KITCHENER - The Grand River Union is looking for feedback.

The association, a small group of local soccer supporters, has launched an online survey to gauge public interest in bringing a Canadian Premier League team to Waterloo Region. Links to the survey, which closes Aug. 5, are available on the group's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

"We want to use the information to figure out if people are in line with our feelings or not, and if they are, where we should put our efforts to help make this happen," said Adrian Martin, one of the group's four active co-founders.

"We are trying to do our part to show the region wants this."

Three significant hurdles stand between bringing a CPL team to this area, said Martin.

The lack of a suitable stadium, seating at least 7,000 spectators, is at the top of the list, followed by finding an owner or ownership group to support the venture. Thirdly, and this is where the Grand River Union comes in, is showing the region would support a team.

This area has been without an elite team since 2017, when K-W United FC completed a five-year run in the Premier Development League. A women's team by the same name competed for two years, 2013 and' 14, in the USL W-League.

Neither of those teams received much in the way of public support and there are no guarantees a CPL team would fare any better.

"Could it work? I don't know," said Martin. "It's been tried in the past and there's been hiccups and failures. We know it's not an easy path."

The CPL launched its inaugural season in April with teams in Hamilton, Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax, Edmonton, Foothills County, Alta., and Langford, B.C.

One month earlier, CPL chair and commissioner David Clanachan met with a local delegation and is on record as being a fan of this area.

"We like the region, I can't say that loud enough," he told the Waterloo Region Record in March.

"All the lights are green for us going forward. One of the things we're most concerned about is where do we play? That's what's missing."

Wilfrid Laurier's University Stadium can seat about 6,000 spectators for soccer but would require upgrades to meet CPL standards. There are no plans in Waterloo Region to construct a new stadium.

Survey participants will be entered in a draw to win a pair of tickets to a CPL game in Hamilton, as well as Grand River Union swag. The survey is open to residents of Waterloo Region and surrounding areas.

mbryson@therecord.com

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Twitter: @BrysonRecord