CPL hopes to add more teams

By: Mike Sawatzky Posted: 4:00 AM CDT Monday, May. 13, 2019

CPL hoping to add more teams to league

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CPL hoping to add more teams to league

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This article was published 13/05/2019 (2634 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CPL hoping to add more teams to league

AS a former COO of Tim Hortons Inc., David Clanachan knows something about corporate expansion.

One year into his new job as the commissioner of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), however, he’s preaching slow and steady when it comes to growing the country’s new professional soccer brand.

Canadian Premier League commissioner David Clanachan

Clanachan hopes to announce at least one new franchise for the seven-team league this summer.

“If we were fortunate, we could maybe get to two (franchises),” Clanachan said during a visit with local media at Saturday’s game between Valour FC and HFX Wanderers FC at IGF. “With what we face with stadiums, that’s the bigger issue for us… The goal here is to march along and march along at the right pace. I don’t want to bring in partners and football clubs that are not going to be long-standing… You want to do it properly, methodically, from a business perspective.”

In an ideal scenario, Clanachan said the CPL will like to have between 14 and 16 clubs by 2026 when Canada co-hosts the men’s World Cup with the U.S. and Mexico.

“Now what’s happening, it’s not just people inquiring — people have gone past that and they’re starting to create plans,” Clanachan said. “(It’s) 18 groups and cities that we’re talking to. But it’s not an easy road because not everybody’s got a phenomenal football field to play on like you have here (in Winnipeg). That’s the biggest part.

“There are some groups that are further ahead than others and so I’m getting a lot of pressure from Quebec; people want to see a team or two in Quebec. Certainly, Saskatchewan feels like they’ve been left out, so there’s that, too. And there’s a couple of others that are front-runners.”

Luring Ottawa into the fold remains a priority. Owners of the United Soccer League Championship’s Fury chose not to join the CPL.

“We think that professional football in the Canadian Premier League should be played in Ottawa, I’ve been steadfast on that,” Clanachan said. “I think the fans and supporters in Ottawa deserve it. Maybe one day we’ll be there.”

Early attendance figures across the country, he said, have matched expectations.

“It’s where we thought it would be,” Clanachan said. “We knew we would get big numbers for the home openers and we’d fall back a little bit. But it’s about building, right? That’s the game of sports. You’ve gotta earn your way.

“People have a lot of choices, but we have a really good product and it appeals to the entire family… It fits well because there are as many women playing as men in the country and following the game, same as boys and girls.”

— Mike Sawatzky