The Canadian Premier League thread

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Hockey is relevant in the fact that Rogers basically spent every penny they could muster on the NHL rights, leaving little left to buy much else. But you're right - not a lot of overlap of the actual schedule.

Even some free streams would be vital to the success of the league. If everything is stuck behind a pay wall at DAZN, any revenue that DAZN gave to the league would be pretty much moot, because the product wouldn't grow beyond the hardcore supporters. I hope that any broadcast deal has the ability for some games to be picked up by traditional broadcasters and/or be made available for free streaming.

I totally get what you're saying, but hypotehtically if it's on DAZN and they own Champions League with no intention of licensing that at all, it could mean a lot of casual views from soccer fans in general.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by Slava

I totally get what you're saying, but hypotehtically if it's on DAZN and they own Champions League with no intention of licensing that at all, it could mean a lot of casual views from soccer fans in general.

True. DAZN is going to get a lot of subscribers that are seeking out Champions League now that they are exclusive. And they'll no doubt have the chance to see some CanPL stuff as well.

If DAZN is the broadcaster, an ideal situation would be for a game or two each week on a traditional broadcaster and/or streamed for free, and a small pile of cash from DAZN for exclusivity over the rest.

The tricky thing will be actually having crews out to film/commentate the matches. I would imagine that if DAZN is going to carry a game, the league would have to have its own a broadcasting crew to provide DAZN with a product to broadcast. TSN or SportsNet, on the other hand, would have their own crews, but may not find it profitable to allocate a crew to these matches. Maybe occasionally, of course.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

True. DAZN is going to get a lot of subscribers that are seeking out Champions League now that they are exclusive. And they'll no doubt have the chance to see some CanPL stuff as well.

If DAZN is the broadcaster, an ideal situation would be for a game or two each week on a traditional broadcaster and/or streamed for free, and a small pile of cash from DAZN for exclusivity over the rest.

The tricky thing will be actually having crews out to film/commentate the matches. I would imagine that if DAZN is going to carry a game, the league would have to have its own a broadcasting crew to provide DAZN with a product to broadcast. TSN or SportsNet, on the other hand, would have their own crews, but may not find it profitable to allocate a crew to these matches. Maybe occasionally, of course.

Yeah and I don't know how that all works. I just know that I have DAZN and there are games listed for the Caribbean Premier League. I haven't stooped that low at this point, but if I really want to watch something it could happen!

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by Slava

Yeah and I don't know how that all works. I just know that I have DAZN and there are games listed for the Caribbean Premier League. I haven't stooped that low at this point, but if I really want to watch something it could happen!

My in-laws are from Cosenza, who recently got promoted to Serie B. DAZN has the rights for B in Italy, but so far it isn't available on the Canadian service (I have tweeted DAZN and said that they should carry it, even with Italian commentary).

So you want to talk about a new low? Cosenza's first home match in B was forfeited because their pitch wasn't fit to play on. There is footage of workers rolling sod onto it in a last-ditch effort to make it playable, while players and supporters waited outside. Eventually the referee mercifully put and end to it and sent everyone home. They had all summer to prepare the pitch!

[shermanator]

Here is the update from the league via their website.

No conclusive information on the 8th team yet, but they still want an 8th team for 2019, but are ready to go with 7 if that's what they end up with. Long statement on the Fury. Looking for multi-platform distribution strategy:

http://canpl.ca/article/state-of-the...rules-and-more

[shermanator]

Information on the Edmonton leg of Al Classico is here. October 20 @ Clarke Stadium. KO is at 1:30. No mention of ticket prices.

http://fcedmonton.canpl.ca/article/f...of-al-classico

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Here is the update from the league via their website.

No conclusive information on the 8th team yet, but they still want an 8th team for 2019, but are ready to go with 7 if that's what they end up with. Long statement on the Fury. Looking for multi-platform distribution strategy:

http://canpl.ca/article/state-of-the...rules-and-more

Looks like a payroll north of $1m is being discussed, which may be a huge relief, but I just re-read the quote and realized they lumped in "soccer operations", which is concerning. That means that 500k could easily be in play still, depending what is considered "soccer operations" and whether 7 digit is one million or several million. I'm hopeful for something like $1.3-1.5 + Designated Player for player salaries alone, but that might be ambitious.

Lower level MLS players make about $50-70k USD, so the payroll should allow for those types of players, as well as some cheaper junior players and hopefully, a couple higher end players per team.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Hockey is relevant in the fact that Rogers basically spent every penny they could muster on the NHL rights, leaving little left to buy much else. But you're right - not a lot of overlap of the actual schedule.

Even some free streams would be vital to the success of the league. If everything is stuck behind a pay wall at DAZN, any revenue that DAZN gave to the league would be pretty much moot, because the product wouldn't grow beyond the hardcore supporters. I hope that any broadcast deal has the ability for some games to be picked up by traditional broadcasters and/or be made available for free streaming.

Lets face it, the CPL isn't going to cost anyone a thing up front. At best, they could get a revenue sharing deal for some non-prime time slots.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Slava

That’s going to kill this thing before it even starts.

-Every Canadian soccer league start up ever

[shermanator]

Non member prices will be $25 for adults and $15 for children. Again, a little high, but not as much as I thought they may be after seeing the member prices.

I think if all of the tickets were $5 cheaper than currently offered that would be perfect for this type of event. Or, if this was for a league game, I think these are decent prices. I'd be perfectly happy with paying $20-25 per game for season tickets. Still think paying for parking needs to be scrapped completely.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

Looks like a payroll north of $1m is being discussed, which may be a huge relief, but I just re-read the quote and realized they lumped in "soccer operations", which is concerning. That means that 500k could easily be in play still, depending what is considered "soccer operations" and whether 7 digit is one million or several million. I'm hopeful for something like $1.3-1.5 + Designated Player for player salaries alone, but that might be ambitious.

Lower level MLS players make about $50-70k USD, so the payroll should allow for those types of players, as well as some cheaper junior players and hopefully, a couple higher end players per team.

Unfortunately that's more reasonable. What are the revenue streams?

$30 tickets that they hope they get 5000 people, per game, which is extremely generous league wide.
No TV deal.
Sponsorship will be local contracts.

League won't be around long if each team is losing $750k per season given all the air travel, hotels and other travel expenses, admin, trainers, field and game day operations. If that loss can only be $300k each of the first few years, as the ad revenue can grow and tv money can modesty roll on and thus interest and ticket sales grow, and efficiencies can be found in operating expenses, then salaries can go up.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by browna

Unfortunately that's more reasonable. What are the revenue streams?

$30 tickets that they hope they get 5000 people, per game, which is extremely generous league wide.
No TV deal.
Sponsorship will be local contracts.

League won't be around long if each team is losing $750k per season given all the air travel, hotels and other travel expenses, admin, trainers, field and game day operations. If that loss can only be $300k each of the first few years, as the ad revenue can grow and tv money can modesty roll on and thus interest and ticket sales grow, and efficiencies can be found in operating expenses, then salaries can go up.

I think its going to be a difficult task of not appearing too minor league, and overspending and creating instability out of the gate. I suspect they have done their homework but I hope they aren't too cautious because of the shoddy leagues in the past.

I'd imagine the estimated revenue is likely somewhere in the $2.5m range. Most of that will be tickets and parking revenue. If Cavalry gets 3000-4000 per game with a price of $30 on average, that's roughly $1.5-2m. I suspect there will be some $20 tickets and some $35-45 tickets as well based on the member survey. If Cavalry is charging $120/season for parking, and likely $10/game for single use, that could be a notable contribution to their budgets as well.

Then figure concessions, merchandise, sponsorship and whatever small amount they get for TV/radio/image rights is the rest in year 1. I suspect TV and sponsorship will be pretty paltry initially.

That said, $75-150k/year for jersey sponsorships might actually be feasible if there's a TV/streaming deal that has some appeal (I'm thinking DAZN and a TSN/RSN game of the week). Details on USL sponsor deals are really tough to find, but MLS jersey sponsors are about $2-5m USD per year. If they can get even 3-5% of that, I'd call that a success for year 1.

Figure $1m in expenses (I've heard USL soccer operations costs are roughly $800k) and $1.3m in salaries leaves the potential for a small profit. If there's a designated player rule, a team may choose to pay one player a few hundred k more and risk a loss.

After a season or two, I suspect transfer fees will be a source of revenue as well.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Information on the Edmonton leg of Al Classico is here. October 20 @ Clarke Stadium. KO is at 1:30. No mention of ticket prices.

http://fcedmonton.canpl.ca/article/f...of-al-classico

I suspect that's going to be a cold one!

[shermanator]

There's a little snippet on stadium progress in the Calgary Herald in a Spruce Meadows article:

Attention will now turn to renovations on existing Spruce Meadows facilities in preparation for Cavalry FC’s 2019 season. Allison said many modifications have already been made over the summer, with the bigger stadium installations scheduled to take place over the fall and winter.

“We’re excited about Cavalry FC getting up and running and we’ve done a lot of our pitch renovations to the meadows on the green stadium,” said Allison. “We’re going to be having a Cavalry FC and Edmonton FC prospect game at the end of September just to test the pitch and give our members a sense of what they can look forward to when we launch in 2019.”

The soccer season will run from April until October, which will overlap with some international show jumping. Allison said the stadium will continue to be dedicated to equestrian events, with away games scheduled when the two sports overlap.

Link: https://calgaryherald.com/news/local...spruce-meadows

[shermanator]

If anyone is interested in meeting up before the Calgary leg, here's the Facebook event where we'll get organized. Thinking we may meet at Hudson's Shawnessy, then take the train to Somerset-Bridlewood and test out the shuttles offered.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1952590461708527/

[iggypop]

$25 plus parking to sit on grass? Not a good start.

It's a prospect game, get fans out for $10 w/ free parking to get them familiar with the team & location. Especially considering the time of year and the weather that could be expected.

[Jimmy Stang]

They're not doing themselves any favours here, and it is a little concerning. I'm not sure that they are in touch with this market and where their product sits in it. And this isn't even their actual product.

Not to get too much into the marketing jargon, but this is the perfect place for a loss leader strategy. $10 for adults, $5 for teens, under 12 for free. Or hell - free for everyone. See it as an exercise in creating buzz, generating leads for future ticket sales, a place to showcase the new merch, etc. Asking people to drive a fair distance (for most people), fork out a steep price (relative to the product), giving them a plank or a patch of grass to sit on, and then charge for parking at a place that has hundreds of unused parking spaces is a really big ask. Cover your costs, or take a loss in the name of building your brand, and try and get as many potential supporters there as you can.

Most people can afford to pay the price they are asking - if they know and care enough about the club, the league, etc. The hard truth is, very few people know and/or care much about this yet, except for the very hardcore fans. And they'll all show up because they are loyal and dedicated, but it will largely be an exercise in preaching to the choir.

I know - early days yet. I hope to be proven wrong. I just hope that they don't scratch their heads when the response is underwhelming.

Sorry for being Negative Nancy, but my business mind is getting the better of me.

[shermanator]

Guess we will see how many people are in the stands on the 29th. I'm not expecting a big crowd myself, but I also have a very cynical view of the Calgary sports scene as a whole.

Anyways, the club just announced their coaching staff. Martin Nash will be the assistant coach and technical director, and Jordan Santiago will be the goalkeeping coach. Not much else in the press conference to be honest.

[Traditional_Ale]

Has anyone seen what the Cavalry FC jerseys are going to look like?

[shermanator]

Jerseys won't be out for a bit, because the league is finalizing a manufacturer who will do the jerseys for the whole league. I think the CPL said a little while ago that each jersey will be a custom design, meaning no slapping badges on templates like we tend to see in other leagues. It's not a big name kit manufacturer, so anyone thinking Nike or Adidas can forget about it...

What I do know is that the club wants to know whether the home colours should be red or green. Normally I would say red, but the red that is used by the club is really more orangey (same colour as the Calgary flag), so I don't know how that will look. They are also really interested in the jersey concepts that get floated around by people with too much time on their hands.

I've seen a few very early mockups that look promising, but they are nothing near the final design.