Sunday afternoon matches dominate fan-friendly FC Edmonton schedule By Steven Sandor Posted on January 19, 2012 3 0 652 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter FC Edmonton’s schedule in 2012 will be far more fan-friendly than it was in 2011. NASL released the full league schedule Thursday, and all but three of FC Edmonton’s home dates will feature 2 p.m. Sunday start times. Last season, FCE was plagues with many weeknight starts that made it hard for families to attend games. Of course, the reason for many of the odd start times last season was the fact that FC Edmonton was not the prime tenant at the University of Alberta’s Foote Field. And, with a new schedule filled with Sunday afternoon matches, you have to feel that it’s further indication that the team is set to call a new venue home — even though it still has yet to confirm a venue. The team and city officials have been discussing both short- and long-term solutions for finding FC Edmonton a home — and Clarke Stadium, located right next to Commonwealth Stadium, has been discussed. But Clarke, at the moment, has capacity for around 1,000 and would need work in order for it to be ready for the April 22 home opener. “Every day we are working on finalizing a deal,” said FCE general manager Tom Leip. “In fact, it’s more like every minute that we are working on this.” The team has yet to officially announce its Canadian Championship semifinal date with the Vancouver Whitecaps — even though it has been confirmed by a number of different sources. Those matches are slated to take place in early May. One of the reasons for the slow release of the Canadian Championship schedule is the need to get the new sponsor’s name in place. The tournament is not expected to be known as the Nutrilite Canadian Championship in 2012. While working on the schedule with the league, FC Edmonton also contacted the CFL Eskimos to ask their advice on the most fan-friendly home start times. Because so many Edmontonians like to be in the outdoors — and go to the lake or the mountains on the weekend — in a short summer window, the wisdom is that you want to play at beginning (Friday night) or end of the weekend (Sunday afternoon, at least until NFL starts), to give fans a chance to see a game before they leave town or just after they return. But FCE was also mindful that it didn’t want to go head-to-head against the Eskimos. “For our fans, the Sundays are especially important,” said Leip. “Most working people plan their weekends, and that’s especially true in the summer. And we know that, in many parts of the world, there is a tradition of soccer Sunday.” FCE will finish with three of its last four games at home, which will give the Eddies an advantage if they’re embroiled in a tight race for playoff positions. There is one drawback to the schedule; this season, the Eddies have to make two arduous trips to Puerto Rico, which require three flights from Edmonton and are expensive on the owner’s pocketbook. Last season, the team played back-to-back games in Bayamon, meaning it only had to fly in once, play both matches, and leave. SCHEDULE Sat Apr. 7 5:30 pm MDT Fort Lauderdale Strikers AWAY Sat Apr.14 5:30 pm MDT Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Wed Apr. 18 5:30 pm MDT Puerto Rico Islanders vs. FC AWAY Sun Apr. 22 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Minnesota Stars HOME Sun May 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Carolina RailHawks HOME Sat May 12 5:30 pm MDT Atlanta Silverbacks vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sat May/19 6:30 pm MDT San Antonio Scorpions vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sun May 27 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. San Antonio Scorpions HOME Sun June 3 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Atlanta Silverbacks HOME Sun June 10 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers HOME Sat June 16 5:30 pm MDT Fort Lauderdale Strikers vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sat June 23 5:00 pm MDT Carolina RailHawks vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sun July 1 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Puerto Rico Islanders HOME Wed July 4 5:00 pm MDT San Antonio Scorpions vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sat July 7 5:30 pm MDT Puerto Rico Islanders vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sun July 15 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies HOME Sat July 21 5:30 pm MDT Atlanta Silverbacks vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sat July 28 5:30 pm MDT Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sat Aug. 4 7:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Minnesota Stars HOME Wed Aug. 8 7:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. San Antonio Scorpions HOME Sun Aug. 12 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Puerto Rico Islanders HOME Sat Aug. 18 5:00 pm MDT Carolina RailHawks vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sat Aug. 25 6:30 pm MDT Minnesota Stars FC vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Sun Sept. 2 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Atlanta Silverbacks HOME Sat Sept. 8 6:30 pm MDT Minnesota Stars FC vs. FC Edmonton AWAY Wed Sept.12 7:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Carolina RailHawks HOME Sun Sept. 16 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies HOME Sun Sept. 23 2:05 pm MDT FC Edmonton vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers HOME
