Stadiums & Arenas of Canada, Part 3

[esquire]

Originally Posted by JHikka

I agree.

Also agreed. It'll be interesting to see how CONCACAF and the CSA handle their sanctioning in the fall once again. Even with CPL having just started it seems a big ask to get people out to USL matches in Ottawa when they're playing Atlanta United 2 or Loudoun....CPL games just seem to have much more edge and energy to them.

I think a lot of that edge and energy will come from the media coverage that CPL is getting. Between the televised and streaming games, it is fairly easy to follow the CPL. And catching some snippets of the game that way can acquaint people with the teams, players, etc. It creates fanbases, rivalries, etc.

It's tough for something like the USL to compete with that, with minimal media coverage. It's kind of like going to a Winnipeg Goldeyes baseball game here in Winnipeg, where you have fun cheering for the home team but the average fan barely knows any of the players on the Goldeyes, let alone any of the visiting players. It diminishes the experience a bit.

CPL has a critical mass that generates some media coverage and local excitement, and I don't think USL can match that, at least in Canada.

Speaking of, what kind of coverage is CPL getting on TSN/SN? Are they showing game highlights on SportsCentre and such?

[Acajack]

That's a good point. It's possible that Ottawa soccer fans will take note of the (modest - we're still talking about Canada here) national media buzz about the CPL and find that they're missing out on that by being in the USL.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

That's a good point. It's possible that Ottawa soccer fans will take note of the (modest - we're still talking about Canada here) national media buzz about the CPL and find that they're missing out on that by being in the USL.

It would be a bit like if, say, Quebec City had a team in the Arena Football League. Sure they would get the bragging rights of being in the BIG AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE (even if was an extremely distant number two), but they would be on the outside of all the national attention that the CFL still generates.

Like I said before, if the CPL really takes off, the league could put a team in Ottawa and take over the town. But I think the CPL still has a bunch of front-burner issues to deal with before it starts picking fights with other league...

[Acajack]

Like when the Montreal Machine played in the NFL's World League of American Football at one point. In between the folding of the CFL in the city and the return of the Alouettes.

I saw the Machine play the Orlando Somethings once at the Big O.

Attendance was definitely higher than what the CFL was drawing before it left town. Probably in the 25,000 range.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

Or alternatively, what if the CPL sets up its own team around there ("Lokomotiv Gatineau") and attempts to go to war with the Fury?

This I believe is the biggest "stadium" in Gatineau:

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Sta....7740382?hl=en

By my estimate it probably seats 1500-2500 people.

The high school next to it was largely destroyed by a fire that was set off by the tornado of Sept. 2018.

[esquire]

^ If not there, then some other facility like at Carleton or UOttawa, etc. There is probably someplace where you could throw up a few temporary bleachers to get a good 5 or 6 thousand seat venue going.

It could be interesting to see a classic WHA-NHL style turf war!

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ If not there, then some other facility like at Carleton or UOttawa, etc. There is probably someplace where you could throw up a few temporary bleachers to get a good 5 or 6 thousand seat venue going.

There's a good discussion on the Ottawa subforum right now about the uOttawa stadium. I think they can expand up to a max of 5,000 but the highway and river prevents anything beyond that.

Originally Posted by esquire

Speaking of, what kind of coverage is CPL getting on TSN/SN? Are they showing game highlights on SportsCentre and such?

SN is covering the league with some videos and a lot of articles. TSN looks like they would rather cover MLS and CFL through the summer as they're the properties they have.

Originally Posted by esquire

I think a lot of that edge and energy will come from the media coverage that CPL is getting. Between the televised and streaming games, it is fairly easy to follow the CPL. And catching some snippets of the game that way can acquaint people with the teams, players, etc. It creates fanbases, rivalries, etc.

A lot of it is actually playing against other Canadian opponents, too, I think. The Forge/Y9 game was entertaining because you could sit in the stands and say that one team was from Hamilton and the other from Toronto. It's easier to sell to casuals and general people than Fury playing against the B team of an MLS team or some town in the US nobody has heard of.

And the players are Canadian with a handful being on their local teams. That helps.

[EpicPonyTime]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ If not there, then some other facility like at Carleton or UOttawa, etc. There is probably someplace where you could throw up a few temporary bleachers to get a good 5 or 6 thousand seat venue going.

It could be interesting to see a classic WHA-NHL style turf war!

This is kind of what I would like to see as well. If the league really wanted to be brave it would be really cool to see them place a team in Scarborough at Birchmount Stadium. Scarborough's far away/distinct enough from Toronto that I could see instant rivalries with York and TFC (during the Canadian Championships).

[mistercorporate]

It's all about the Canadian rivalries! For soccer fans there isn't too much of this. Sure Toronto-Montreal twice a year (which is quite fierce) within MLS, but being able to compete against and sit down at a bar with Scarborough and Mississauga, which are quite unique, and the exoticness of Kitchener-Waterloo just sounds like a lot of fun to me.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

It's all about the Canadian rivalries! For soccer fans there isn't too much of this. Sure Toronto-Montreal twice a year (which is quite fierce) within MLS, but being able to compete against and sit down at a bar with Scarborough and Mississauga, which are quite unique, and the exoticness of Kitchener-Waterloo just sounds like a lot of fun to me.

It's almost like... um... the CFL!

(This is not a jab at you, BTW.)

[le calmar]

There is something about the CPL I find exciting. I dream one day I can watch a Kingston (where I live part time) and Sherbrooke (my hometown) showdown. Thunder Bay vs Kamloops would also be exotic.

You would never see that in the CFL as they require large stadiums. You only see that type of Canada-wide rivalry during Memorial Cup/Vanier Cup series at junior/CIS level and that's a very limited number of teams. I like how the CPL goes off the beaten path and is willing to include smaller markets we otherwise never hear about on the professional sports scene.

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by Acajack

It's almost like... um... the CFL!

(This is not a jab at you, BTW.)

lol, yeah I know, just more fun for some of us to express our rivalries through soccer unfortunately. I sucked at soccer in school and played gridiron football throughout, but soccer is definitely my spectator sport of preference.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

lol, yeah I know, just more fun for some of us to express our rivalries through soccer unfortunately. I sucked at soccer in school and played gridiron football throughout, but soccer is definitely my spectator sport of preference.

A 15 (or so) team CFL would likely have those rivalries as well. (And the CFL as it is does have some good rivalries), but for a variety of reasons the CFL won't likely be growing to more than 10-12 teams even in the most optimistic scenario.

What's most likely is if they succeed in getting Halifax on board things will plateau right there at 10.

It's almost certain the CPL will have more teams than the CFL at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Personally, I am totally OK with that, as I love soccer and gridiron football pretty equally.

(And I also think there is room for both sports.)

[mistercorporate]

Well said.

[Denscity]

Where does the 9 in York 9 come from? The 905 area code?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Denscity

Where does the 9 in York 9 come from? The 905 area code?

The 9 communities that make up York Region

Originally Posted by York9FC

York Region is forward thinking, as are its 9 distinct municipalities: Aurora – East Gwillimbury – Georgina – King – Markham – Newmarket – Richmond Hill – Vaughan – Whitchurch/Stouffville

https://york9fc.canpl.ca/club-overview

[Denscity]

^^^ ah k cheers

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by esquire

It would be a bit like if, say, Quebec City had a team in the Arena Football League. Sure they would get the bragging rights of being in the BIG AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE (even if was an extremely distant number two), but they would be on the outside of all the national attention that the CFL still generates.

Like I said before, if the CPL really takes off, the league could put a team in Ottawa and take over the town. But I think the CPL still has a bunch of front-burner issues to deal with before it starts picking fights with other league...

Arena Football still around? Their Canadian expansion was probably a bigger disaster than the CFL moving South. Proof being American isn't enough to captivate a Canadian audience.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

A 15 (or so) team CFL would likely have those rivalries as well. (And the CFL as it is does have some good rivalries), but for a variety of reasons the CFL won't likely be growing to more than 10-12 teams even in the most optimistic scenario.

What's most likely is if they succeed in getting Halifax on board things will plateau right there at 10.

It's almost certain the CPL will have more teams than the CFL at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Personally, I am totally OK with that, as I love soccer and gridiron football pretty equally.

(And I also think there is room for both sports.)

In some respects, the mid-majorish standing of the CFL has pretty well locked it in to an odd situation where it is big enough to require fairly large markets and expensive stadiums but demand is not so great as to make these facilities a slam-dunk proposition for private investors. As things stand, really only Halifax and maybe Quebec City are viable expansion options. After that it's done... it's too risky just about anywhere else.

The beauty of the CPL is that it takes comparatively little to get a team started, and it's clear that there is some appeal in smaller markets that are somewhat underserved when it comes to sports. Places like Victoria and Halifax are fairly large, but apart from junior hockey there hasn't been much else with staying power. The CPL has the potential to change that.

[king10]

Originally Posted by JHikka

The 9 communities that make up York Region



https://york9fc.canpl.ca/club-overview

so what happens if Doug Ford amalgamates the communities in the York Region into one city?