NASL Commissioner Peterson: Canadian expansion talks in next 60-90 days By Steven Sandor Posted on September 21, 2014 6 0 1,105 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Bill Peterson NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson was in Edmonton for Sunday’s game between the Eddies and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He was on hand to thank Edmonton City Council for approving the new $1.25-million permanent-football-line free turf that was installed at Clarke Stadium in July. Of course, when he met with the press, the subject of expansion and a rumoured NASL Canada league came up. And he said some expansion conversations are heating up. “We have had discussion in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and over the next 60 to 90 days we expect to have more discussions in Canada,” said Peterson. Peterson said he spoke with Canadian Soccer Association officials when the Board of Governors met in Ottawa last week, and the league is open to finding ways to better partner with the CSA. But he wouldn’t come out and talk directly about a rumoured NASL Canada division — saying instead that “it (the Canadian league) is a CSA agenda item.” He said, though, that the NASL is interested in keeping those lines of communication open, and it will help identify potential partners who could be interested in bringing Canadian franchises to the league. In fact, Peterson said there could be as many as 10 Canadian markets that could possibly be NASL cities down the road. READ PLASTIC PITCH TODAY. SUMMER ISSUE FEATURES A 16-PAGE LOOK AT CANADA’S BID TO HOST THE 2026 WORLD CUP! (Also available for Android devices at Google Play)
