MLS to Ottawa News Conference

[rocker]

Edmonton? haha what a joke city that is when it comes to soccer..

huh?

Edmonton U-20 attendance:

July 2 - AUT vs CGO 19,899
July 5 - AUT vs CAN 31,579
July 5 - CHI vs CGO 30,352
July 8 - MEX vs NZL 29,792
July 8 - CAN vs CGO 32,058

more empty seats then paying customers when the Nats are in town,
what pro team has aver had success there.

The same could be said of BMO field last year when the Nats played that friendly. But you're forgetting that Commonwealth stadium has 60000 seats... you'd see a lot of empty seats at Rogers centre too if TFC played there.

what pro team has aver had success there....Drillers....failed
Brick Men....failed....Avaitors....failed......no chance for this city ever again.

dude, basically the whole CSL and NASL failed -- and those leagues folded 16-24 years ago. If we only chose cities based on prior success then Toronto wouldn't have a team. Toronto Lynx had really low attendances in the USL days, same with the Blizzard in the CSL.

Anyways, I said in my previous post I'd choose Edmonton before Ottawa. Do you disagree? or are you saying Ottawa is better? What are you reasons? I don't see how Ottawa's soccer history or market is any better than Edmonton's. This isn't to say I would suggest teams in any of these cities, just that if Garber said "Rocker, we really want another Canadian team after Montreal and Vancouver.... we've got Edmonton of Ottawa, which should it be?" I'd say Edtown.... with the key factor that Edmonton gets an SSS and doesn't play in Commonwealth.
It'll never happen tho.

[RYANTFC]

Ill be attending this press conference, along with a lot of other people. Hopefully its good

[NF-FC]

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/...5-3d11e6b5a936

seems Gene wants to build a SSS, so no worries about playing at a renovated Frank Claire

[Redcoe15]

Canada would be better served having both Montreal and Vancouver join Toronto in MLS. Those are the only markets in this country capable of supporting the growing league. Melnyk should concentrate on bringing a CFL team to Ottawa.

[David_Oliveira]

If in Ottawa I think I found the perfect place. Not being from there, I have no idea what it is but It seems awesome. Look for Walkley Rd and 417. Train tracks there and everything. Lots of space too.

[jloome]

I seriously doubt that an expansion to Ottawa would be a success. This is a city that has lost two CFL teams and nearly lost their hockey team twice. And I've never heard anything about Ottawa having anything close to the kind of support for football that would justify an MLS team.

Half the population of the city is either a foreign student or a foreign diplomat or a foreign diplomat's staffer. I was there for Euro one year and watched it at the Canadian pub down in the market. Place was packed for half the games, even during the day.l

[jloome]

Canada would be better served having both Montreal and Vancouver join Toronto in MLS. Those are the only markets in this country capable of supporting the growing league. Melnyk should concentrate on bringing a CFL team to Ottawa.

That's simply not true. The Edmonton NASL team averaged over 10,000 a season until the league was on its death bed (at which time it was moved to a 4,000 seater and still managed to sell out numerous games.) And that was when the population of the city was about 350,000. It's now 1.1 million.

It's a multicultural city, with Alberta attracting more than 100,000 a year right now in positive migration, and the bars are full on Saturday morning owith people watching other leagues.

Don't base anything on the Aviators; I did a piece on them for my paper and it was entirely poor management that led to that team's demise.

Plus, we get between 15,000 and 25,000 walkup for the average men's Nats game, which is why until BMO was built, Commonwealth Stadium was the official home of the Nats.

I have very little doubt that, in the current excited climate and with the right team promoting and running it, it could be very succesful.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Half the population of the city is either a foreign student or a foreign diplomat or a foreign diplomat's staffer. I was there for Euro one year and watched it at the Canadian pub down in the market. Place was packed for half the games, even during the day.l

Gotta disagree here with ya, i was reading stats not long ago which showed that Ottawa is like much of the country overwhelmingly white (with no distant ties to europe). Fact of the matter is that our most multicultural cities happen to be our biggest ones, with a few slowly increasing (predominantly in AB like Calgary and Edmonton due to Oil).

Their history with sports teams is poor, I know thats no gage but it is of some importance.

They dont currently have any sort of interest groups outside of Melnyk who wants money that are clamouring for a team.

I really really sincerely think that an MLS team in Ottawa would be a monsterous mistake a la Columbus/KC especially when we have a team like Montreal which has a financial backing as well as a relatively successful (and old) FO.

Now individually these elements wouldnt necessarily have an impact but together they are significant. As mentioned previously in this thread and others, it really is best for the sport and interest in the sport for smaller cities outside of the big three to work on USL/CSL teams as Hockey is still king and CFL is still Prince.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Id be all for Ottawa if i truly believed they could do it but in sincerely have no doubt in my mind that they would make a terrible francise city. I would take Portland and St Louis and even arguably a second team in New York over Ottawa. In all honesty Vancouver and Montreal are the best that Canada has to offer as far as further expansion cities are concerned.

[Marc"2L"]

well if i was a billionaire i'd build a 50,000 seat national stadium. Hold the majority of CMNT games there and package them like a club team with season tickets...but i digress.

Ding ding., we have a winner....


If you've never been to lansdown, you'd be surprised how nice that little strech of land next to the canal is.

If they build a NICE stadium (I'm talking on the level of the shite bulls new house) then it could be a wild card. Anybody saying right away that it won't work is far too short sighted...they probably thought the LHC was going to create a black hole that would suck in the earth too...idiots...

[wzhxvy]

Melnyk has a serious Toronto envy thing happening. Maybe he should bring a second team to Toronto :-) What you gonna call your team Eugene ?? Ottawa FC ?

And yeah Landsdown Park is in a good spot...right by canal, easy access to airport, and downtown, closer to the more expensive downtown neighbourhood but not exactly an OC Transpo hub down there...

As someone said, would be fun to overtake their stadium when TFC plays there...but outside of the expansion money, no value for MLS to have a team in Ottawa...zero...

[Cashcleaner]

Ding ding., we have a winner....

If you've never been to lansdown, you'd be surprised how nice that little strech of land next to the canal is.

If they build a NICE stadium (I'm talking on the level of the shite bulls new house) then it could be a wild card. Anybody saying right away that it won't work is far too short sighted...they probably thought the LHC was going to create a black hole that would suck in the earth too...idiots...

Actually, that could just do it. Imagine if they build a stadium that puts BMO Field and most of the other team's facilities to shame. Would raise quite a few eyebrows in Ottawa just over that.

[Toronto Ruffrider]

This sounds like an interesting development. I'd very much like to see a large soccer stadium in Ottawa. I think it would be fitting to have a national soccer stadium in our nation's capital. The commute wouldn't be too long either, so lots of T.O. area supporters could easily make the trip.

[redcard]

I like the NSS in toronto thanks.

[Redcoe15]

That's simply not true. The Edmonton NASL team averaged over 10,000 a season until the league was on its death bed (at which time it was moved to a 4,000 seater and still managed to sell out numerous games.) And that was when the population of the city was about 350,000. It's now 1.1 million.

It's a multicultural city, with Alberta attracting more than 100,000 a year right now in positive migration, and the bars are full on Saturday morning owith people watching other leagues.

Don't base anything on the Aviators; I did a piece on them for my paper and it was entirely poor management that led to that team's demise.

Plus, we get between 15,000 and 25,000 walkup for the average men's Nats game, which is why until BMO was built, Commonwealth Stadium was the official home of the Nats.

I have very little doubt that, in the current excited climate and with the right team promoting and running it, it could be very succesful.

The owner of the New York Mets will soon put in a bid for a team, and the league will find any excuse to put a second team in New York, whether it makes sense or not (Red Bulls attendance, or lack thereof). St. Louis has a stadium deal already in place as well as financial investors finally brought in. And there are rumblings of FC Barcelona wanting to put a team in Miami.

This is a league based in the United States. And they will be looking for the big American corporate dollars to fill their coffers. Montreal and Vancouver, despite their strong bids, will be in tough to get a team over an American one. Ottawa has no chance.

Given that Edmonton is viewed as a mid sized hockey town, and nothing else by American minds, what makes you think they'll be taken seriously, much less have a chance?

[RPB_Brantford_08]

Not only is Ottawa not that great of a sports city, but this hurts the league in terms of a big-money American television contract that is needed to grow the league. I just don't get it.

Montreal and Vancouver are bigger busts is the sports city department,
Montreal Lost the Expos (MLB) Express (NLL) Manic (NASL)...Vancouver
lost Ravens (NLL) where lacrosse is bigger then Hockey...The Grizzlies (NBA) so Ottawa is better off then those twon they only lost a shitty cfl team.

[RPB_Brantford_08]

Melnyk has a serious Toronto envy thing happening. Maybe he should bring a second team to Toronto :-) What you gonna call your team Eugene ?? Ottawa FC ?

And yeah Landsdown Park is in a good spot...right by canal, easy access to airport, and downtown, closer to the more expensive downtown neighbourhood but not exactly an OC Transpo hub down there...

As someone said, would be fun to overtake their stadium when TFC plays there...but outside of the expansion money, no value for MLS to have a team in Ottawa...zero...

No its Toronto thats has Ottawa envy...they want a winning sports franchise like Ottawa.... and what you said about Ottawa and no Value to the league, the same was said for Toronto!!

[Sonny Cheeba]

isn't kanata a place with a couple of dumps? my homeboy is studying the effect of the dumps on people's perceptions.

that's too fuckin far out of the city.

[RPB_Brantford_08]

The problem is that it seems the league is snobbing USL teams... I mean Portland should have been in the league a long time ago in my opinion, before they placed a gamble on Toronto... I just don't see any love between USL and the MLS.

So yeah... I can see OTT before MTL

Portland should be in no question...they might want to purchase a club like Columbus and move them there. USL cant see it surviving much longer
If MTL and VAN, PORT do make it into MLS that would wipe the USL right out.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Columbus isnt going anywhere as much as we dislike it.
I do think that New York might be in the running, as are mont and van, miami i think its still completely in doubt and very little has been said about St Louis financially, there is a great deal of support there however there is a differing between groups as far as MLS fees are concerned

[wzhxvy]

No its Toronto thats has Ottawa envy...they want a winning sports franchise like Ottawa.... and what you said about Ottawa and no Value to the league, the same was said for Toronto!!

Dude, if you are going to quote me and respond then you should read my post. I said Melynk has Toronto envy, I didn't say Ottawa did. However since you seem eager to want to make this about Ottawa...Ottawa is an artificial capital like many around the world, designated as capital based on its location, its boring as I heck ( I grew up there)...its only redeeming feature is its proximity to Hull on Saturday nights !

[Beach_Red]

Montreal and Vancouver are bigger busts is the sports city department,
Montreal Lost the Expos (MLB) Express (NLL) Manic (NASL)...Vancouver
lost Ravens (NLL) where lacrosse is bigger then Hockey...The Grizzlies (NBA) so Ottawa is better off then those twon they only lost a shitty cfl team.

When you put it like that...

I do think Montreal will have trouble sustaining interest at Saputo for reasons mentioned in another thread and why did the Grizzlies fail in Vancouver?

Edmonton is looking better all the time.

[Cashcleaner]

Canada would be better served having both Montreal and Vancouver join Toronto in MLS. Those are the only markets in this country capable of supporting the growing league. Melnyk should concentrate on bringing a CFL team to Ottawa.

Normally I would agree with you, but consider this: a team in Ottawa does not mean we can't have others in Montreal and/or Vancouver.

How do 4 Canadian MLS franchises sound to you?

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Normally I would agree with you, but consider this: a team in Ottawa does not mean we can't have others in Montreal and/or Vancouver.

How do 4 Canadian MLS franchises sound to you?

Not to be rude but it sounds unrealistic.

[Cashcleaner]

That's not rude at all, Ossington. But if Vancouver and Montreal already have most of their ducks in a row, I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility to include Ottawa in the whole plan.

You do have to admit, it would be kinda cool.

[Ossington Mental Youth]

Oh yeah, provided they have the support, im totally game (just really sincerely, as ive mentioned a billion times previously dont think its possible), id be totally ok with being wrong tho, HA

[bones]

Normally I would agree with you, but consider this: a team in Ottawa does not mean we can't have others in Montreal and/or Vancouver.

How do 4 Canadian MLS franchises sound to you?

It sounds great Cash!

Toronto
Montreal
Vancouver
and
HAMILTON

FFS, Hamilton is more footy/eurocentric than Ottawa. Neither of which has a snowballs chance in hell but I'm just sayin.

Bones...

[adampz]

Aslong as theres a bus out to scotia bank for the games id be fine with that, just like sens games. Many of you rpb's on here take the go train to games, and that takes just as long as a bus from downtown to kanata. From what i remember Ajax to BMO was a bit under an hour. I think it would definetly be worth it even if it's in kanata. I'm not sure how realistic this is, but it would be amazing for us footy fans in ottawa!

[Sonny Cheeba]

yeah that's right. but travelling to the city is a lot different than going to the middle of nowhere. you know?

[adampz]

I understand, the 50 minute bus ride would be worth it though. Too bad they cant find anywhere closer to downtown. I'm positive there are closer places to buy the amount of land needed.