[News] New Arena - Plan B - Victoria Park

[GGG]

One thing with Saskatoon is Garbage / Recylcing is included in the mill rate and not billed separately. That Huff post article lacks significant depth in discussing a total fee structure that each jurisdiction pays.

[Flamenspiel]

^^LOL, the taxes are too damn high in Saskatoon, accept it. That being said its the Regina stadium that is total luxury at over 250 million, and Ken King salivates over that one and has mentioned it as a wonderful place a couple of times.

Ottawa is another one that I have had personally looked into, there are great federal jobs in Ottawa available, particularly with the new Liberal regime. There are also low real estate prices, but they come with very high property taxes.

[Travis Munroe]

.edit

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Scary Eloranta

BMO brings up another point: if (and I know its a BIG if) Flames wanted to apply for an MLS team some time in the future, wouldn't we need some kind of roof? No way you can play soccer here in spring or late fall with our unpredictable weather. Just a thought...

MLS to Calgary? Well, that's never going to happen. For 3 reasons:

1. MLS has no interest in further expanding into Canada. Their commissioner has said so on numerous occasions.
2. MLS has based it's expansion on either large US media markets (Miami, LA, Atlanta, NYC FC, Philadelphia), or markets that have shown they can support lower division soccer well (Orlando, Minnesota, Montreal, Portland, Vancouver). There are 12 cities applying for MLS' latest round of expansion, and all 12 fit into one of these categories. Calgary fits into neither of them.
3. Calgary has never shown that it can support any level of professional soccer in it's history. The Boomers drew over 10k in 1981, but any club in this city since has not drawn anywhere near that. The Storm/Mustangs drew 2000 in their best year. Foothills draws 600 or so a game. No idea what the Kickers drew but given that they folded in 3 years it can't have been that high.

Now, there have been rumours that the CSA are going to announce a Canadian Premier League to begin play in 2018, and that Calgary will have a club in that league, and that the CSEC will own the club. But nothing has been made official.

[Scary Eloranta]

^^^ Thanks - wasn't aware of all that. I thought KK hinted at MLS in his original presentation but I may have been too dazzled and overwhelmed with his kick ass PowerPoint presentation.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Realtor 1, five minute major and a game misconduct for excessive signature.

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Scary Eloranta

^^^ Thanks - wasn't aware of all that. I thought KK hinted at MLS in his original presentation but I may have been too dazzled and overwhelmed with his kick ass PowerPoint presentation.

No problem. Another thing to consider is the fact that the current expansion fee for an MLS club is $150 million. Wouldn't that $150 million be better served contributing to a new arena and/or stadium?

To add onto the post from earlier, here is the requirements for an MLS club, from their official website.

Three key aspects are considered top priorities when reviewing candidates:

1. A committed local ownership group that has a passion for the sport, a deep belief in Major League Soccer and the resources to invest in the infrastructure to build the sport in their respective market.

2. A market that has a history of strong fan support for soccer matches and other sporting events, is located in a desirable geographic location and is attractive to corporate sponsors and television partners.

3. A comprehensive stadium plan that ensures the club will have a proper home for their fans and players while also serving as a destination for the sport in the community.

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...s-and-timeline

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Realtor 1, five minute major and a game misconduct for excessive signature.

repeat offender, needs supplemental discipline.

[tsquared1967]

Originally Posted by GC91

A bit off topic but I think the CFL should back up the season start by a few months. Why not play April-September...Prime weather for cities across Canada. It may attract more fringe NFL talent too who might try to make a name for themselves out of college and into the NFL season. Maybe a Grey Cup Labour Day weekend or have the East/West semi-finals on Labour day weekend.

Players coming out of Canadian schools will be available May 1 after exams and coming out of US schools will not be available until late May.

CFL training camp opens early June.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by shermanator

No problem. Another thing to consider is the fact that the current expansion fee for an MLS club is $150 million. Wouldn't that $150 million be better served contributing to a new arena and/or stadium?

To add onto the post from earlier, here is the requirements for an MLS club, from their official website.



https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/...s-and-timeline

I don't think it's something that could happen any time soon but getting the building down ensures that maybe in 10-15 years it's a possibility. Alberta will eventually pass BC as the 3rd most populated province in the country and it's not out of the realm of possibility that a team could happen depending on the success of MLS as a league over the coming years. If you have a kid that plays soccer you would know that it's very popular amongst the younger generation and in time there could be a large enough fanbase.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Actually some of the nicest stadiums in the NFL are domes or retractable domes. The stigma that domes suck comes from the old designed domes like the Kingdome, Metrodome, etc that were dark concrete monsters. Lucas Oil Stadium in particular is fantastic as is University of Phoenix Stadium and the new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Those are all Super expensive. Like prohibitively so.

Looks are obviously subjective. I've been to Lucas Oil, UofP and Reliant. They still felt cavernous.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't think it's something that could happen any time soon but getting the building down ensures that maybe in 10-15 years it's a possibility. Alberta will eventually pass BC as the 3rd most populated province in the country and it's not out of the realm of possibility that a team could happen depending on the success of MLS as a league over the coming years. If you have a kid that plays soccer you would know that it's very popular amongst the younger generation and in time there could be a large enough fanbase.

This is very good to know....for Edmontonians. Because if you actually read Sherminator's post you'd see supporting lower levels is important to the MLS. Since Edmonton has a NASL team, they are vastly ahead of Calgary as a likely MLS market, even though as Sherminator mentioned Canada is not really being considered at all. Calgary is 10-15 years away from being 30 years away from getting the MLS. We'll probably have CalgaryNEXT2 by that point. So using "but we might get an MLS team" is more or less the same as "but we might get an NFL team!".

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Cappy

Those are all Super expensive. Like prohibitively so.

Looks are obviously subjective. I've been to Lucas Oil, UofP and Reliant. They still felt cavernous.

Yep and all significantly larger than what Calgary realistically needs.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Who's willing to sleep with Daryl Katz for funding?

[Travis Munroe]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Realtor 1, five minute major and a game misconduct for excessive signature.

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

repeat offender, needs supplemental discipline.

I reduced it from the last one by quite a bit. The last one wasn't even that large but for some reason every now and then people were commenting on it blowing up on their screen which is why I reduced the width.

[MrMastodonFarm]

It's ridiculous. Either the business card or the writing, both is just gaudy and too much IMO. I have signatures turned off when I'm signed in but signed out browsing is ruined by massive sigs.

Though some will reply with "ugh typical MMF , who cares! growl!" So that too.

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

This is very good to know....for Edmontonians. Because if you actually read Sherminator's post you'd see supporting lower levels is important to the MLS. Since Edmonton has a NASL team, they are vastly ahead of Calgary as a likely MLS market, even though as Sherminator mentioned Canada is not really being considered at all. Calgary is 10-15 years away from being 30 years away from getting the MLS. We'll probably have CalgaryNEXT2 by that point. So using "but we might get an MLS team" is more or less the same as "but we might get an NFL team!".

Well, yes and no. People just need to get the idea that MLS is coming to Calgary, or anywhere else in Canada, out of their head. It's not happening. Professional soccer itself will likely come to Calgary in the future, but that will be in the form of the Canadian Premier League.

Edmonton is probably one of the worst professional soccer markets in North America. Ahead of Calgary for sure, but not by much. Last year they drew 2060 fans per game, which was less than 25 non-MLS teams, 16 of which were lower division USL teams. At their highest point, they drew 3384, and that was inflated with free tickets. They have an owner willing to lose millions to keep the team going, and a decent coaching / technical staff and academy, that's about it.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't think it's something that could happen any time soon but getting the building down ensures that maybe in 10-15 years it's a possibility. Alberta will eventually pass BC as the 3rd most populated province in the country and it's not out of the realm of possibility that a team could happen depending on the success of MLS as a league over the coming years. If you have a kid that plays soccer you would know that it's very popular amongst the younger generation and in time there could be a large enough fanbase.

Quoted the wrong post , but point remains. I was just at University of Phoenix Stadium and thought it was dump. Reminded me of the old style domes everyone dislikes. Just a lifeless concrete slab.

[CorbeauNoir]

The PDL isn't a pro league, and it's a bit difficult for the Foothills to maintain a solid following when they're constantly shuffling the program as far as where they play. Following up a finals appearance season by moving their home field out to the middle of nowhere was an especially terrible decision. I live in the Beltline and don't have a car, they might as well be playing in Saskatchewan now.

The status of pro soccer in Canada generally is completely ####ed. Yes there might be a Canadian league that Calgary will likely be involved in but there's already three levels of soccer being played in this country that will have a substantially superior quality of play. It'll be like the status of the Welsh league, except exponentially worse. The whole project just stinks of a cobbled-together scheme being made to add some token legitimacy to this monstrosity of a 2026 World Cup bid we're being dragged into.

[polak]

It would be sweet if there were a designated amount of Canadian spots in MLS (lets say 4) and all Canadian teams in this rumored Canadian League played for them, with the worst two teams being relegated out of the MLS and the top 2 being promoted.