Business of Soccer Archive

1

Montagliani elected as CSA’s new president, but process needs to change

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/05/2012

Victor Montagliani

Victor Montagliani, the odds-on favourite going into this weekend’s Canadian Soccer Association elections, got the support he needed at the Annual General Meeting in Ottawa and is the new president.

Montagliani, who got a public show of support from Canada’s alumni players, defeated incumbent Dominique Maestracci and Rob Newman, a reformer who had the support of Canada’s four major pro clubs.

“Governance is not simply about management. It requires leadership, passion and a burning desire to deliver excellent outcomes for the Canadian Soccer Association. Leadership is about service and I am ready to serve the Canadian soccer community,” said Montagliani in a vision statement that was released by the CSA.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 14% [?]

Share
0

Toronto to host massive soccer festival in August… for a good cause

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/04/2012

We have seen road hockey tournaments that raise funds for charities. Same goes for the running community. On any given weekend in any Canadian city, you can jog or run to raise money for a good cause. There have been attempts at playing the world’s longest hockey games, there have been cycling events for charity.

But what about the soccer world?

In August, Toronto hosts what organizers call the “world’s first epic mass participation, grassroots soccer fundraising event.” The Festival of Football aims to gather clubs that encompass a variety of age and skill levels Aug. 18 at the Eglinton Flats Premier Pitches. The funds raised are earmarked for the West Park Healthcare Centre. More than 100 teams are expected to play in a six-on-six format.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 10% [?]

Share
4

Pugh: Ottawa will kick off in NASL in 2014, not 2013

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/01/2012

Artist's rendering of what NASL soccer in Ottawa will look like in 2014

It has been a good week for John Pugh, the owner of Ottawa’s NASL franchise.

On Monday, the Ontario Court of Appeal unanimously struck down an attempt by Friends of Lansdowne to halt the planned redevelopment of Frank Clair Stadium, which is expected to host both NASL soccer and CFL action in 2014. The court did not agree with the F of L claims that the partnership between the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group constituted an illegal subsidization of private business by city hall.

With that good news, Pugh is ready for NASL action to begin in Ottawa in 2014. But he told The 11 on Tuesday that, even though commissioner David Downs has said Ottawa is free to play the 2013 season in a temporary facility, the franchise wants to do things right and kick off its NASL life in the revamped Landsdowne facility. That means Ottawa will wait out the 2013 season.

“Really, there isn’t a stadium in the city that is suitable (to be a temporary home to NASL),” said Pugh. “I know it’s hard to believe that in the Capital City, there is no other stadium, but that is the case. So, we considered our options and thought the way to go is to begin play in what will be our permanent home.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 19% [?]

Share
0

Impact V.P. addresses weekend ticket deal, Saputo Stadium progress

By
Mike Wyman
– 04/27/2012

Richard Legendre

Things are going well with the Montreal Impact although there is still some tweaking to be done to enhance fans’ enjoyment of the games at the cavernous Olympic Stadium, at least as far as Richard Legendre is concerned.

The team’s executive vice-president dropped by practice Thursday morning and spoke about the team’s temporary home as well as preparations for the unveiling of the enlarged Saputo Stadium, scheduled for mid-June.

Asked about the sales of tickets for Saturday’s game against Portland, he said that they were going well, standing at a little over half the capacity of the lower bowl as he spoke.

“When we get close to the 20,000 capacity of Saputo Stadium, above the average capacity of the league, we feel pretty satisfied,” he said.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 12% [?]

Share
1

FC Edmonton broadcasts move to CBC.ca, return to TEAM 1260 radio

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/20/2012

FC Edmonton’s game broadcasts can now be found on the CBC.

With less than a week to go before Sunday’s home opener, it’s confirmed that the broadcast feed, called by Gareth Hampshire and, ahem, yours truly, will not only be carried on the league-mandate Ustream channel, but on the CBC Edmonton website. To see the games, click and bookmark this address: www.cbc.ca/edmonton/soccer

For me, it’s exciting to get the chance to have the games broadcast to a national audience. Obviously, having the CBC brand gives what we do more legitimacy and makes FCE more of a media “player” in Canada’s crowded sports media space.

As well, our broadcasts will also return to Edmonton sports radio TEAM 1260, with an added bonus.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 20% [?]

Share
0

BACK IN BLACK: WIN a new FC Edmonton home jersey

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/19/2012

Congratulations to Larry Eloy, who has won our FCE jersey contest!

FC Edmonton has a new look for 2012 — and The 11 wants to outfit a lucky reader in a new home black Adidas FCE jersey!

Black with a blue chevron piping, FCE’s new shirt gives the club a unique look amongst the other NASL teams and their Amway Canadian Championship rivals.

On the weekend of the Apr. 22 home opener, The 11 will select a lucky follower and send out a brand new jersey to the winner.

How to enter? Easy. The contest is open to everyone who “Likes” The 11 on Facebook. So head over to our Facebook site, click “Like,” and you are entered. All entrants must be on the like list by noon MT on April 21, 2012. For more on the contest, CLICK HERE to our redesigned Facebook page, and then click through our Back in Black icon.

(Thanks to Edmonton Supporters’ Group for designing such a great “Back in Black” logo — we couldn’t have done better ourselves)

Popularity: 51% [?]

Share
2

Liverpool friendly would create schedule nightmare for Toronto FC

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/18/2012

The response in the Twitterverse to the all-but-confirmed friendly July 21 between a last-place MLS team and a mid-table EPL team has been negative. Instead of joyous whoops, we see more signs of the “friendly fatigue” that is becoming more and more apparent across North America.

OK, Toronto FC might not be in last place by the time Liverpool comes to town to play the friendly at the Rogers Centre. But if the Reds (that is, the Reds from Toronto) manage to climb in any sort of playoff race by the summer, this friendly surely won’t help the cause.

Even five years ago, when the big European clubs came over, there was some novelty. But unless you bring over Barcelona or Real Madrid, there isn’t much to get excited about. In fact, we are so used to seeing Manchester United spend its summer playing MLS teams, that there’s little glamour left when it comes to seeing Sir Alex Ferguson roll out his reserves for a July game.

But, let’s move away from the debate over whether or not MLS teams should play summer friendlies or not and simply concentrate on what this match — which the Toronto Star confirmed will be played July 21 at the Rogers Centre, will do to Toronto FC.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 14% [?]

Share
2

NASL commissioner speaks about Ottawa, FC Edmonton and Canadian expansion

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/17/2012

NASL Commissioner David Downs made himself available to be interviewed by The 11 on Tuesday. The commissioner, now in his second year with the league, talked about the Ottawa situation, Edmonton’s new stadium plans and further expansion into Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean.

On Ottawa’s entry into NASL:
“We are extremely happy with the ownership group themselves, they have got a great plan… As far as the ratification process for the stadium, we understand there is one last appeal to be heard on the Lansdowne site. We believe they will be on time and in good shape to enter our league no later than 2014.
But, will Ottawa be ready for next season? Downs admitted that it is “unlikely” that the Ottawa team could play in a semi-finished Lansdowne site for the 2013 season. The club is welcome to join the league for 2013, but it will likely be up to ownership to find a temporary facility it can call home until the new stadium is done.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 30% [?]

Share
0

Snow, rain cause construction delays for FC Edmonton’s new home

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/16/2012

Clarke Stadium will only have a capacity for about 2,000 seated fans — plus standing room — for FC Edmonton’s home opener Sunday against the Minnesota Stars.

While the Clarke Stadium field is artificial turf and can deal with the wet weather, the grounds surrounding it are not. The large amounts of rain and snow Edmonton has seen over the last week have turned the area into a quagmire, and have caused severe construction delays.

FC Edmonton confirmed Monday that the plans to add temporary stands to the facility are behind schedule because of the wet weather. Because of the mud and rain, the team has not been able to construct the expected 3,000 seats of temporary bleachers that were to augment the already existing stand, which seats 800-1,200, depending on whose estimate you believe.

According to FCE spokesman Andreas Morse, the area surrounding the field is too soft to have the bleachers placed on it at the moment. The bleachers would simply sink into the muck, like tossing change into quicksand.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 20% [?]

Share
8

Shameless self-promotion: Win a copy of Playing for Keeps

By
Steven Sandor
– 03/29/2012

The purpose of this piece is twofold. 1. To promote my new book (third in total), which is also my first work of fiction for the young-adult market. 2. To give away copies of said book.

I will take care of business at the top of the article. If you want to win a copy of Playing For Keeps, which is part of the Lorimer Sports Stories for Kids series, simply leave a comment below before noon MT, April 1, 2012. It can be as simple a comment as “yes.” The 11 will contact a couple of lucky winners and send out the books.

Since this is a book aimed at young readers, there’s no room for a foreword. But I wanted to tell readers, whether kids or adults, a little about the process of putting this novel together.

The hero is Branko Stimac; a talented young keeper whose parents escaped the former Yugoslavia during the Balkan civil war. Branko, grows up in small-town Morinville, Alta., and even though he gets the chance to play elite-level soccer in Edmonton, he identifies more strongly with his Croatian heritage than he does with his Canadian-ness.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 17% [?]

Share
Older Entries