

Posted by

Ian Clarke ,

May 27, 2015 Email

Ian Clarke



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With the inevitable announcement that the Toronto Argonauts would be moving to BMO Field after months of speculation, there has already been plenty of debate and discussion surrounding what effect the change could ultimately put in motion for Toronto FC, the Canadian National Team and Canadian soccer in general. When Toronto FC first took the field in 2007, they set a standard and a precedent in North American soccer that has been met and surpassed by several other expansion sides since. MLS has benefited immensely from Canadian soccer, most importantly giving it an injection of voracious support and a level of interest rarely seen in its eleven years prior. However, the lower divisions of North American soccer have often received the short end of the stick with regards to MLS growth. After the USL lost several key franchises, they ensured survival by aligning with MLS and becoming the home of the reserve league. The NASL has stood alone and done well with the markets it is established in. However, losing teams like Montreal, Minnesota and Atlanta to an ever growing MLS entity puts questions marks on whether they can compete and survive long term. That question though could be answered through a bold move. The timing is right and, if the right pieces were put in place, the NASL could stake a claim and prosper in one of the MLS flagship markets in Toronto. Given that many of TFC’s most hardcore and traditional supporters have been enraged at both the prospect of the BMO Field pitch being torn up by a CFL team and the fact that one of the most multicultural cities in the world will no longer possess a high level soccer-specific stadium, the door has been left ajar slightly enough for a bold entrepreneur to entertain the possibility of bringing an NASL club to Toronto to fill the demand created by a large group of disaffected soccer fans. Many will scoff at the idea of an NASL team trying to compete with a super wealthy Toronto FC club in a city such as Toronto. Even with inhabitants that usually only concern themselves with top level sports teams, you only have to look to New York, where the New York Cosmos exist and compete in a crowded sports market with New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls, to see the possibility of an NASL team in Toronto as something genuine. Additionally, some might see the issue as simply Argos to BMO Field. However, those who have followed the club closely since 2007 know there has been an exodus of fans and support for over five years, the numbers of which could unquestionably support another team. Add in that TFC have been beyond poor at building relationships with the grassroots and existing soccer community in Ontario, an opportunity remains for a team to come in and also successfully incorporate some of the best players, coaches and academies in North America. The history of soccer in North America is rich well before 1994 and the 1996 launch of MLS. As well, the history of soccer in Toronto is over a century old and even recently has had the success of the Metros-Croatia and the Toronto Blizzard. Just as the Cosmos have retained some of their strong brand identity from the previous iteration of the NASL back in the seventies and eighties, the Toronto Blizzard brand retains a history and identity that could conceivably be revived for the Toronto market.



Interestingly, there have previously been some rumours of ownership groups in Toronto having an interest in both the NASL and the Toronto Blizzard brand identity. Whether or not those were merely wishful thinking, it is nonetheless a possibility worth exploring.



The idea of a revived Toronto Blizzard in Toronto raises tantalizing possibilities. One of the obvious is the desire of some to have a club to support that is free of the complexity and negatives associated with the machinations inherent in an ownership group that contains so many competing interests and such boardroom strife. In the bigger picture, imagine the Toronto Blizzard facing off against Toronto FC in the Amway Canadian Championship? Or the derby possibility inherent in the close proximity of two possible NASL franchises in Toronto and Hamilton? With the Ottawa Fury playing in the nation’s capital, you could have three rival Canadian NASL clubs within a driving distance of four to five hours.



Ultimately, if set up correctly, an NASL franchise in Toronto could provide an outlet for Canadian soccer supporters that would prefer a club that isn’t as focused on the corporate and marketing interests that generally characterize a team such as Toronto FC.



Admittedly, the idea of bringing an NASL to team to Toronto brings with it plenty of complications. Primarily, where would the club play? And would any ownership team outside of MLSE have the resources necessary to not only build or refurbish a required stadium but also effectively market the new entity in a crowded Toronto market? The politics of Toronto’s City Council are well established, and approval for another stadium will be a difficult course to navigate. Of course, the ultimate irony would come if it came to pass that a suitable stadium solution was found but with practical reasons meaning that playing surface would be artificial turf. However, those are certainly massive but not insurmountable questions for a prospective motivated ownership group to answer.



In recent years Major League Soccer has chipped away at many of the best lower division markets as competition with NASL simmered.



With that in mind, a move to Toronto for the NASL would allow the North American Second Division to make a move akin to returning the favour. If NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson could find the right ownership group for a team in Toronto, he just might be pleasantly surprised by how many Toronto fans there would be to support an NASL club.



Add in the fact that NASL generally appears to be more enthusiastic about future expansion into Canada than Major League Soccer and it isn’t a stretch to suggest that a Toronto franchise could be an excellent tent pole towards eventually establishing a full Canadian NASL division and increasing the number of professional clubs in Canada.



