FC Edmonton Thread

1976len

Registered User
Aug 16, 2017
77
16
I see the Eskimos have a thread here figure the soccer team needs some love and respect too. I mean even you dont love them you should respect what the YEG4CPL movement accomplished bringing the team back from the dead.

Recently had a chat with Nathan and Adam of the Loyal Company of the River Valley podcast about the movement, attracting new fans and the new battle of Alberta coming on the pitch.

C'mon you Eddies!

Non-soccer Guy, FC Edmonton Season Ticket Holder - Win Column Sports
 
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PBandJ

If it didn't happen in the 80's, it didn't happen
Jan 5, 2012
12,973
4,005
Edmonton, Alberta
I saw a few games last summer, was definitely entertaining. Glad they're coming back in the CPL.

I read that the Fath's have lost something like a million dollars on FC Edmonton, so I'm really impressed that they're going to keep going.
 
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rboomercat90

Registered User
Mar 24, 2013
14,598
8,770
Edmonton
I wish them luck. They’ve got an uphill battle to gain support yet again. Numerous soccer leagues or teams have folded in this city with most of them being a higher caliber of what this next incarnation will be. Just when you start getting familiar with the team again, they’re gone. My personal opinion is this won’t be any different but I will give them credit for continuing to try.
 
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Trizent

Registered User
Mar 4, 2005
2,109
90
Oil Country
I respect Fath's commitment to the game. I don't respect his understanding of soccer in this market. But, it is his toy, it is up to him how he spends his money assuming it doesn't affect morale of the workers at the businesses he owns that are successful. Hypothetically, it could be a bit of a stumbling block if you work for a successful branch of Fath business and feel you are underpaid (Welcome to everyone in society) meanwhile profits from the business in theory go towards funding the soccer toy.

As an aside, I had season tickets as a child for 2 years to the Drillers in the 80s and attended odd game periodically after that to various pro soccer teams -- Eagles, Brickmen, Drillers. I am not anti-soccer. But history says that it won't be successful. It is up to them in this incarnation to see it it is viable. But likely Fath enjoys it enough to stick with it regardless. Kudos to him.
 
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guymez

The Seldom Seen Kid
Mar 3, 2004
32,644
12,154
I respect Fath's commitment to the game. I don't respect his understanding of soccer in this market. But, it is his toy, it is up to him how he spends his money assuming it doesn't affect morale of the workers at the businesses he owns that are successful. Hypothetically, it could be a bit of a stumbling block if you work for a successful branch of Fath business and feel you are underpaid (Welcome to everyone in society) meanwhile profits from the business in theory go towards funding the soccer toy.

As an aside, I had season tickets as a child for 2 years to the Drillers in the 80s and attended odd game periodically after that to various pro soccer teams -- Eagles, Brickmen, Drillers. I am not anti-soccer. But history says that it won't be successful. It is up to them in this incarnation to see it it is viable. But likely Fath enjoys it enough to stick with it regardless. Kudos to him.

There is a pretty simple solution if a Fath employee is really bothered by what his boss spends his money on (which is a ridiculous thing to be bothered by)...quit and find a new job.

As for the soccer...I hardly ever went to the games in the past few years but I am amazed that there is still a team in the city. It probably wont be successful unless the League is successful and I havent heard much at all about the viability of the League.
I really hope it does survive...I am not the biggest soccer fan but I really like the thought of having an opportunity to go watch pro soccer in person at some point.
So I agree with your last point...kudos to Fath for keeping pro soccer alive in Edmonton.
 
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Drivesaitl

Time to Drive
Oct 8, 2017
45,304
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Just as in the US, Soccer in Canada will require the impetus of doing better internationally. There was a wave of soccer enthusiasm occurring here from late 70's to about 1990 and this corresponded with the National side doing better, making the Olympics, Tying Brazil in a friendly, and also with the Drillers being in the REAL NASL and also the indoor version in which they won a championship. Those were heady times for Soccer here.

Parallel to the Womens side and with Christy Sinclair and Kara Lang and that team kicked the spirit of womens soccer to unparalled heights here. So that games occurring here would be better attended than Women's soccer matches almost anywhere. To the degree that the Womens Under championship and the Womens World Cup were hosted here. At a time where perhaps oddly the demand for the tickets to the Womens National side might have exceeded demand to watch the Mens side.

With success the brand has to be a bit different too. It has to be more interesting than long balls and hoping to run under them,.

All that said having the Drillers here and playing at Commonwealth stadium was glorious. Getting to see opposing teams with international stars and seeing as many as 27K in the stands for a league match made it feel like Edmonton had arrived. One has to understand that at the time the NASL was much more heralded than either the CFL or the NHL or the WHA. It was Pele, it was the bigtime. It was an upstart NA league raiding contracts of big name players. For a time it was a halcyon.
So for a fleeting time Edmonton had 3 Professional teams of note. It felt like the bigtime and with Commonwealth also being the best Stadium in Canada (Olympic stadium was a poor design and was even having Kevlar roof and concrete segment collapses.

Fitting as well that the highest attendances for Soccer in the nation are right here.
 
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Beerfish

Registered User
Apr 14, 2007
19,513
5,665
I went to junior high and grade 10 with one of the Fath brothers. I was not a friend or anything just knew the guy. To be honest I would never have imagined that he would end up this successful. I'm sure there are many of these kind of stories, people you thought would do really well in life not doing so well and visa versa.
 

joestevens29

Registered User
Apr 30, 2009
52,498
15,065
I went to junior high and grade 10 with one of the Fath brothers. I was not a friend or anything just knew the guy. To be honest I would never have imagined that he would end up this successful. I'm sure there are many of these kind of stories, people you thought would do really well in life not doing so well and visa versa.
Quite a few that have worked for him and meet them question this as well. They know their work though. Run very interesting to say the least.
 

oilers'72

Registered User
Jul 3, 2006
5,635
4,456
Red Deer, Alta
I don't think it's a fan problem in Edmonton, so much as it was league problems. The original Drillers had good crowds at Commonwealth but it was the decay of the NASL that did that team in. An MLS team would draw good crowds here, if the league wasn't hell bent on just American and the large Canadian cities. All but 6 teams play in 30K, or smaller stadiums and, of those 6, only 2 had 30K+ average attendance last season. The large stadiums either have the upper sections or the camera side closed off, as none operate at full capacity.
 
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Drivesaitl

Time to Drive
Oct 8, 2017
45,304
54,859
Duck hunting
So I'm not the only one asking this but Northlands is now closing up the race track at Northlands, had the last derby there and that thing is going to either be sitting empty or I expect (because this is Edmonton face the wreckers ball.

This could EASILY be repurposed as a Soccer and sporting facility. Just tear out some of the asphalt area, just allow enough remaining for entry/exit, and throw a soccer field in there closer to the stands then the track was. . Voila instant 6 K bleacher seating, most of it covered from elements, food, concessions, restaurant facilities available. Gambling. With some SRO at field level this is immediate go as an 8-10K facility. Build up some temp bleachers around there and you almost have an MLS type facility. Turnkey go. Probably some investment on infrastructure, roof needs a bit of work This makes too much sense, so it won't happen.
 

1976len

Registered User
Aug 16, 2017
77
16
The Supporters are doing a "save the date" for Saturday September 15th at the Old Town Pub. Wonder what it will be about.
 

Gunnersaurus Rex

Registered User
Jan 14, 2008
3,245
2,179
Apparently calling themselves the River Valley Vanguard. What an awkward name...

River Valley Vanguard supporters group unveiled by FC Edmonton fans – The CanPL Hub

707134.jpg
 

StevenF1919

Registered User
Oct 9, 2017
4,312
5,234
Edmonton
Anyone jumping aboard? Season tickets are really reasonable and it's looking likely that I'll be purchasing some. Hopefully the home opener is packed, the Fath brothers have been great in pushing soccer in this city and it'd be awesome if the team could get a decent fanbase going.

The home opener is May 12 and tickets are as cheap as $26.

I'll also add that their home jerseys are amazing and they've done a great job with their branding, outside of the stupid "FC" in the name that North American soccer teams seem to love including.
 

rboomercat90

Registered User
Mar 24, 2013
14,598
8,770
Edmonton
I’ll admit I don’t really follow the local sports goings on outside of the Oilers and Eskimos so I haven’t heard anything recently about this team or league. I saw the thread was bumped and came in to see what was new. First thing I noticed is that the link two posts above this announcing the rebrand doesn’t work anymore. It said CanPL hub is undergoing rebranding. Probably not a good sign.
 

MikeGrier99

Registered User
May 20, 2017
850
880
The Canadian premier league is an awesome idea and I hope it does well. Don't know why there's so many doubters, more people play soccer than anything else in Canada. The biggest football club in the world runs an academy in Edmonton (FC Barcelona). The Oilers have been awful for forever and I think more people are watching the world/euro cups, european domestic leagues, and champions league. Canada has bright young stars with some of the biggest clubs in the world, like Alphonso Davies who's going to be a star for Bayern Munich and played soccer in Edmonton for years or Ballou Tabla who is going to get a crack at making the very best starting xi in the world in Barcelona. The women are one of the very best teams in the world, and the men have a golden generation coming up, plus the world cup is coming to Canada. There couldn't be a better time for this, I think it's going to blow up across the country, especially with younger kids.
 
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EchoesoftheEighties

HF Oil's Unofficial Shitposter
Jan 30, 2006
28,771
8,882
Edmonton
Was a season ticket holder for FCE during the NASL days and already renewed for the CPL. Away jersey looks beautiful and I'm hoping CPL gets more traction as a legitimate league. See you in the supporters section!
 

McChucky

TOPPEP
Jul 15, 2007
1,678
99
YEG
I've loved the idea of pro soccer in Canada. I go back to the Brickmen days. We tried too hard to North Americanize the sport back then. I was skeptical about MLS. I was skeptical about using the euro-esque names. But it has been a massive success. Its only a matter of time before the sport explodes here like it has in Montreal, Toronto, and Van City. Im really hoping the CPL does well. They picked some great markets. Hopefully we can see some more new teams very soon.
 

StevenF1919

Registered User
Oct 9, 2017
4,312
5,234
Edmonton
Was a season ticket holder for FCE during the NASL days and already renewed for the CPL. Away jersey looks beautiful and I'm hoping CPL gets more traction as a legitimate league. See you in the supporters section!
Are there any stipulations for getting tickets in the supporters section? Me and some friends were looking at getting season tickets there.
 

Senor Catface

Registered User
Jul 25, 2006
15,848
19,517
Anyone jumping aboard? Season tickets are really reasonable and it's looking likely that I'll be purchasing some. Hopefully the home opener is packed, the Fath brothers have been great in pushing soccer in this city and it'd be awesome if the team could get a decent fanbase going.

The home opener is May 12 and tickets are as cheap as $26.

I'll also add that their home jerseys are amazing and they've done a great job with their branding, outside of the stupid "FC" in the name that North American soccer teams seem to love including.

Nice avatar :thumbd:
 
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