Ominous feeling
I’ve been a CPL supporter since the nationwide tryouts, way before the first kickoff. I’ve bought soccer balls, scarves, jerseys, and other accessories to support it as much as I financially could and attended games all over the country, despite the fact that the closest team is hundreds of kilometres away from my home. I wanted to make sure that my background was properly represented before saying what I’m about to say.
There are many things about the CPL that make me genuinely worried about the future of this league. The lack of proper TV coverage, the unimpressive attendance, the fact that two teams have already folded, that expansion projects have been cancelled, that the product still feels extremely niche and catered towards hardcore soccer nerds like myself rather than the general public. Also, teams being set up as franchises rather than clubs with academies from knee high to U23 makes it complicated to have a true developmental structure covering the game from all angles.
The branding of some of these clubs is also irritating me, like Ottawa being the local branch of a foreign club, Supra being branded as Quebec instead of Laval, when we know that more teams should see the light of day in the province, VFC being branded as Vancouver, Inter Toronto’s unnecessary branding when York United was a fine identity. Also, while individuals owning multiple franchises is something that has existed in other leagues, it doesn’t make for a sound business model in the long run.
The Easton Report recommended a second division before creating a top tier league. That should have been set up regionally like the CHL does with the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL. Now, we have a big hole between semi-pro/amateur leagues and what should be our D1.
By the way, I am purposely making no mention of the MLS in my analysis as I believe that the CPL woes are completely unrelated to the presence of the MLS in Canada. We’re talking about two different products with completely different means and development stages.
I predicted that the CPL would have a difficult time surviving past the World Cup and I hope I will be proven wrong. The CPL would do well to make money off of the transfer market by developing world class talent, until TV rights and ticket/product sales catch up. That is its best hope for sustainable growth.
I know some of you are passionate about the CPL, and so am I. I just think we could and should do better at this stage of our soccer history.