Pro Soccer in Calgary

[mac_82]

Just wanted to start a thread to see peoples thoughts and reactions. Think Calgary could support a new professional soccer team?

Next season (2011) FC Edmonton is starting in the NASL (2nd tier below MLS). Toronto has had a somewhat successful run in MLS, Vancouver is moving up from NASL to MLS in 2011. The Montreal Impact have a solid fan base and are moving up to MLS in 2012. Ottawa and Halifax have both been rumoured to be getting new teams. The Canadian Nutrilite Championship should be more exciting than ever next year, with all 4 pro Canadian teams playing for Canada's spot in the CONCACAF champions league.

The last pro team was the Storm/Mustangs and only averaged 674 people at McMahon, and haven't been around since 2004. So with interest in Soccer in Canada seeming to be at an all time high, could Calgary support a pro team?

[kaput]

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[Skyline_Addict]

More people play soccer these days, but it's still not a marketable sport in Canada. In major hub cities close to the border (and culturally to the US), there's a better chance of it happening. Hence Vancouver and Toronto.

[ZEDGE]

It would be nice but I doubt it would last. Look at past soccer teams.. They have all folded. Canadians fucking suck for supporting any type of sport besides hockey, and football, although that is not much better. The bigger cities with larger immigrant populations do better. We are the only modern western nation with out some sort of pro soccer league afaik. I would love to see an MLS team in Calgary.. not likely in my lifetime though.

[mac_82]

So why is soccer so much more successful in Edmonton? Pro teams have failed there in the past as well. But they have had the Women's u-19 world championships, and the largest crowds in Canda for the 2007 Fifa U-20. They have also had World Cup qualifying games, MLS friendlies (37k fans to see Beckham and the Galaxy play), and even a Everton-River Plate friendly with 16 000 fans.

Living in Toronto the last 4 years I have become a pretty big soccer fan. When I move back to Calgary it is going to be tough to get my soccer fix. I guess with FC Edmonton starting this year I will have to go up their to see a couple games a year. It will be interesting to see how well FC Edmonton does in it's first couple of years. It would be nice to have another battle of Alberta on the soccer field.

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by mac_82
So why is soccer so much more successful in Edmonton? Pro teams have failed there in the past as well. But they have had the Women's u-19 world championships, and the largest crowds in Canda for the 2007 Fifa U-20. They have also had World Cup qualifying games, MLS friendlies (37k fans to see Beckham and the Galaxy play), and even a Everton-River Plate friendly with 16 000 fans.

Living in Toronto the last 4 years I have become a pretty big soccer fan. When I move back to Calgary it is going to be tough to get my soccer fix. I guess with FC Edmonton starting this year I will have to go up their to see a couple games a year. It will be interesting to see how well FC Edmonton does in it's first couple of years. It would be nice to have another battle of Alberta on the soccer field.

I think the appetite is there. However many cities have shit facilities. When the last Calgary Soccer team played (Storm) it was a joke. They played at Glemore park next to McMahon. It was two shitty sets of bleachers and a few porta potties ffs. If we had a decent small sized stadium that may help. There is no point playing in a big stadium like McMahon when it will be three quarters emtpy, a small 10,000 -20,000 seater would be perfect. But a proper soccer field. We do have an indoor team that plays at the Soccer Center.

http://www.calgaryunitedfc.ca/

It is rather confusing there is such a lack of support considering how many youths play soccer in Calgary, and in Canada period. If I recall there more kids playing Soccer than hockey now.

[Skyline_Addict]

It doesn't matter how many more people play soccer than hockey. What really matters is how seriously it is taken at a grassroots level and what the attitude is, and then it expands from there.

Most parents sign their kids up for soccer as a "recreational activity" more than anything. Kind of like Scouts and Girl Guides - meet some friends, do bottle drives to raise money, etc. Very few parents enroll their kids to make something out of it, from a perspective of becoming a soccer player. Most people who are parents in Calgary, even ones who enroll their kids in soccer, probably think it is a...sub-par sport. Parents want their kid to be the next Sidney Crosby, not Owen Hargreaves (who? exactly).

This attitude at the grassroots level means:

a) little money being invested into youth development
b) poor facilities and lack of competent organizational entities
c) lack of awareness for the sport in general

I will admit that awareness and participation of the sport has increased over the years, but it has a long way to becoming a marketable professional sport in Calgary and Canada in general.

[ZEDGE]

Originally posted by Skyline_Addict
It doesn't matter how many more people play soccer than hockey. What really matters is how seriously it is taken at a grassroots level and what the attitude is, and then it expands from there.

Most parents sign their kids up for soccer as a "recreational activity" more than anything. Kind of like Scouts and Girl Guides - meet some friends, do bottle drives to raise money, etc. Very few parents enroll their kids to make something out of it, from a perspective of becoming a soccer player. Most people who are parents in Calgary, even ones who enroll their kids in soccer, probably think it is a...sub-par sport. Parents want their kid to be the next Sidney Crosby, not Owen Hargreaves (who? exactly).

This attitude at the grassroots level means:

a) little money being invested into youth development
b) poor facilities and lack of competent organizational entities
c) lack of awareness for the sport in general

I will admit that awareness and participation of the sport has increased over the years, but it has a long way to becoming a marketable professional sport in Calgary and Canada in general.

I agree. Although with the greater awareness and kids being brought up playing soccer it has to eventually get better. As far as the recreational activity, I would agree up to maybe U14, after that its far more than a "recreational activity" My son has been playing since U8. The higher end teams in Calgary like SWU, Blizzards have fees that make hockey look like girl guides. Not to mention brutal practice and tech training schedules. The problem with Canada is once kids reach a certain age there is no where to go. If you are a good player chances are you go to the US and get a scholarship at a big school. Perhaps go on to MLS or even to Europe.

Oh.. and I would bet more people around the world know who Hargreaves is than they do Crosby. ;)

[Skyline_Addict]

Canada needs to produce a golden generation (relatively speaking) of soccer players to put the sport on the map and make Canadians take a look at the sport seriously. And not players who live in Canada for a few years, then went to play for their parents' nationality teams - actual Canadian soccer players.

If anything were to happen, I believe we'd have to see soccer become successful for Canada at an international level, before we would see any domestic league success. Besides, Europe is the best place to both develop and make your trade as a soccer player, and that will probably not change in the forseeable future. What's happening right now is that any good players who could player for Team Canada, opt to play for better national teams they are eligible for, understandably.

Hopefully the golden generation is coming sooner than later.

[ZEDGE]

Yea, making it to the world cup and scoring a few goals would do wonders for soccer in this country. Especially for the younger generation growing up on it.

[Gorilla]

I definetly think Calgary can support a MLS team.

Majority of population growth in this city is immigrants, they cant relate to hockey like we do. So they have their kids in soccer.

I read somewhere that soccer registration is alot higher than hockey is now

[CanmoreOrLess]

Calgary cannot support a pro soccer team for so many of the reasons outlined above.

The major push for soccer (youth) is the fact it costs thousands less than for hockey, just like it was and is for baseball. My parents could have bought a cottage easily with the funds that went into hockey within my family. No time for a cottage with summer sports like soccer and baseball.

Most any pro player worth anything would be playing in Europe if they could. Sure there are past their prime stars to be found in NA, they are getting the big contracts just like Pele did decades ago. If you are a good player with options, you would not be playing in NA unless it was for the big contract or no other choices. Same goes for the CFL v NFL, NHL v ???, NBA v ???, etc.

Not a hater by any means regarding the CFL, NA soccer or sports at all. Just the way it is economically. Having a second or third class sport does not make the entertainment anything less, it is what it is.

[Skyline_Addict]

wow. crazy 2-year bump.

anyways. not much has changed in 2 years.

i play competitive soccer and quite honestly there are some very talented non-professional players in the city. there still however, isn't the support structure needed to nurture or provide opportunities for such players to take it to the next level.

[alloroc]

boink ,,, Wait another 5 years ...

I am coaching at the U12 level right now and holey moley there are some good kids coming up and grassroots soccer is about to double in size.

I think that if Calgary doesn't have a pro team in the next ten years we are definitely going to be feeding them and have Calgary players WILL be over the place.

[nonofyobiz]

Soccer is sweet. I don't understand why ppl don't like it. I hadn't watched an entire NHL game all season, I've watched 4 or 5 Euro games now, and bits and pieces of all of them.

[lauphman]

It's gonna take Canada doing well in a world cup or Canada hosting the world cup to make it happen. Canada is second in the group for 2014 qualifying, Go Canada!

[mac_82]

With the MLS doing well in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and the NASL (second tier) in Edmonton and possibly Ottawa, Hamilton soon pending stadiums, pro soccer is spreading throughout Canada and doing really well.

If you look at the current Canadian National teams, the men's team has 10 recent call ups who play in MLS. But if you look down the chart at the U23 team, 50% of the players are from TO, Mtl, Van, and Edm academies. The further down you go, U20, U18, U17, the higher the number of players that are coming from academies run by the 4 pro Canadian teams. Toronto FC has been around for 5 years and have contributed a few players to the senior Canadian team. You can't tell me that in another 5 years, with Montreal and Vancouver academies turning out players to the national program that our success won't increase on the world stage. This will also help us keep top end talent, so the Hargraves', and the De Guzman's will actually want to play here.

A couple posters on Calgary Puck mentioned the Flames/Stamps/Hitmen/Roughnecks ownership group was looking at securing a MLS/NASL franchise at some point in the future. I'm sure this would hinge on a new Stamps/soccer stadium being built, but it's looking like a real possibility in the future.

The one thing MLS is really good at is fostering the supporters groups, and making MLS games have great atmosphere. I can only dream of a rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton MLS teams like Portland-Seattle-Vancouver has going.