erudyk_29
Active Member
I am just now realizing you said Rogers Arena and not Rogers Place and am now feeling very stupid. Nevertheless, what are everyone's thoughts on MLS to Edmonton?
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- Thread starter bodsbods9090
- Start date
archited
Senior Member
Wait for an announcement in 2024.
BASE
Active Member
I think the big impediment to MLS is many things:
- Timing - Would have been better to get in earlier on with the league as it was established, I think they are getting closer to a ceiling of teams they want to be at in near term
- Geography - Don't quote me but I thought with MLS trying to stick to a USA model (as many leagues in europe tend to do a national league) and the current Canadian teams are grandfathered in a bit maybe? Would need to do more research on this but with the Canadian Premier League established don't want to step on territory?
- History - We have a good history of supporting events for Soccer but in recent history we didn't exactly overwhelm with support for the Eddies who have now folded
- Venue/Facilities - Commonwealth could work as there are some NFL stadiums used in the league but that's a big number of seats to fill and would certainly need big renos to bring fans closer to the action
- $$$ - Would need a big money player that believes in Edmonton and the possibilities of the team. Going back to timing expansion fees, salaries, and costs are way up with MLS from earlier days
- Competition - I talked about timing but competing with other cities in North America for any major pro teams is very difficult and while our population is growing big which is great we are up against (hypothetically) some big metros in the likes of Las Vegas, Phoenix, Detroit to name a few I see at a glance.
Not impossible (dependent on my national federation note under geography) but it would likely start with needing a big money investor that believes in Edmonton willing to probably build a new soccer specific stadium and strongly pursue the idea with the league of putting a team here.
husky
Active Member
Would love MLS here but it'd have to be in a smaller stadium and we'd have to get our CPL team back and show that the city will support soccer in some way. Long ways to go and a lot of investment before that's a reality in my eyes.
Moderne
Active Member
Has anyone else noticed that HCMA (Hughes Condon Marler Architects) has opened up an office here?
That's amazing news for this city in my opinion. They've got 3 offices in Canada, and we're the first one outside of BC.
I wonder if Gene Dub had anything to do with that?
That's amazing news for this city in my opinion. They've got 3 offices in Canada, and we're the first one outside of BC.
I wonder if Gene Dub had anything to do with that?
archited
Senior Member
No linear thinking allowed here. Let's review the NHL franchise vis-a-vis Edmonton. We started with a WHA nascent organization and the Edmonton Oilers with a young aggressive team. When the WHA "merged" with the NHL Edmonton already had a powerhouse team that shortly thereafter won 5 Stanley Cups in 6 seasons thereby erasing any doubt about the viability of an NHL team in Edmonton. Daryl Katz had the vision of building a new state-of-the-art stadium in downtown Edmonton with an associated entertainment/hospitality/office/residential complex to go along with it -- it still hasn't reached its full potential and should do so within the next 5 years (if we look at the ersatz Staples Center in Los Angeles and what has happened over the years there). The Edmonton Oilers outgrew the Coliseum which was outdated in so many ways shortly after it was built, especially with the demise of Northlands, horse racing, etc.
If we think similarly with Major League Soccer (Football if you like), there are some parallels. The Eddies played in Clarke Stadium on the final years before collapse -- talk about a third rate facility -- a place where one imagines that their team is bush league, not major league. Now if someone had the vision to duplicate the Oilers' success (and I know that person exists) then I could see a new multi-purpose stadium with a moveable roof developed downtown that would be specifically modeled to host soccer (er football) games on the highest professional standards. Can Edmonton support 2 or more professional teams? Well it certainly had no problem doing so in the '70s when Gretzky et al were setting NHL records and when the quarterbacking duo of Wilkinson and Moon were performing equally stunning magic in the CFL -- and that at a time when Edmonton's population was merely half of today's numbers. In fact a new state-of-the-art Stadium might well serve as home base for several pro franchises -- men's and women's pro soccer and a relocated CFL Elks. I have a lot more to say about this, but I have noticed that, if the post becomes too lengthy readers are easily bored and tend to stop reading.
If we think similarly with Major League Soccer (Football if you like), there are some parallels. The Eddies played in Clarke Stadium on the final years before collapse -- talk about a third rate facility -- a place where one imagines that their team is bush league, not major league. Now if someone had the vision to duplicate the Oilers' success (and I know that person exists) then I could see a new multi-purpose stadium with a moveable roof developed downtown that would be specifically modeled to host soccer (er football) games on the highest professional standards. Can Edmonton support 2 or more professional teams? Well it certainly had no problem doing so in the '70s when Gretzky et al were setting NHL records and when the quarterbacking duo of Wilkinson and Moon were performing equally stunning magic in the CFL -- and that at a time when Edmonton's population was merely half of today's numbers. In fact a new state-of-the-art Stadium might well serve as home base for several pro franchises -- men's and women's pro soccer and a relocated CFL Elks. I have a lot more to say about this, but I have noticed that, if the post becomes too lengthy readers are easily bored and tend to stop reading.
Vacs
Active Member
Almost any city will support a professional sports team when they are winning.
The Edmonton oilers are an anomaly for having fans support them during the dark times. If you look at the elks, not much fan support with a losing team.
Same would happen with many other professional teams, if they can't win, won't get much support and won't be able to afford to stay in Edmonton
bodsbods9090
Active Member
Soccer has had how many tries in Edmonton and failed?
I think we are low on the list for MLS expansion personally but that's just me.
I think we are low on the list for MLS expansion personally but that's just me.
BASE
Active Member
I think it would be great to get a Canadian Premier league team back with a 6-8k seat stadium (possibility for future expansion).
ChazYEG
Senior Member
This is a mostly North American phenomenon, though. I think the "winning culture" out here (and I blame it mostly on the US, tbh) is a problem.
If you go to Europe or South America, for example, you'll often see football teams that were on the brink of being relegated have record attendance as they "embrace" the team and try to support them to make a push to stay in the division. If they end up being relegated, you'll see high attendance even during their year(s) in the lower divisions. That goes especially for more traditional teams.
Fans are so much more passionate and engaged, on average, that even in what many considered to be a "boring" model without playoffs for their national leagues, when sometimes teams are barely playing for anything, especially towards the end of the season, when you're In the middle of the pack and won't make it to the continental championship, or be relegated, they'll fill out 40-60k people in stadiums.
Edmonton is one of the odd ones, and I honestly believe we'd still fill out the Commonwealth every game even if we were running 32nd on the league, and people will still buy merchandise and be proud of the team's history. But there are maybe only about a dozen of teams in all Big 4 (not just the NHL) leagues that are like this.
MacLac
Senior Member
Most folk on here don’t remember the packed Northlands Coliseum - SOLD OUT - 16,000+ - Crazy George led Edmonton Drillers in the 80’s
erudyk_29
Active Member
One thing to consider is that an MLS team would likely draw a lot more attention, hype and interest than a Canadian Premier League team. It's a completely different level of competition. A team that is in a legitimate, top-tier league is going to sell more tickets than a more minor league team. Not to throw shade at the CPL, but MLS is a completely different ball game (literally). It's part of the global network of football leagues. The current arguable GOAT is playing for Inter Miami, you can't convince Edmonton wouldn't pack the stadium to go see Messi live (even in his older age). I might be in the minority here but if a team isn't in that top echelon (at least for the region), I won't be very interested.
I think the fact that we couldn't keep the Eddies is more indicative of that phenomena than the general feasibility of professional soccer in Edmonton.
I think the fact that we couldn't keep the Eddies is more indicative of that phenomena than the general feasibility of professional soccer in Edmonton.
kcantor
Senior Member
meanwhile, others left to phish and troll from the warmer sunnier climes of san diego decades ago…
Moderne
Active Member
archited
Senior Member
He's a legend in his own mind.