Calgary to launch bid for NASL team

[MillerTime GFG]

Originally Posted by Mango

If there was more seating, that likely would be their home. Tommy Wheeldon Jr says although the upgrades are fantastic, the seating is an issue. He didn't sound very keen on Foothills when asked, but said he had good memories playing there as a member of the Storm.

It is sounding more and more like it'll be Shouldice.

Foothills is in pretty poor condition. The centre of the pitch is a noticeable uphill climb. I realize they do that for drainage reasons, but it's quite drastic there.

Really hope it's not shouldice, although I myself actually really like playing on turf. Obviously I'm in the huge minority there, but I just like how you can always trust the bounce of the ball.

I really think they could get enough seating at Broadview, but I wonder about parking. I wonder if they could work something out with MRU? That's probably the best grass field in Calgary, even above Broadview. Quite a bit of room for fans, lots of parking, great location...

[shermanator]

Blech, Shouldice.

[MillerTime GFG]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Blech, Shouldice.

At least it'll be easy to...count out 10 yards for setting up walls!

[cheevers]

Out of curiosity, could Broadview be considered? The field would need to be improved greatly but seems like you could get a fair amount of seating there and it would have a fairly good central location.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by cheevers

Out of curiosity, could Broadview be considered? The field would need to be improved greatly but seems like you could get a fair amount of seating there and it would have a fairly good central location.

My personal feeling is that parking and traffic would be the biggest obstacles to using Broadview.

To answer Shermanator's question about who would support the team : I'd definitely attend a few games. As my son gets older (he's 3 now), I can see us attending more and more. While I certainly don't have the time to go to all or even a majority of the matches, I'll definitely be following the team and supporting it however I can.

[Johnny199r]

Originally Posted by MillerTime GFG

Mixed emotions on this one. I think it's a step in the right direction for soccer in Calgary, but it's also going to hurt major league. I know a couple guys from my team will most likely play on the PDL team, which is fine because we have enough players to fill that void. However I was speaking to the Dinos manager/assistant coach the other day and he said if this PDL does go through, it's going to kill them, mainly for AMSL. They draw a lot of their players from Foothills.

AMSL is already only a shadow of what it used to be 5-6 years ago and this will probably hurt it much more, to the point where I could see a team or two folding. It's a shame because AMSL is better quality, although it's a bunch of old guys that have given up the dream (aside from a few delusionals). It's also where the majority of CIS/CCAA players play in the off-season.

So all-in-all, I have mixed emotions on this. If it really thrives and leads to an NASL team with good support, it'll be a good thing. If it follows suit of its predecessors, then it's only going to hurt things. Time will tell!

As for support, I'll probably attend some games, but mostly to heckle my ex-teammates.

If one player goes on to bigger and better as a result of the PDL team it will be worth it. At least it will give younger players something to aspire to and more importantly, some exposure.

Hell, even if some good young players could get NCAA scholarships as a result. I can't remember the last time a male soccer player from Alberta went to a d1 NCAA soccer.

[MillerTime GFG]

Originally Posted by Johnny199r

If one player goes on to bigger and better as a result of the PDL team it will be worth it. At least it will give younger players something to aspire to and more importantly, some exposure.

Hell, even if some good young players could get NCAA scholarships as a result. I can't remember the last time a male soccer player from Alberta went to a d1 NCAA soccer.

There are quite a few that have. There are two guys on my team alone that went NCAA div 1. I agree though, the PDL could lead to more looks from down south for sure. That would dilute the talent in the CIS/CCAA though, and the NCAA isn't really that much better quality. There are Canada West teams (Trinity/UBC/UVIC) that play exhibitions with some teams down south every year and have been winning more games than not.

[HarryH93]

Originally Posted by Johnny199r

If one player goes on to bigger and better as a result of the PDL team it will be worth it. At least it will give younger players something to aspire to and more importantly, some exposure.

Hell, even if some good young players could get NCAA scholarships as a result. I can't remember the last time a male soccer player from Alberta went to a d1 NCAA soccer.

A friend of mine played on the Elbow Valley Villains with Marco Carducci (goalkeeper) who plays for the Whitecaps now. If you play FIFA 15, you can see him on the team! Pretty cool stuff. I watched him play. Unbelievable goalkeeper. He's probably around 18 right now, too.

[lazypucker]

Let's get the NASL team started in Calgary right now! I want to see fat Ronaldo when his team rolls in town, as he has now taken his talents to South Beach:

http://www.espnfc.us/north-american-...rdale-strikers

[shermanator]

PDL Schedule is out today. Games are at Hellard. Those 6:30 start time games might hamper attendance. I'm guessing with only 6 games, season tickets will be quite affordable.

http://www.uslpdl.com/teams/2015/74548959.html#SCHEDULE

Sunday May 17 @ 2 pm vs Puget Sound
Tuesday Jun 2 @ 6:30 pm vs Portland
Thursday Jun 18 @ 6:30 pm vs Kitsap
Sunday Jun 21 @ 2 pm vs Washington
Sunday Jun 28 @ 2 pm vs Sounders U23
Wed Jul 15 @ 6:30 pm vs Lane United

[Jimmy Stang]

^ I'm going to punch those into my calendar later this afternoon and try to get to at least a few. I agree that weeknights might be a tough sell for some, at least at first.

Hopefully they're really going to market this properly (as best they can, for a PDL team) and get some bums in the seats. I'd rather see tickets go cheaply and have good attendance than to double the price and have half the people. So much of the success will be based on whether it is worth people's TIME to attend, and a decent crowd and atmosphere is critical. I'm not expecting singing and banners and all of that (although perhaps eventually it will evolve into that), but something like food trucks and a "game day" atmosphere will make it easier for people to come back. In this market, it has to be more than a bunch of hardcores sitting on some bleachers.

I know that it is "just" PDL, but any future NASL ambitions hinge on this being successful.

[KevanGuy]

I'll be buying seasons tickets for sure. Really looking forward to it.

[shermanator]

Looks like the club will be holding a meeting for supporters on Feb 20. I'll be going to this for sure.

[shermanator]

The supporters group is now up on Twitter

@footsoldierssg

[Nuje]

And season tickets are now on sale. $75 for the whole season.

[cam_wmh]

They should really try to pursue an agreement with Mount Royal. That #1 field is awesome.

* Paid Parking is already established, and they have the bleachers.

[MillerTime GFG]

^ That's what I was trying to say. By far the best grass pitch in Calgary IMO, and there would be plenty of seating for fans for a PDL game.

[shermanator]

Have to think that at $75 for the season ($50 for youth) they'll have a decent season ticket base.

Anything with grass and bleachers to seat a few thousand is better than Hellard, IMO. And I say that as a person who can get to Hellard quite easily.

[troutman]

SAIT has a beautiful field (view of downtown and the mountains) but is not grass.

[MillerTime GFG]

MRU is such a great location too, with ample parking on site.