur. There's no s.

[troutman]

NA should stick to its own traditions. You can't instantly borrow tradition. Now we are naming teams FC this and United that. And listing the home team first in scores. Saying "pace" instead of fast". "Nil" instead of "nothing".

What the hell is a Hotspur? Check out these nicknames:

Fulham - The Cottagers, The Lilywhites
Barnsley - The Tykes
Blackpool - The Tangerines
Leeds United - The Peacocks
Norwich City - The Canaries
Portsmouth - Pompey
Stoke City - The Potters

Oooh mommy, can I stay home from school today? The Tangerines are playing the Lilywhites!

[valo403]

Originally Posted by troutman

NA should stick to its own traditions. You can't instantly borrow tradition. Now we are naming teams FC this and United that. And listing the home team first in scores. Saying "pace" instead of fast". "Nil" instead of "nothing".

What the hell is a Hotspur? Check out these nicknames:

Fulham - The Cottagers, The Lilywhites
Barnsley - The Tykes
Blackpool - The Tangerines
Leeds United - The Peacocks
Norwich City - The Canaries
Portsmouth - Pompey
Stoke City - The Potters

Oooh mommy, can I stay home from school today? The Tangerines are playing the Lilywhites!

I love all of those names because they're authentic and they've been with the clubs for a century, which is why new teams in North America adopting them is ridiculous. It's faux history.

[Muta]

Naming conventions for Calgary are awesome to think about expecially something that is North-American based, but please... no more dumbahss references to cowboys, roughnecks or anything western. So goddamn cliche already.

We should call ourselves something based on the incredible diversity in this city, or something based on our storied entrepreneurial spirit here. Perhaps even something based on something almost completely unique and natural to Calgary - such as the Chinook.

Calgary Chinook FC would sound cool. Or something like that.

[polak]

Isn't there a youth team called the Calgary Chinooks? And Calgary FC?

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Locke

Biggest problem is that by adopting those you assume not only the fans of that team but adopt the animosity as well. Better to either be original or honest.

So basically TFC, Real Sat Lake, Sporting KC, DC United, FC Dallas and Whitecaps FC are all taking the wrong approach? Clearly it's a broken formula if 1/3 of the league are borrowing European names.

But you're right, we should change it to the Toronto Skippers, Dallas Ragin' Cowboys, or Kansas City Cornhuskers just to follow NA "tradition".

Very odd statement.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by valo403

No, it's Tottenham Hotspur. There's no s.

Thanks, tips. The semantic correction was definitely timely and necessary.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Thanks, tips. The semantic correction was definitely timely and necessary.

Wow, just really feel like being a dick in here today huh?

It's not a semantic correction, the name is Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs is a nickname, just like Manchester United is nicknamed the Red Devils.