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Clarke Stadium is essential to the Edmonton Eskimos as a practice venue, said Len Rhodes, president of the community-owned club. They’ve been forced to go all the way to Fort McMurray at times when it’s not available.

FC Edmonton owners Tom Fath said he needs to see the Clarke Stadium upgrades because they’re required to meet the Canadian premier league standards. But those are really geared to simply ensuring teams can be sustainable.

A successful team needs sponsorship revenue, beverage and food sales plus ticket revenue to break even.

Tom and Dave Fath founded the team in 2010 and lost an estimated $1 million a year while competing in the North American Soccer League. That league is on hiatus this season.

But they believe competing in a national league would give the team a chance to be sustainable.

Already, the 2017 season was FC Edmonton’s best on record, with an average of 3,500 fans per game. Playing Winnipeg and Calgary would mean creating regional rivalries, which builds fans and excitement, said general manager Jay Ball: “It is so much easier to hate those teams.”

The team is on a membership drive. Fath said they’ve already sold more $40 memberships in support of the team playing nationally than they had seasons tickets holders last year.

“The Fath brothers have never been doing it to make money,” said Ward 8 Coun. Ben Henderson. “They’ve been doing something remarkable for our community. … It’s been a gift to us and we need to be there to help them do that.”

estolte@postmedia.com

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