MLS to consider calendar change, roofs

[denime]

This article is posted in the news thread too,but I think it is interesting enough to have own thread.


MLS to consider calendar change, roofs (http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2009/10/12/mls-schedule-shif-0/)



LONDON -- Major League Soccer is exploring how to align itself closer to the sport's international calendar to show it is listening to FIFA president Sepp Blatter as the United States bids to host the World Cup.SO what happened, all of a sudden Garber is willing to listen FIFA? Going from one extreme to another is not going to help the soccer development in N.America.

Adopting International schedule is enough,I don't think there is a need to follow European schedule at all.

[Wagner]

wow...
a home and home series against the Fire in February.

A lot of prawnie SSH don't come to games in a light rain/mist in May...what about a blizzard? or freezing rain storm?

[torontocelt]

There is no way I would go to a game in the winter if BMO was still the same as it is today, it would be absolutely freezing and no fun standing there for two hours.

[TFCtoMUFC]

They should add seats as well. North end, Second level on the two other ends and bam.

[Fort York Redcoat]

There is no way I would go to a game in the winter if BMO was still the same as it is today, it would be absolutely freezing and no fun standing there for two hours.

I'm imagining international dates where MLS is always on break and Canada is playing. It's suddenly a lot warmer.

[RPB_RED_NATION_RPB]

would a russian league system do?

August 1st to NOV 29?

to follow a european shed outright would be insane!...you think there is empty stadiums now...

[RPB_RED_NATION_RPB]

There is no way I would go to a game in the winter if BMO was still the same as it is today, it would be absolutely freezing and no fun standing there for two hours.

agreed...you's have to incase the entire stadium with a roof.....with an opening in the middle! To keep the nasty cold wind/snow out....

sorta like this! ;)

http://www.3dexport.com/models/7659/8801/soccer_stadium_06.jpg

[Nazzer]

No one here actually beleives that Garber is doing anything but lip service to the FIFA heads when he talks about nonsense like playing a European schedule do they?

Also, the choice of what to quote in the original post is hilarious.

Here's a better quote from Garber from that article.


"We play across a continent of 300 million people, across three time zones and weather that varies from zero to 30 degrees at any given point," Garber said. "It's impossible to think we can be playing games in December outdoor in Toronto or Boston or New York or Denver where it can be well below freezing with a foot of snow on the ground.

[Beach_Red]

No one here actually beleives that Garber is doing anything but lip service to the FIFA heads when he talks about nonsense like playing a European schedule do they?




MLS is a work in progress, so the question is where is it headed, what does it want to be?

It's ultimate goal should be to become even with the best leagues in the world. Americans are not likely to embrace a feeder league, a minor league, forever. If the league is to become mainstream in the USA and as big as the 'big three' leagues it'll have to be seen as competing with the best.

So, how does it get there?

[stugautz]

If you think it's tough for MLS to get media coverage now when they play a good amount of games in the summer, just imagine going head to head with college football and the NFL. Recipe for disaster.

[Flipityflu]

hmmmmm what to do. listen to FIFA and have no league in five years, or tell them to change to OUR schedule if its so damn important to them.


just worry about the international dates Don, and tell FIFA to piss off about the rest.

[Beach_Red]

hmmmmm what to do. listen to FIFA and have no league in five years, or tell them to change to OUR schedule if its so damn important to them.




Well, someday the league is going to have to go big or go home. Either it gets to the point it can compete with any other sport in North America or it probably folds because there isn't much place for a minor league in the USA.

[Hitcho]

Can they not just avoid scheduling MLS matches on FIFA dates and either A) increase the number of midweek games to make up for it (my preferred option) or B) extend the season by a couple of weeks at either end (allowing for the v cold places to have their teams playing away at the start and end of the season) or C) scrap the retarded play off system and declare the league winner the champion, then use the play off time for regular league games?

I love mid-week games, it's fucking great looking forward to the game all day at work and then heading down to BMO Field afterwards, night game, under the lights, it's brilliant. And I also hate the play off system. SO I'd go for a combo of A and C. Problem solved! :D:D

I know the league has to factor in travel requirements and this can be tricky if you're playing with a htree day break in between, but there must be a way to keep FIFA dates free, extend the season by a coupel of weeks and play more mid-week games.

EDIT - actually, this would never work, because what the hell do you do when the summer tournaments like the World Cup come around? Nightmare...

[Nazzer]

MLS is a work in progress, so the question is where is it headed, what does it want to be?

It's ultimate goal should be to become even with the best leagues in the world. Americans are not likely to embrace a feeder league, a minor league, forever. If the league is to become mainstream in the USA and as big as the 'big three' leagues it'll have to be seen as competing with the best.

So, how does it get there?

All your points are true about Americans (and Canadians) not likely wanting to embrace a minor league. But does playing at a different time of the year than major European leagues for obvious reasons (weather) really make the league seem liek a minor league?

The only way to 'get there' is to win international competitions. ie. Concacaf Champions League.


Can they not just avoid scheduling MLS matches on FIFA dates and either A) increase the number of midweek games to make up for it (my preferred option) or B) extend the season by a couple of weeks at either end (allowing for the v cold places to have their teams playing away at the start and end of the season) or C) scrap the retarded play off system and declare the league winner the champion, then use the play off time for regular league games?

I love mid-week games, it's fucking great looking forward to the game all day at work and then heading down to BMO Field afterwards, night game, under the lights, it's brilliant. And I also hate the play off system. SO I'd go for a combo of A and C. Problem solved! :D:D

I know the league has to factor in travel requirements and this can be tricky if you're playing with a htree day break in between, but there must be a way to keep FIFA dates free, extend the season by a coupel of weeks and play more mid-week games.

+1 to all of this.

[gtaguy]

bladder is a piss hole .. I love how he is pushing North America to adopt rules that don't work with our geographical nature.. This man is unrealistic and to depend on him to get another world cup is just utter madness.. North american soccer has thrived without him and will continue to thrive aslong as we don't impose ridiculous rules like what he wants.. And to mention another point.. Is it not a win win situacion for European clubs in thier off season to come to North America and display thier best in thier off season thereby making european soccer even that much more popular...... This past summer of soccer was a huge success in part to the fact that North America accomodated these clubs in coming over in the time that worked best for them... Time for a change in fifa presidency becuase i don't see north america growing under this pricks watch..

[SilverSamurai]

Stupid idea. The geography and temperatures are different of North America to Europe.

Double up on some weeks and keep the FIFA dates free and then extend the season by a week or 2 makes the most sense to me.

[Cashcleaner]

"We play across a continent of 300 million people, across three time zones and weather that varies from zero to 30 degrees at any given point," Garber said. "It's impossible to think we can be playing games in December outdoor in Toronto or Boston or New York or Denver where it can be well below freezing with a foot of snow on the ground. So we have to evolve to get closer to that calendar.

I don't often meet Garber and his policies eye-to-eye, but in this regard he's absolutely right. An MLS season that spans the winter months simply won't work, barring a drastic revamp of most venues. Roofs and adequete heating systems would be a vital necessity for clubs like TFC, New York, Chicago, and Columbus - for both the practise facilities and stadia.

And even with that taken into consideration, are spectators themselves going to brave the elements to watch soccer? I don't think so. At least not in any meaningful amounts.

[MUFC_Niagara]

This article is posted in the news thread too,but I think it is interesting enough to have own thread.


MLS to consider calendar change, roofs (http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2009/10/12/mls-schedule-shif-0/)


SO what happened, all of a sudden Garber is willing to listen FIFA? Going from one extreme to another is not going to help the soccer development in N.America.

Adopting International schedule is enough,I don't think there is a need to follow European schedule at all.

I agree, just acknowledge the international dates and stop the league during those games. Simple.

[Billy the kid]

Mabe it's time the leagues in Europe adopted our schedule.;)

[Chevy]

I don't often meet Garber and his policies eye-to-eye, but in this regard he's absolutely right. An MLS season that spans the winter months simply won't work, barring a drastic revamp of most venues. Roofs and adequete heating systems would be a vital necessity for clubs like TFC, New York, Chicago, and Columbus - for both the practise facilities and stadia.

And even with that taken into consideration, are spectators themselves going to brave the elements to watch soccer? I don't think so. At least not in any meaningful amounts.

+1. Imagine for just a second travelling to Columbus in January. On second thought, don't. It's too painful.:facepalm:

[TOBOR !]

It's fucking ludicrous of Blatter to even suggest it. Maybe every country worldwide should fall into step just to coincide with Europe.

And then the IMF (or somebody) could order everyone to only conduct business in accordance with banking hours at 0h GMT.

Our work days could start 5 hours earlier - look at your watch - it's really almost 8PM as I type this, but it's still light out ? WTF ? And screw Japan and the Far East. You think it's tomorrow, but it's not. Regardless of what time you think it is over there, it's almost 8PM - and I don't care how hot it is - it's Autumn with winter approaching, and you'll be playing football, because Sepp Blatter has proclaimed it !

[MUFC_Niagara]

Playing in the winter in NA is not feasible, but falling inline with the International calender is.

[Shway]

I SAY YES!.
so BMO can have a roof, then after the first year, they see the schedule doesnt work, they go back to normal, and we still have our roof!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ensco]

Why is everyone so dismissive? You could do it, especially with expansion in the southern US.

You'd close down the season for 6 weeks from Dec 15 to Jan 31 like the Bundesliga does, plus you'd play all games Nov 15-Dec15, and in February, in the southern and west coast cities.

Of the 18 teams in the 2011 MLS, 8 can host games in December and February. Add Miami and Atlanta, and that's half the league.

Need to add Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix, that would give you then maybe.

[Shway]

it would be to long of games away from home.
Teams would have an advantage

[Super]

I for one would appreciate not having such a terribly long off-season. In fact, if we do not make the play-offs we're looking at exactly 6 months until the next home game from this Saturday. That's just crazy!

[mighty_torontofc_2008]

There is no way I would go to a game in the winter if BMO was still the same as it is today, it would be absolutely freezing and no fun standing there for two hours.

are you kidding it would be great.. i would love to throw two snowballs
at Becks and say hey david give these to victoria, some one in the family needs balls!! :D

[Hitcho]

The off season would also be cut in half, and that means the games would be stretched out through the season much mroe thinly. good for resting players i guess, but MLS would likely make us all play 6 to 8 more games a year, and that would have a MASSIVE knock on impact on season ticket prices. Plus you could add in the cost of rebuilding BMO Field to a structure that can support a full roof, and the heating costs, because body heat alone aint gonna do it in -40 wind chill in february. and the indoor training complex for the players to train through the season without killing the grass. also heated.

SO, you gonna pay for that Sepp, you mindless old twat? how he's still president of anything other than the old folks home dribbling brigade is beyond me.

[Super]

It won't work for the MLS, period.

[Shway]

it would be great to see how it works, or how it would work

[Macksam]

MLS is a work in progress, so the question is where is it headed, what does it want to be?

It's ultimate goal should be to become even with the best leagues in the world. Americans are not likely to embrace a feeder league, a minor league, forever. If the league is to become mainstream in the USA and as big as the 'big three' leagues it'll have to be seen as competing with the best.

So, how does it get there?
You can become all that without adopting a winter schedule. Aligning your league to play when the leagues in europe play is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. It won't be a factor on whether this league becomes a success or not.

[MrHawk]

There's a reason why those leagues are summer.

I don't see it working, unless we're all under roofs or some form of heat enclosed bubble.

[ballerz]

Why is everyone so dismissive? You could do it, especially with expansion in the southern US.

You'd close down the season for 6 weeks from Dec 15 to Jan 31 like the Bundesliga does, plus you'd play all games Nov 15-Dec15, and in February, in the southern and west coast cities.

Of the 18 teams in the 2011 MLS, 8 can host games in December and February. Add Miami and Atlanta, and that's half the league.

Need to add Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix, that would give you then maybe.

+1

MLS can even do a 10 week winter break from Dec 15 to Feb 28. The fall season will run Sep 1 to Dec 15 and the spring season will run March 1 to June 15. We can run it with 2 mini seasons like the Mexican Apertura and Clausura, and also crown an overall champion. No more playoffs. The 4 US seeds of the Champions League will be the winner of the fall season, spring season, overall champion, and the US Open. We can play the NCC in June and July still.

No need to put games in the south in December and March in the south on purpose. The occasion snow games will be memorable!

The more difficult question is how the MLS will transition from a summer league to a winter league. It will require the league to either run one season immediately following another, or skip a year between seasons.

[rocker]

I don't want snow games. I don't want cold games. sorry. the best thing about this league is that it's a summer league when most other sports are on hiatus. Gives me somethin to fill my summer and enjoy the outdoors.

I did not enjoy the game against Seattle at the start of the season. Too cold and windy to be enjoyed.

[Toronto Ruffrider]

I don't want snow games. I don't want cold games. sorry. the best thing about this league is that it's a summer league when most other sports are on hiatus. Gives me somethin to fill my summer and enjoy the outdoors.

I did not enjoy the game against Seattle at the start of the season. Too cold and windy to be enjoyed.

I agree wholeheartedly. It felt like I was out on the Bering Sea that day, and it was April! I don't want to imagine standing at BMO Field on a colder-than-normal day in March or even February.

[Toronto Ruffrider]

Why is everyone so dismissive? You could do it, especially with expansion in the southern US.

You'd close down the season for 6 weeks from Dec 15 to Jan 31 like the Bundesliga does, plus you'd play all games Nov 15-Dec15, and in February, in the southern and west coast cities.

Of the 18 teams in the 2011 MLS, 8 can host games in December and February. Add Miami and Atlanta, and that's half the league.

Need to add Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix, that would give you then maybe.

If not done right, those three cities could be lead weights on MLS. I have my reservations about crowd support in those cities. We already have too many teams like KC and Dallas in this league.