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Mat Rooney

June 14, 2016 Email

Mat Rooney



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@Canucks_Abroad

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In the last month there have been a pair of reports about the status of the Canadian Premier League and while both seem to report the league is happening, both come with a lot of concern.



On May 13, Simon Fudge of Goal.com appeared on SportsCage, a radio show hosted by Saskatchewan Roughriders play-by-play man Rod Pedersen, to discuss whether Regina may be awarded a club in the CPL. Claiming "educated speculation” much of what he said matched prior reports. Specifically, Fudge outlined how some other proposed CPL locations are connected with new CFL stadiums, and that with Regina's New Mosaic Field, it would be logical for the city to be in consideration. As well, there has been reported discussions with CSA president Victor Montagliani and the RoughRiders for potential matches or exhibitions in Regina. Simon Fudge's segment begins at 1hr 28mins Despite this, Fudge also adds that within the province there has not been any concrete evidence or reports to go off of that Regina is being considered an inaugural CPL club, outside of speculation.



See also: 5 Things the Canadian Premier League should avoid



Then on June 8, Carlos Verde, a Carleton journalism student and writer for the blog “Last Word on Sports”, sent out the following tweet: “Source: Canadian Premier League wants "Victoria, Edmonton, Calgary, Hamilton, (GTA), Ottawa, Quebec, (Maritimes)" as founding eight. #CPL” followed by “Interesting that, according to source, Canadian Premier League will largely steer clear of MLS markets; three of Canada's four biggest. #CPL”. Verde's tweets counter both Fudge's claims of Regina and many of Duane Rollins' reports on what cities will be part of the launch. While Verde is only a student, he has had direct talks with key members of the Ottawa Fury in the past so his claims shouldn't just be tossed aside.



Both reports, while very different, indicate that the CFL might be less involved than previously believed. While Fudge's only speculates on ownership, Verde tweets remove 4 CFL cities (Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Regina) from the list of CPL markets and replaces them with non-CFL ones. When asked on Twitter about Regina and Winnipeg he responded with “Simply going off what I've been told...”. The addition of Edmonton as well is curious, Verde stated in another tweet that he strongly believed that FC Edmonton (who are not connected to the Edmonton Eskimos) were likely to be a part of the launch. It's also worth noting Verde's tweet hints at only 3 teams in Western Canada.



With the possible loss of a pair of key western markets and less CFL involvement it is cause for worry among those hoping for the league to come soon and succeed. However, the avoidance of MLS controlled markets and teams in Quebec City and the Maritimes does provide a bright side.



In addition there is reportedly a scheduled Labour Day weekend vote to be held with all key parties involved to finalize the business and set a date for a formal announcement (likely Grey Cup weekend).