2024 Cavalry FC and CPL thread

[Swift]

Just found out now after a busy day. So disappointed. And still not a peep to season ticket holders.

[wpgflamesfan]

This part about commonwealth also seems a bit suspicious:

“But Commonwealth is fully booked until the end of February with a snowboarding obligation, so we went through that exercise.”

How can a one day event that took place last weekend have the stadium booked out until February?

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

I don’t even think they threw on a tarp. The pitch was uncovered at the Spruce Meadows Christmas market the weekend I was there

This is appalling if true. It means they did zero, and looked surprised that grass in Calgary may not be playable in Feb.

[browna]

My guess is both Concacaf and Orlando/MLS wanted nothing to do with playing up here in Feb in the cold, maybe extreme cold, on a hard pitch. But all the pitch concerns are a sidebar and an excuse. Who's going to tell them or Concacaf no? The spineless CSA?

My guess is Cavalry as a small fish, were told by the CPL and or CSA not make waves with the federation, and moreso, had no allies to back them, even if they wanted to play at Atco. Thus the very guarded statement and forced to move the game.

The CSB/CPL/CSA only fights for Forge and Ottawa, for whatever that ally is worth.

I can understand how it pisses people off, both the decision and lack of communication, but I don't think Cavalry had any choice in this decision, both in not playing here, and, as to where they could play...and were told not to complain about it, and now they have to use pitch issues to justify it locally.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by browna

My guess is both Concacaf and Orlando/MLS wanted nothing to do with playing up here in Feb in the cold, maybe extreme cold, on a hard pitch. But all the pitch concerns are a sidebar and an excuse. Who's going to tell them or Concacaf no? The spineless CSA?

My guess is Cavalry as a small fish, were told by the CPL and or CSA not make waves with the federation, and moreso, had no allies to back them, even if they wanted to play at Atco. Thus the very guarded statement and forced to move the game.

The CSB/CPL/CSA only fights for Forge and Ottawa, for whatever that ally is worth.

I can understand how it pisses people off, both the decision and lack of communication, but I don't think Cavalry had any choice in this decision, both in not playing here, and, as to where they could play...and were told not to complain about it, and now they have to use pitch issues to justify it locally.

Possible, but it really feels like they did the bare minimum. They even say in the articles that they didn’t want to pay. An energy company citing environmental issues for not using propane is a dead giveaway. Someone figured they will lose less money this way.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

Possible, but it really feels like they did the bare minimum. They even say in the articles that they didn’t want to pay. An energy company citing environmental issues for not using propane is a dead giveaway. Someone figured they will lose less money this way.

Yeah I think they appeared to do the bare minimum because it'd been communicated to them from the outset from Concacaf that no MLS or Ligue MX team was going to be forced to come up here in Feb and play outside in the cold in Alberta, on any outdoor pitch.

I am not particularly fond of Alison either from long before the Cavs were around, always seemed pompus about Spruce Meadows....but I really don't think the Cavs ever had a choice here, and it's been left up to Cavalry to craft the story to their fans as making up a different excuse as to why...and yeah the story, while carefully crafted this last couple months, still has some logic holes.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by browna

Yeah I think they appeared to do the bare minimum because it'd been communicated to them from the outset from Concacaf that no MLS or Ligue MX team was going to be forced to come up here in Feb and play outside in the cold in Alberta, on any outdoor pitch.

I am not particularly fond of Alison either from long before the Cavs were around, always seemed pompus about Spruce Meadows....but I really don't think the Cavs ever had a choice here, and it's been left up to Cavalry to craft the story to their fans as making up a different excuse as to why...and yeah the story, while carefully crafted this last couple months, still has some logic holes.

Then they really did us dirty by pretending it would be here. If that was the message they got, don’t give us hope.

I don’t think that’s the case. I think it was gonna happen if we put in effort. And effort costs money. Hamilton would be getting screwed too if that was the problem. MLS has cold market teams too, this is either that ATCO is too bush, or they put zero effort. Both are Spruce Meadows Sports and Entertainment issues.

These people are billionaires, they only get bullied if they don’t care.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

Then they really did us dirty by pretending it would be here. If that was the message they got, don’t give us hope.

I don’t think that’s the case. I think it was gonna happen if we put in effort. And effort costs money. Hamilton would be getting screwed too if that was the problem. MLS has cold market teams too, this is either that ATCO is too bush, or they put zero effort.

It is what it is, but besides some two faced comments from the commissioner about trying to make it work (this article is dated yesterday), the fact that the article mentions that "worst case scenario, the game may be moved from Calgary" was more then a little foreshadowing...and it never said it may be moved from Hamilton.

Again, CPL/CSB (and CSA) are all interlinked and have offices at the Hamilton stadium, so no way a Concacaf game will not be played there, even if it means all CPL teams chipping in to heat the turf.

It probably won't be too long until we hear the real story from outside the Cavs; either the Cavs didn't want to heat Atco or teams refused, especially an MLS team, who are worth 200x what a CPL team is (Orlando is valued around $550MM USD), to come to play outside in Alberta in Feb.

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/bab...l?guccounter=1

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by browna

It is what it is, but besides some two faced comments from the commissioner about trying to make it work (this article is dated yesterday), the fact that the article mentions that "worst case scenario, the game may be moved from Calgary" was more then a little foreshadowing...and it never said it may be moved from Hamilton.

Again, CPL/CSB (and CSA) are all interlinked and have offices at the Hamilton stadium, so no way a Concacaf game will not be played there, even if it means all CPL teams chipping in to heat the turf.

It probably won't be too long until we hear the real story from outside the Cavs; either the Cavs didn't want to heat Atco or teams refused, especially an MLS team, who are worth 200x what a CPL team is (Orlando is valued around $550MM USD), to come to play outside in Alberta in Feb.

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/bab...l?guccounter=1

Definitely some foreshadowing. Makes it hard to support these guys or this league to be honest, when we’re so clearly getting screwed and our owners, who are rich enough to own multiple MLS franchises, sit back and enjoy it.

I think they were told to heat it and they balked. The foreshadowing, the comments from Ian, and the general reactionary bare minimum attitude of every non Forge team in CPL seem to lend credence to that.

[TheIronMaiden]

I understand the logistical challenges and am sympathetic to the club.


That said, the push back is 100% justified. The team, league, and governing body need to know there is a die hard market here.

[shermanator]

Thinking about this after a night's sleep.

I think it's understood why the game can't be played at Spruce Meadows. But given the fact that the club President was adamant in the fall that the game would be at Spruce Meadows, and that the club was all over the media this week hyping up CONCACAF games at Spruce Meadows, and that the club put out a quick statement with no reasoning behind it as the announcement, the response by supporters is completely justified. And outside of Danny Austin at the Sun, there really hasn't been a lot of push back from anyone.

But what is the long term solution to playing games in this tournament? It sounds like the club doesn't have a plan, and is at best waiting for McMahon to reinstall their turf and hope it will work for soccer. But that's not a reliable solution. Neither is playing these games in Edmonton.

I think the proper solution is to either install undersoil heating or install turf at Spruce Meadows. I think we all know Spruce Meadows would rather burn down the stadium then install turf.

It's time to see how serious Cavalry are about their soccer club.

[Slava]

I don’t know if I want to see them put in turf. I like the natural grass and honestly, the pitch at ATCO is generally excellent.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Thinking about this after a night's sleep.

I think it's understood why the game can't be played at Spruce Meadows. But given the fact that the club President was adamant in the fall that the game would be at Spruce Meadows, and that the club was all over the media this week hyping up CONCACAF games at Spruce Meadows, and that the club put out a quick statement with no reasoning behind it as the announcement, the response by supporters is completely justified. And outside of Danny Austin at the Sun, there really hasn't been a lot of push back from anyone.

But what is the long term solution to playing games in this tournament? It sounds like the club doesn't have a plan, and is at best waiting for McMahon to reinstall their turf and hope it will work for soccer. But that's not a reliable solution. Neither is playing these games in Edmonton.

I think the proper solution is to either install undersoil heating or install turf at Spruce Meadows. I think we all know Spruce Meadows would rather burn down the stadium then install turf.

It's time to see how serious Cavalry are about their soccer club.

Good take. Now that some anger and disappointment have subsided, I agree with everything you said, and think this is a wake up call on a few levels.

You're right that there is zero chance that we see artificial turf at Spruce Meadows. I think there's also zero chance of undersoil heating, especially if they plan to upgrade in 5-30 years, and since the league doesn't care if the ground freezes for CanPL matches. They say they did everything possible, but I suspect the truth is everything within a very tight budget.

I think you're bang on that they are hoping for McMahon/UofC/CSEC to do them a solid and get FIFA approved turf. I question why they would do this unless the City or Province offer funding, or in CSEC's case, unless they want into soccer (which I doubt).

Ultimately, we have cheap owners who do bare minimum upgrades (obstructed roof beams to save a buck on a grandstand, basic flood lights only after they nearly get disqualified during the Impact match, Lake Escalante...), make every decision with soccer as a distant second to equestrian, and this proves they just aren't willing to invest and maybe they aren't in it to actually grow into a team that can actually compete at the CCC level. They may be just fine with a middling summer league soccer team that breaks even and allows them more usage of Spruce Meadows.

One of the main benefits of being a season ticket holder is priority for big games. If there will never be a big game here against top teams, why invest? There's always tickets available to buy for one off games.

A lot of us are super excited for pro soccer in Calgary, really care for the players and growth, and are willing to ante up, even more than they currently charge for a superior product to what we have now. But they have to be willing too. I just don't see it, and that's sad.

[Ozy_Flame]

Field House with a FIFA standard turf is the answer to me. But it's years away.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Field House with a FIFA standard turf is the answer to me. But it's years away.

Again, that is Cavalry FC ownership depending exclusively on charity from someone else. That's not how you run a professional team (the Flames at least are chipping in on the new arena and are a key stakeholder in that project with a 30 year guarantee).

Ultimately, this would need to be a field house with at least 5000 (maybe closer to 10000) seats for an event with sufficient turf and sufficient support (and a high enough roof) to adhere to FIFA and CONCACAF standards. Maybe that's already in the plans, but I would not be surprised if some of that is not since amateur is the key beneficiary of a field house. I can't see them chipping in, since that would never be their preferred venue (not as long as the Southerns own Cavs anyway).

Is the City of Calgary/Province of Alberta willing to pay for that in the event Cavalry FC get caught with their pants down again?

[Ozy_Flame]

I don't know, but a field house seems like the logical answer here. I'll let the experts figure it out.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I don't know, but a field house seems like the logical answer here. I'll let the experts figure it out.

You are totally right, a proper 10k plus field house is the best solution for Calgary, and not just for the Cavs. I just don't see it being geared towards professional soccer unless there are pro team stakeholders. Would love to be wrong.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

And I thought McMahon was the worst case scenario. Obviously playing in February has its challenges, but trust this club to somehow find an even worse option than what anyone could've dreamed of. A massive middle finger to the supporters.

They might be able to save face by arranging a heavily-subsidized deal for supporters. Get me from YYC, to the stadium on a bus, in the doors, and all they way back home in the same day and I might consider it. Get your airline shirt sponsor to step up and make it worth my while. On a weeknight. It would be no holiday, but I'd try and do it as a "supporter".

Seriously - subsidize it and make it $100 and I'll sign up in an instant. They'll probably come up with a $500 package deal and they can shove it. Ian Allison and the club will probably give us a club shop voucher or some pittance. So out of touch.

I have done away days by bus in the UK, and it can be a lot of fun. It is tiring, but you leave in the morning, come back at night, but the club helps arrange the bus, makes it affordable, etc. Obviously geography and cost is a huge limiting factor here in Canada, but if you're going to play the club's first continental competition over a thousand kilometres away, you had better have a plan and it better be good.

Lol! Seriously.

I read this suggestion and I think its fantastic.

Could you imagine a dedicated Cavalry Plane and Bus to the Stadium? I'd sign up for that in an instant.

It would be glorious.

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

You are totally right, a proper 10k plus field house is the best solution for Calgary, and not just for the Cavs. I just don't see it being geared towards professional soccer unless there are pro team stakeholders. Would love to be wrong.

I think this is the best long term solution, but it also relies on government building a stadium here. Unless you're the Flames that's a very tough ask, even with all the other use cases.

[shermanator]

Remember the whole Escalante fiasco last year? It's back....

https://twitter.com/user/status/1736460121734107219