Dear Saskatoon,

An opportunity has fallen into our laps, one that we should fully embrace: A pro soccer team.

Now, hear me out.

The Canadian Premier League is a new coast-to-coast professional soccer league that could begin play as early as 2018. And we have an ownership group with the full intention of bringing a team to Saskatchewan. While the initial debate was either Regina or Saskatoon, that focus has since shifted our way.

Where will the team play? Plans call for a new 8,000-10,000 seat multi-purpose modular stadium, at the location of the downtown train yards.

What will this cost taxpayers? The owners will pay for the stadium, a bill around $20 million. This is a truly unique situation in the world of professional sports.

With a cost-efficient stadium as the catalyst, this will bring new tax dollars to our community and province. Not to mention the benefits for revitalization of downtown Saskatoon. The city has previously admitted the yards need to be relocated away from downtown regardless. In the meantime, the owners are prepared to begin play at a revitalized Prairieland Park grandstand.

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I have met with the ownership on numerous occasions. These guys are legit. Our province could not ask for a more ideal group. They understand the game, have vision, are business people and are looking long-term, creating a legacy of benefits for our city. And they check off the box of biggest concern — deep pockets.

Joe Belan, a former Canadian Olympic soccer team member and current businessman along with Grant McGlaughlin, Saskatchewan native and successful lawyer, have teamed up with a proven winner, ex-Saskatchewan Rush president Lee Genier.

Let’s talk about the sport itself. Whether you agree with me or not, soccer will become the No. 2 sport, popularity-wise, in this country behind hockey. The next generation will prove that. It’s already the No. 1 participation sport and has been for years. Arguably, you can say it’s already achieved top popularity in Canadian women’s sports.

This past weekend in Atlanta, 70,000 spectators attended a match between home-side United and visitors Toronto FC. It was an attendance record for Major League Soccer and equivalent to what the NFL Atlanta Falcons attract.

For the older generation, perhaps this sport isn’t for you. Sports Business Journal released a study on the age demographic of who is watching what. While the average watching age of the NHL is 49 and the NFL 50, MLS is a decade younger and the only sub 40. NBA came in as the second youngest at 42, while the PGA Tour is the oldest, with an average viewers age of 64.

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The landscape of our society is changing. The wave of immigrants into our country is not soon ending. People from many places around the world where soccer is king are moving to Canada.

Add to that the influx of kids who started playing soccer in the ’90s. They are now putting their own kids into the sport. This shift is taking place right now and what better way to improve the vibrancy of our city’s sports and culture by having our own professional soccer team. Soccer represents an opportunity to celebrate our diversity, multiculturalism and the pride we have for Saskatoon and our great country.

Could we ask for a better fit? Always innovative, fresh and alive, Saskatoon is attractive. Examples of this are the developments on River Landing, the Remai Modern Art Gallery, John G. Diefenbaker International Airport improvements. The future is bright.

Lead us, Mayor Charlie Clark. Do some amazing things for our city. We only have a certain amount of time that we can make an impact. This one is for the children, the next generation and beyond. Soccer has a big future in this country. Let’s be a part if it.