Posted 23 July 2014 - 09:30 AM
Not a full-length grandstand anyway.
I thought it was interesting when someone pointed out that orienting the field perpendicular to it's current east-west might be feasible.
Thanks for the clarifications.
Interesting point. A new grand stand could be built along Cook Street and the football field could be north-south rather than east-west.
Posted 23 July 2014 - 10:47 AM
@jonny, I meant Victoria host the provinces team for a specific league, like the BC Lions not the Vancouver Lions. It's be great to have a pro team called the BC Highlanders.
Know it all.
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Posted 23 July 2014 - 12:57 PM
It's be great to have a pro team called the BC Highlanders.
F#@k that $#!t. "Provincial" teams are for Canada Games. Why should I cheer for some team in Vancouver or somewhere else just because it is in BC?
Victoria Highlanders. Vancouver Whitecaps. And what about a team in Kelowna eventually?
Lake Side Buoy - LEGO Nut - History Nerd - James Bay resident
Posted 23 July 2014 - 01:01 PM
I don't follow.
If we have different leagues, why can't a Victoria-based team represent the province? I doubt the Highlanders will be in the same league as the Whitecaps.
Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, BC Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, and on and on it goes.
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Posted 23 July 2014 - 01:27 PM
Photos from Monday's game at UVic: http://www.apshutter...303#page=thumbs
Senior Case Officer
Posted 23 July 2014 - 01:58 PM
Posted 23 July 2014 - 02:04 PM
West Coast league play makes more sense. A CFL soccer league is doomed by geography. The reason the Whitecaps do well is because of strong regional rivalries.
What if they could pick up great sponsors like Air Canada and a hotel chain? That sure covers off a lot of expense. The CFL has good rivalries.
It is odd that we are the only developed country that does not have a national pro soccer league. Or is it?
Senior Case Officer
Posted 23 July 2014 - 02:09 PM
Posted 23 July 2014 - 02:09 PM
If we have different leagues, why can't a Victoria-based team represent the province? I doubt the Highlanders will be in the same league as the Whitecaps.
No doubt at all, I specifically said which teams which teams would be in the league. The Craps play in MLS.
We would however play against them in the annual Voyageurs Cup competition and a chance to represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, BC Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, and on and on it goes.
And f#@k the American disease in sport. Team sports are based on clubs and towns, not states or provinces.
There is already a soccer club in Vancouver and Kelowna might be a viable location for another club in the new league. Why would we here in Victoria make the obviously false claim to somehow be representing the Province, and why would we? For me supporting my team is about pride in my local community. Hell, I don't even want to represent all of Vancouver Island and would welcome a team in Nanaimo some day.
West Coast league play makes more sense. A CFL soccer league is doomed by geography. The reason the Whitecaps do well is because of strong regional rivalries.
It is only doomed if the money is not there to support the travel.
The NASL is still growing and there could be more teams in Cascadia. Also see above re:VCup games.
Lake Side Buoy - LEGO Nut - History Nerd - James Bay resident
Posted 23 July 2014 - 02:27 PM
Travel is the huge issue. We are very isolated here in the northwest.
IMO there would need to be several regional NASL teams, like maybe Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Vancouver, Kelowna, Edmonton and Calgary for it to be feasible.
Travel across the continent or even Canada is a no go. Busing from Victoria to Ottawa takes like four days and costs thousands. Its way too expensive and too hard on the players.
Look at the now defunct Abbotsford Heat who tried to make a go of it in the American Hockey League, which primarily has teams in the eastern US. The Salmon Kings folded and were replaced with a WHL team that has better travel and doesn't have to pay player salaries.
The PDL Northwest Division is almost ideal with rival teams from Washington, Oregon and Vancouver.
Posted 23 July 2014 - 07:42 PM
And there's also a USL-Pro side locating in New Westminster as the Whitecaps nursery club, to begin play in 2015. That league has some teams over this way on the continent (Sacramento, LA area x2, Arizona, Colorado and Texas). It's Level 3 on the pyramid (NASL is Level 2). I guess it's beyond hope that these leagues will ever mend past grievances, because there are enough teams spread around to have competitions that make sense geographically. What could be a game-changer is if Seattle and Portland decide to go with pro level nursery clubs themselves. Then we'd have 3 teams within the current Highlanders footprint, easing the travel considerably.
http://blogs.vancouv...ew-westminster/
Posted 24 July 2014 - 05:13 AM
And there's also a USL-Pro side locating in New Westminster as the Whitecaps nursery club, to begin play in 2015. That league has some teams over this way on the continent (Sacramento, LA area x2, Arizona, Colorado and Texas). It's Level 3 on the pyramid (NASL is Level 2). I guess it's beyond hope that these leagues will ever mend past grievances, because there are enough teams spread around to have competitions that make sense geographically. What could be a game-changer is if Seattle and Portland decide to go with pro level nursery clubs themselves. Then we'd have 3 teams within the current Highlanders footprint, easing the travel considerably.
http://www.whitecaps...sl-pro-new-west
In addition to the current Whitecaps FC ownership group, the proposed USL PRO franchise will be co-owned and operated by Port Coquitlam native Ian Gillespie of Westbank Projects Corp., and New Westminster native Gary Pooni of Brook Pooni Associates.
Posted 24 July 2014 - 12:25 PM
The USL Pro route is certainly an option if more teams can be brought on board in the west but it does come at a cost.
I believe that most people in Victoria would see little added value in a move to USL Pro and thus the attendance increase that would accompany a move to NASL would not be achieved. The reason being that USL Pro would offer competition from teams based in places like New West and Sacramento as well as the reserve team in Los Angeles. As a third division I would not expect more than a 50% increase in average attendances at Highlanders games.
A move to Division 2 soccer would still offer less than marquee opponents but that would be more than compensated for by playing the "Canadian" card and promoting nationalist sentiment. Oh, and the NASL has the New York Cosmos which is a recognised brand that brings a level of awareness that helps build attendances. I would guess that HIghlanders could at least double average attendances immediately with a move to NASL and possibly even approach 4,500 - 5,000 per game average.
It would take a lot of money, but dollar for dollar I believe that this NASL-CFL proposal has the potential to offer more bang of the buck.
Lake Side Buoy - LEGO Nut - History Nerd - James Bay resident
Posted 31 January 2015 - 04:41 PM
Some reports suggest the Highlanders might be folding.
Posted 31 January 2015 - 04:42 PM
Posted 01 February 2015 - 12:34 PM
Does anybody know the address of mr. A Campbell jr., or has his email or phone#?
I have paid $2500 for my daughter to train and play for the Victoria Highlanders this season and would like to get reimbursed for the remainder of the season.
Edited by klukkluk, 01 February 2015 - 12:34 PM.
Posted 01 February 2015 - 01:23 PM
Posted 01 February 2015 - 11:59 PM
Posted 02 February 2015 - 09:03 AM
I hope more details come forward but from past conversations I believe the situation is as follows: the team has been losing money since they started but since the new GM took over two seasons ago the course was changing. The owner has been looking to find more investment and the team knew it had to move up to a professional league before they could even imagine breaking even. Despite USL Pro being the only professional D3 league available AND despite the fact that local rivals (Vancouver, Seattle, Portland) started playing this year in USL Pro making the new western conference a viable place to play the CSA (Criminal Soccer Association) has (I believe) told the team to get ****ed and join the non-professional, non-existent, only-posssibly-viable, so-called "D3" there is talk of starting in BC in maybe 2016.
With the possibility of playing in a pro league off the table the potential investors looked at the future and dropped out leaving the current owner with the choice to fold or keep throwing good money after bad. He is a great guy and while he may be wealthy he is not Kerfoot or Allen rich.
So, we will be holding a memorial service at the gates of Royal Athletic Park this coming Friday (Feb 9) @ 5:00 pm where we will mourn the murder of professional soccer in our city.
I have seen copies of an email promising that the acedemy kids will still receive training with a different organization but the website as of this morning had not been changed and was still advertising season tickets <sigh>.
Lake Side Buoy - LEGO Nut - History Nerd - James Bay resident
Posted 02 February 2015 - 09:12 AM
Not a huge soccer fan, but it was nice to have the entertainment option. RAP is a good place to catch a game (soccer or baseball) on a sunny afternoon.
Amazing how over the span of a few months talk around the team went from they're going pro and expanding the stadium to the team has now folded. How could the Canadian Soccer Association force them into joining this D3 I've heard of?
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