The Canadian Premier League thread - Page 29 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

shermanator · 09-27-2018, 08:57 AM

Ya, that would have been a brilliant idea.

shermanator · 09-28-2018, 08:16 AM

Macron has been announced as the league-wide kit supplier.

http://canpl.ca/article/macron-to-be...premier-league

KevanGuy · 09-28-2018, 08:17 AM

I sent them my feedback that we won't be buying seasons tickets if this is the kind of value they're offering. Even if it was nice out and they had proper seating, $50 for two people and parking is way out to lunch for prospects.

TopChed · 09-28-2018, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevanGuy

I sent them my feedback that we won't be buying seasons tickets if this is the kind of value they're offering. Even if it was nice out and they had proper seating, $50 for two people and parking is way out to lunch for prospects.

And another $10 for people on the fence like me who haven't signed up.

shermanator · 09-28-2018, 12:27 PM

Well, it sounds like I'm facing an uphill battle in getting folks here interested. Think it's time for me to bow out, hang out in the stands, and wait for this to fail catastrophically.

Muta · 09-28-2018, 12:43 PM

shermanator - I'll absolutely be buying Cavalry season tickets. If I could make it tomorrow to the prospects game, I would... that Ship and Anchor deal is awesome!

jammies · 09-28-2018, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shermanator

Well, it sounds like I'm facing an uphill battle in getting folks here interested. Think it's time for me to bow out, hang out in the stands, and wait for this to fail catastrophically.

I bought in as a supporter due to what I picked up from (mostly) you here, and appreciate the inside information. I also agree with those that think this is going to be a tough long-term sell, and that there have been some marketing missteps that aren't helping with that sell. If you are frustrated, that's understandable, but I for one like to see the boosters represented as well as the detractors.

agulati · 09-29-2018, 12:09 PM

The pricing has seemed a bit odd, so far, so I'm on the fence. Depending on how the product will be in the first season, I might buy season tickets the following year.

Starting a new league from scratch is always going to be difficult. CPL will have quality lacking stigma associated with it, but it should still be a fun competitive league.

Hopefully it promotes a new crop of local soccer players leading to improvement in the Canadian crop of players.

Kipper is King · 09-29-2018, 02:58 PM

There's an official live stream of the game.

http://cavalryfc.canpl.ca/live-feed

Resolute 14 · 09-29-2018, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shermanator

Well, it sounds like I'm facing an uphill battle in getting folks here interested. Think it's time for me to bow out, hang out in the stands, and wait for this to fail catastrophically.

We're all in this thread because we're interested Shermanator.

And your role as an unabashed booster of soccer in this city, and by extension Foothills FC and Cavalry FC is laudable. But the CPL and its teams don't warrant immunity from criticism when they mis-step.

Even so, if they really did get over 1000 tickets sold for Foothills FC - a team that routinely draws a fraction of that at far lower prices - then that is something you should consider a positive. They'll likely get more for a higher calibre outfit next year.

RM14 · 09-30-2018, 03:57 PM

I saw some pictures online, but are there any highlights?

Judging by the twitter posts, the venue is going to amazing.

Jimmy Stang · 09-30-2018, 04:30 PM

Come on, Sherm. Everyone in this thread wants this to succeed. People who call out bad decisions and offer constructive criticism aren't the ones to worry about because they/we actually care enough to say it. The big fight will be against apathy and indifference.

Anyway, I appreciate your inside information and your passion, and I hope that you'll continue to contribute in this thread.

Johnny199r · 09-30-2018, 05:23 PM

I agree the prices were too high for this match. However, I'm not the one footing the bill for the team.

Finding a sweet spot for pricing will be very tough next year. Billing the league as Canada's top flight domestic league and the expenses that go along with a national league, vs the idea that many view the CPL as a minor league and prices should reflect that level of quality.

shermanator · 09-30-2018, 06:03 PM

I'm not naive enough to think there won't be problems with the club and the league as a whole. The name is trying to force an identity that doesn't exist, the stadium location is a huge detractor, the level of play will be lower than even I anticipated, having to fly across the country is a huge obstacle, and I'm not convinced that ownership is really committed on the soccer side of things. Hell, there's rumours that the Ottawa Fury's GM is on a mission to single-handedly destroy the league.

In addition to the (seemingly) consistent feedback on the problems, throw in things like the constant, incessant banter from Edmonton supporters, and other supporters groups hammering our group for not being ultra enough, and it kind of makes me wonder why I bother.

As for yesterday's game itself...

When I ran into Ian Allison, he mentioned they had sold around 1500 tickets, and I'd guess about 1200 were at the game. Given the many reasons people cited that they wouldn't go before the game (weather, stadium location, ticket prices, level of play), I think that was a decent crowd. Lots of people were buying Cavalry gear and there were huge lineups for food and beer, so that is promising as well.

I thought both supporters groups were fairly even in their boisterousness, which is a success in my books given that in April they outnumbered us 4 to 1 in our own stadium, which was an embarrassment in my books.

As for the venue, I'd say the experience was quite positive. The shuttle bus from the Somerset-Bridlewood station was remarkably efficient. All you have to do is park in the park n ride, walk over to the Spruce Meadows bus, and 10 minutes later you're walking through the ticket gate. Once passing through the ticket gates we were led through a heated merchandise building, which I thought was quite smart. Members got a swag bag which contained a Cavalry backpack, car decal and air horn. I can't say much on the stadium as it's very much unfinished, but the grounds outside of the stadium were tremendous. The view from the supporters section was decent, and the sunken bowl helped block the wind, which made the temperature more pleasant. There was some indoor seating with bleachers inside of a building on the East end, but most people chose to sit on the hill instead. My biggest complaint would be the significant amount of time it took to get food and drink at half time, and the lack of washrooms near the south end of the stadium.

I think there's a lot of promise with this club.

Resolute 14 · 10-01-2018, 07:29 AM

Dude, 1200 is a hell of a lot more than I would have expected, so that is a huge positive.

Also yeah, don't go the ultra route. Booster clubs should be the biggest fans, not the biggest jackasses.

TopChed · 10-01-2018, 10:16 AM

I was out to watch the Liverpool/Chelsea game at the Ship on Saturday, and ended up catching the bus down to the game with a buddy on a whim. The $25 ticket including a beer and a bus ride down was good value. I haven't closely followed their plans for the stadium, but the venue was certainly promising. I can definitely see myself making the trip the same way in the future if they continue to offer something similar with the Ship or other pubs.

rubecube · 10-01-2018, 04:21 PM

Yeah, honestly the only thing that's keeping me from putting a deposit down for Pacific FC is the fact that there's a slight chance I could move by next fall.

CofR · 10-01-2018, 04:33 PM

What was the attendance like on the bus from the Ship?

TopChed · 10-01-2018, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CofR

What was the attendance like on the bus from the Ship?

I think there were probably around 25 people on the bus. There was lots of room available.

shermanator · 10-03-2018, 08:16 AM

So, Forge FC's (Hamilton) supporters group tweeted that supporters section tickets would be $199 and each season ticket comes with a free jersey. This was announced by the club yesterday. This would be for 15 games. An average price of $13.27 a ticket.

I've heard whispers that all clubs are looking for a similar pricing structure for supporters sections, but I have no idea whether that is true or not. Haven't heard anything from the club, but I did mention $200 season tickets when I was checking out the stadium a few weeks ago and it sounded like they were receptive to it.

Now if that does end up being the price point, quite frankly I can't think of a better value in the city for professional sports, regardless of what level of play.

https://twitter.com/BartonBattalion/...86162145124353