Quote:
Originally Posted by patm
I don't see a good stadium being built unless we attract an MLS team.
|
It's a chicken and egg thing, unfortunately. Without a nice, small stadium, Calgary can't even show that it can support a PDL or NASL club let alone a MLS team. But without a team, it is hard to justify the investment, no matter how minimal.
With respect to previous ventures in Calgary soccer, the lack of an appropriate place to watch a game has been a major hurdle. McMahon is too big and the stands too far from the field for any sort of atmosphere, Foothills Athletic Park is junk and the stands are also too far from the pitch.
There's always a steady demand for soccer fields in Calgary, and it would need to be pitched (no pun intended) as a multi-sport, multi-use facility with a modest number of seats surrounding the field. With the higher-quality field turf available, it can be used more frequently than a grass field, and has a much longer playing season. CMSA, CUSA, CWSA, etc. could all make use of it extensively and, obviously, any future dreams of an MLS club would need to start with a well-supported lower-league team using it as well.