Feels to me like Valour and York are not long for this league.
With Valour I 100% understand. the CFL stadium experience is lame.
It feels like York is a canary in the GTA coalmine.
Hopefully the rumors around Quebec are true, this league needs 7 teams.
That said, I think if this league folds, Cavalry FC will remain.
Feels to me like Valour and York are not long for this league.
With Valour I 100% understand. the CFL stadium experience is lame.
It feels like York is a canary in the GTA coalmine.
Hopefully the rumors around Quebec are true, this league needs 7 teams.
That said, I think if this league folds, Cavalry FC will remain.
York has new Mexican owners as of a few months ago. So if they can get out of York Lions Stadium, they might have a chance.
I have heard the rumours of Quebec City expansion, but is there also one about a York move to Quebec instead?
Winnipeg has been a disappointment, but not a surprise. Imagine trading Spruce Meadows for a modernized version of McMahon. Sitting in a sea of empty seats, massive gap between the pitch and the stands, etc. The game day experience matters a lot. Plus Winnipeg's stadium is out in the boonies. I mean, ours is too, but at least when you get there it has a really cool vibe.
Sure, I'd sit in McMahon in February for Concacaf Champions Cup match (when/if they get the right turf). Gotta do what you gotta do. But week in and week out? It would be such a crap vibe. Forge seems to be the exception, but if they weren't successful, I can't see the oversized stadium doing them any favours.
CFL stadiums and running tracks don't work well for soccer. Why do we keep trying this and then get surprised when it doesn't work?
The Following User Says Thank You to Jimmy Stang For This Useful Post:
Agreed. Although I will add - there's some exceptions here. BMO Field works well because you are close to the action. The supporters section is literally right behind TFC's south goal, and makes for a really fun / intense atmosphere. BC Place works too; the Whitecap's supporters section is almost right behind the west goal.
ATCO Field works very well because the stadium is intimate and the supporters are close to the action, helping to dictate the intensity of the match.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Muta For This Useful Post:
There's something about running tracks around soccer pitches that really puts me off. Makes it look amateur-ish and not taken seriously. Looking at you, York (and previously Edmonton).
Cavalry FC must be pretty close to making money these days.
I can't imagine they are able to pay down their debt, but I see folks buying $80 worth of beer for themselves match in match out.
The Following User Says Thank You to TheIronMaiden For This Useful Post:
Cavalry FC must be pretty close to making money these days.
I can't imagine they are able to pay down their debt, but I see folks buying $80 worth of beer for themselves match in match out.
They also removed the fee for parking, which is flabbergasting to me... that's an easy money maker right there too. Not that I'm complaining though!
The Following User Says Thank You to Muta For This Useful Post:
They also removed the fee for parking, which is flabbergasting to me... that's an easy money maker right there too. Not that I'm complaining though!
I think that making the driving and parking easier will only help gain repeat visitors. The trip is already 55 minutes for us ( was 75 min) ####ing around waiting for someone to pull out the debit card just drove me up the wall haha.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to TheIronMaiden For This Useful Post:
Agreed. Although I will add - there's some exceptions here. BMO Field works well because you are close to the action. The supporters section is literally right behind TFC's south goal, and makes for a really fun / intense atmosphere. BC Place works too; the Whitecap's supporters section is almost right behind the west goal.
ATCO Field works very well because the stadium is intimate and the supporters are close to the action, helping to dictate the intensity of the match.
I agree. But BMO was a soccer stadium from inception, and the CFL moved in later. And the "new" BC Place isn't too bad, actually (pre-reno it had a big gap and big walls before the stands). And it helps that the Whitecaps drape off the upper level (it really helps close it in, actually) and get a decent crowd in the lower bowl. Put 1-2k in there and it would suck too.
I honestly feel that CPL teams like Valour and York would be better off going the Halifax route. Build something temporary and intimate in a central-ish location, get people to fall in love with the vibe, and expand accordingly. Using inappropriate stadiums is a death sentence. Initially cheaper, I guess, but that doesn't mean much when the team dies because nobody liked to be there.
.Build something temporary and intimate in a central-ish location, get people to fall in love with the vibe, and expand accordingly. Using inappropriate stadiums is a death sentence. Initially cheaper, I guess, but that doesn't mean much when the team dies because nobody liked to be there.
Yup, being financially prudent is fine but cheapness has costs as well. One of the differences I've noted with development in the UK and Canada is that medium-term uses are really embraced over here but quickly overlooked in Canada. Just because something isn't going to be there forever doesn't mean that you can't build quality places that draw people in. It does require additional investment but doesn't require one to break the bank.
__________________
“Such suburban models are being rationalized as ‘what people want,’ when in fact they are simply what is most expedient to produce. The truth is that what people want is a decent place to live, not just a suburban version of a decent place to live.”
Yup, being financially prudent is fine but cheapness has costs as well. One of the differences I've noted with development in the UK and Canada is that medium-term uses are really embraced over here but quickly overlooked in Canada. Just because something isn't going to be there forever doesn't mean that you can't build quality places that draw people in. It does require additional investment but doesn't require one to break the bank.
This is the biggest reason why there's little in the way of expansion. The league wants any new club to do do it right; proper ownership, proper stadium, good corporate support and a potential fanbase that actually wants soccer.
Unfortunately the people with the money to get something off the ground don't want to spend the type of money required to do it right. So we sit and wait.
After CS Laurent's win over Halifax the other night, you have to think that a Quebec team has launched into first place if/when expansion does happen. Wasn't that Qatari enterprise looking at a franchise?
After CS Laurent's win over Halifax the other night, you have to think that a Quebec team has launched into first place if/when expansion does happen. Wasn't that Qatari enterprise looking at a franchise?
Last night's result does nothing to change the status of a Quebec expansion bid. As with every other market in this country, if there's an ownership group willing to spend the money and a suitable stadium, there will be a club in Quebec. If St Laurent pack Claude-Robillard on Tuesday with 10000 fans then maybe it moves the needle a tiny bit to get someone with money to consider it.
I think expanding into Quebec is the top priority for the league but in the end someone has to put their money where their mouths are. That Qatari rumour was shot down pretty quickly.
__________________
Last edited by shermanator; 05-03-2024 at 01:44 PM.
