FC Edmonton jersey, stadium announcements to wait until after World Juniors

FC Edmonton fans anxious to find out about the team’s new kits and what venue the club will call home in 2012 will have to wait a little longer.

The club confirmed this week that no announcements about a stadium or the new kit deal will be made before the team breaks for the holidays on Dec. 16.

So, any announcements can be expected in January of 2012.

It makes sense; by now, there’s no way a team could get new jerseys into the shops for a last-second Christmas rush. And, with the World Junior hockey championships being co-hosted by Calgary and Edmonton over the holiday season, no announcement that FC Edmonton would make could outstrip the Hockey Canada hype machine. So, better to wait till after the holidays and World Juniors, when there’s a better chance of FC Edmonton news having more mainstream impact.

On Nov. 1, the NASL team announced that it would not be renewing its apparel deal with Umbro, and was close to a multi-year deal with a “global sports leader” for its kits. The club confirmed that the jersey deal is not closed yet.

And, the team has been in talks with the city about a new temporary home for the club, as it moves towards its goal of having a new soccer-specific stadium in the city. The team knows it will have its NASL home opener April 22 against NSC Minnesota, but where that game will take place is not a certainty. The club has not renewed to return to the rock hard artificial turf of Foote Field in 2012. Clarke Stadium, which currently has capacity from 800-1,200 and is located next to Commonwealth Stadium, has been discussed as a venue.

But time is of the essence; if FCE has a new home, it will need to be ready for April 22. And no venue outside of Foote is NASL-ready at the moment. Time is needed for work to be completed.