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FC Edmonton, NASL to appear on GOL TV

By Steven Sandor
Posted on October 7, 2011
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The seasons of both FC Edmonton and the Montreal Impact have concluded, but fans across Canada will get the chance to see them in action.

The NASL announced Thursday that a new magazine show on the league will debut on GOL TV and GOL TV Canada this Friday.

TEAM NASL will feature interviews and highlights from all eight teams in Division-2 — even though only four are still alive in NASL playoff action going into this weekend.

The league and GOL TV have been working on some kind of broadcasting partnership through the season, and finally the material is getting to air as the NASL enters its playoff semifinals this weekend. So, there’s no shaking how peculiar the timing of the announcement. By the time fans see snippets, four of the teams featured have already packed up and gone home.

Of course, this could pave the way for a larger partnership in the future. The USL ha a broadcast deal with Fox Soccer Channel, and the NASL has made no secret that it would like a broadcast dance partner.

Right now, TEAM NASL will be a three-episode series; but it’s clear that GOL TV needs more content (and FC Edmonton would help with Canadian content for GOL TV on this side of the border).

This past season, FC Edmonton home matches were repeated on Shaw TV on Saturday afternoons.

But, because of financial and technical considerations, each of the eight NASL teams had broadcasts of varying quality this season — and, for a league-wide TV deal to be viable, it would need the broadcast standards and facilities in many of the NASL markets to improve.

NOTE: As the colour commentator for FC Edmonton’s broadcasts on fcedmonton.com and TEAM 1260 radio, this was an initiative that I was aware of a couple of months ago. But, because I was involved with some of the filming of the FC Edmonton segments, I honoured my ethical obligation to the broadcast team.

SCHEDULE, for both Canada and the U.S.
Episode 1: Friday October 7th
6:30 PM EDT
Re-airings:
· Saturday 10/8 – 2 PM EDT
· Wednesday 10/12 – 2 PM EDT
· Thursday 10/13 – 4.30 PM EDT

Episode 2: Friday October 21st

Episode 3: Friday November 4th
For updated schedule information about TEAM NASL and re-airings, please visit GOLTV or NASL.com.

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2 Comments

  1. Doug

    October 10, 2011 at 3:44 am

    “Of course, this could pave the way for a larger partnership in the future. The USL has a broadcast deal with Fox Soccer Channel, and the NASL has made no secret that it would like a broadcast dance partner.”

    Just to help you a little since I work behind the scenes in the business. The USL doesn’t have a broadcast deal with FSC. They PAY Fox Soccer Channel to air a few games. I believe somewhere around $30,000 to $50,000 U.S. dollars a game.

    Traffic, who basically owns the NASL, is paying GolTV good money to air three of these info shows. GolTV has no interest in broadcasting NASL games. They are not that desperate to show unwatchable soccer from a league few heard of.

    The NASL isn’t looking for a broadcast partner because no one is interested in their games. NASL Commish David Downs knows this. The level of play is too low and the league has zero national appeal. People only know MLS and they barely watch that. Who wants to see a league with 2,500 in the stands, teams on the brink of financial ruin, and lousy players no one has heard of? The NASL might not even be around beyond 2012 given what I have heard.

    • Steven Sandor

      October 10, 2011 at 4:06 am

      Thanks, Doug. When I wrote “deal” about USL-FSC I never indicated who was the payer and who was the payee…

      And, there are two very separate Gol TV entities; for The 11’s readership, the big one os Gol TV CANADA, which is under the web of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. Being a Canadian channel, it has to ensure that a large percentage of its programming is Canadian. Getting the opportunity to air FC Edmonton content, whether magazine or live games, could help with Can-con rules down the road. And, of course, Gol TV isn’t in the market to pay for rights…

      And NASL has had solid TV coverage in the Montreal market through Radio-Canada (CBC French).

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