City administration has recommended that Clarke remain a multi-sport venue, with shared usage between FC Edmonton and other minor sports. Roger Jevne, the city's director of community facilities, said that some improvements can be made ahead of the kickoff of the 2019 CanPL season, but there's no way that the stadium can be expanded to 7,000 seats by that time.

So, The 11 reached out to Canadians playing throughout the world to ask them: What would bring them back to Canada to play? How much would they expect to make? What advantages are there in coming back home? What disadvantages are there to coming back home? All the players contacted have significant professional experience, whether it's in USL, NASL, MLS or Europe. 

It’s easy for fans to say “this is a club system, not a franchise system” and want it to be a free-for-all in terms of signing players. But, in year one, you also want teams to start on the same line, and a free-for-all would give some teams massive advantages over the others. Remember that most European leagues didn’t start this way; there were clubs already in place who joined a new, bigger, league. Many of the clubs have histories that predate their respective leagues. So you can't compare the European way to how we start a new Canadian league with so many infant franchises all starting at once.

By Ball's own admission, Clarke "is not visible, it's not inspiring, but it's our home for now and we're working with the city and the other parties to come to an agreement that's good for everyone."

But, boy, the two Alberta teams are already sending warning shots to the rest of the league.

Pacific FC is officially the seventh team to join the Canadian Premier League ahead of the nascent circuit's inaugural season set to kick off in 2019.

More than 2,000 fans gathered in Hamilton Thursday to see Forge FC unveiled as the sixth CanPL franchise, joining Halifax Wanderers, Cavalry FC, Valour FC, FC Edmonton and York 9.

"Your whole front of the ship is in the ocean. At 19 years old, a guy from Toronto having this experience, I was terrified. You’re hoping the ship comes back up. It always does, of course.”

The Canadian Premier League’s silly season for coaching announcements continued Thursday, as Halifax Wanderers unveiled former Canadian national-team boss Stephen Hart as the man who will lead the club in its inaugural season.

For a Canadian league to survive and thrive, it has to be more than giving Canadian players a place to play. It needs to be about giving Canadian coaches the chance to work in professional environments. It’s about having Canadian administrators and general managers.