2026 Cavalry FC and CPL thread

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Don't mind the logo but not sure why effort was put into that when they have some more pressing issues.

Prairies Premier League launching is a pretty big deal. Couple of former PDL clubs in Thunder Bay Chill and FC Manitoba and then 5 other clubs in Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg. Hopefully with the lack of any kind of pro soccer people get behind clubs.

It is 100% an acid test for any investors. Do these teams make enough to break even?

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

It is 100% an acid test for any investors. Do these teams make enough to break even?

No, League1 teams are usually the top of youth club pyramids and they don't focus on ways to get people to buy tickets. It isn't huge money in the other leagues because there isn't much travel.

[shermanator]

Home kits are being unveiled soon. Have heard this week for all clubs but I've only Vancouver and Ottawa tease an announcement.

FC Supra Quebec unveiled theirs today. Not gonna lie, I really like this. It's far better than anything they did for the NSL clubs last year.

[Locke]

How in the Hell does EBGames have the money to sponsor anything??

[Redliner]

Forge and VFC are out now. Solid start for Hummel.

[Jimmy Stang]

VFC’s are nice. Forge, meanwhile… I’m not just saying this because it is Forge, but it looks like a Halloween shop uniform.

[shermanator]

Here's Forge's away. Two of the worst kits I've ever seen. Perfect for that club.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

I like Supra, Vancouver (best of the lot so far) and Ottawa. Forge’s aren’t great

Looking forward to Cavalry’s hopefully soon

[shermanator]

Not CPL related, but according to the Whitecaps CEO, almost 40 investors looked into investing into the club and every single one of them passed. "Not a single one is interested in buying 1% of the club" is the quote going around. They don't have a stadium lease for the 2026 season either.

There's a non-zero chance that Vancouver lose both the Whitecaps and Vancouver FC in the next couple years. Which is insane to me given the history of the Whitecaps and the resurgence they've had in the last year.

[browna]

Forge kits are terrible.

Digital dots or non symmetric patterns are now attached by the kits manufacturer as some sort of loosely and lazily framed “ode to the local area tech industry “ as Cavalry had the same garbage tag line with one of their kits a few years back. The one with the sash that sort of disintegrated.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Not CPL related, but according to the Whitecaps CEO, almost 40 investors looked into investing into the club and every single one of them passed. "Not a single one is interested in buying 1% of the club" is the quote going around. They don't have a stadium lease for the 2026 season either.

There's a non-zero chance that Vancouver lose both the Whitecaps and Vancouver FC in the next couple years. Which is insane to me given the history of the Whitecaps and the resurgence they've had in the last year.

At some point the province is going to have to step up and get them a better lease at BC Place. This is ridiculous

[MegaErtz]

They should fund and build their own stadium, just like every other business has to do. No taxpayer funded handouts.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

They should fund and build their own stadium, just like every other business has to do. No taxpayer funded handouts.

They’re going to. I fully believe that.

But in the interim they have to ge their lease with BC Place (owned by the province) sorted out. The province needs to recognize that the Whitecaps bring the people of BC a lot of good and it is worthwhile to keep them around.

The Whitecaps have done a lot of good for BC, probably more than any other sports team in that province when you consider their history and losing them would be a travesty. If the Whitecaps were forced to leave Vancouver my optimist for the sport in Canada would plummet

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

They should fund and build their own stadium, just like every other business has to do. No taxpayer funded handouts.

What are some examples of stadiums in Canada being 100% funded by private corporations.

[MegaErtz]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

What are some examples of stadiums in Canada being 100% funded by private corporations.

There aren't any, because Canadians by and large are huge suckers.

The Warriors and the Clippers paid for their own new arenas, and so did the Seattle Kraken.

The Whitecaps are looking for investors based on the franchise being valued at $420-470m USD, or about $570-640m CAD. In what world is a failing MLS franchise with a very small fan base worth that kind of money?

I've been to see the Whitecaps play at BC Place; it is ridiculous to have a tenant that can't sell 40% of the seats. No atmosphere. They should find themselves some land and build a 20,000 seat stadium like the SJ Earthquakes have, and we as taxpayers should not have to foot the bill.

[shermanator]

Schedule comes out tomorrow.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

There aren't any

There's no need to lie. The Canucks, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, and Senators play in arenas they paid for themselves. And if we consider the Kraken paying for their own "new" arena, I guess we can consider the Blue Jays have paid for their own, as well.

[MegaErtz]

You're right, I stand corrected, although I think a pretty good argument can be made that the Senators did get a lot of taxpayer money.

The Flames and Oilers though? C'mon man. Why should the taxpayer pay for a new stadium for the Whitecaps? If they can swim on their own, they can afford it. The franchise fee was $30m US back in 2009 and they are valuing themselves between $420-470m USD sixteen years later. They can afford it.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

You're right, I stand corrected, although I think a pretty good argument can be made that the Senators did get a lot of taxpayer money.

Not really, just stop lying.

Why should the taxpayer pay for a new stadium for the Whitecaps? If they can swim on their own, they can afford it. The franchise fee was $30m US back in 2009 and they are valuing themselves between $420-470m USD sixteen years later. They can afford it.

Why was taxpayer money used for FC Dallas, Atlanta United, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Nashville SC, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinatti, Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City, New York Red Bulls, DC United and the Philadelphia Union? It's just what these Canadian suckers do, why shouldn't the Whitecaps try to join in on the grift?

[MegaErtz]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

Not really, just stop lying.





Why was taxpayer money used for FC Dallas, Atlanta United, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Nashville SC, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinatti, Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, Sporting Kansas City, New York Red Bulls, DC United and the Philadelphia Union? It's just what these Canadian suckers do, why shouldn't the Whitecaps try to join in on the grift?

Privately financed stadiums (no or minimal public funds):

TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Q2 Stadium (Austin), Lower.com Field (Columbus), Allianz Field (Minnesota), PayPal Park (San Jose) — built without direct taxpayer support.

Miami Freedom Park’s stadium portion is privately financed, though public land and a state infrastructure grant are involved.

Planned Etihad Park and Chicago Fire FC’s planned stadium are reported as privately financed.

At least partially public funding used:

Geodis Park (Nashville) was approved with metro government revenue bonds (later revised with increased private share).

Audi Field (D.C. United) involved local incentives/infrastructure support — common with urban MLS deals — though exact public share varies by report.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is publicly owned (state authority) and thus indirectly supported by taxpayer financing structures, but costs and financing mechanisms span multiple public/private layers.