CSL looks a lot different from last October
Frank Perin – At the head table of BMO Field Rogers Room sat CSL Commissioner Domenic Di Gironimo, Canadian Soccer Association Director John Knox, and Ontario Soccer Association Chief Executive Officer Guy Bradbury among others, as Executive Director of the Canadian Soccer League Stan Adamson outlined changes to the league.
The 2010 CSL schedule will see the league operate nine returning First Division teams — Brampton Lions, London City, North York Astros, Portugal FC, Serbian White Eagles, St. Catharines Wolves, TFC Academy, Toronto Croatia, and York Regions Shooters.
There are also four new teams, including the Montreal Impact Academy. The reserve team for the MLS-bound club are taking the place of the Trois-Rivieres Attak who won the championship last year but are taking one year off and will be back in 2011.
The others are Brantford Galaxy, Milltown FC from Milton, and Hamilton Croatia, who have a long history at the senior level and have large attendances in Hamilton over the years.
“Negotiating with cities and owners to make a fair 156-game schedule is tough work. “ said Adamson.
The Reserve Division will field 10 teams. London, Montreal, and Toronto Croatia will be the only teams to not be part of the Reserve League.
Newly appointed commissioner Domenic Di Gironimo thanked the teams in the CSL for their commitment to change. A former partner with Trois Rivieres and the Laval Dynamite, Di Gironimo reported that the CSL was restructured this past year as a non-profit organization and has gained sanctioning from the Canadian Soccer Association.
“We will work closely with the governing bodies of Canadian soccer, and we will stay connected with our member communities.”
The CSL announced three new corporate partners as well.
Italian company Givova Sports is the official ball and uniform supplier for the league. “Givova is new in the big leagues of sportswear, having created the trademark at the beginning of 2009. The company founder, Giovanni Acanfora, has more than 20 years of experience in the sportswear business,“ explained Di Gironimo.
Also joining the fold, Rogers Cable is scheduled to show 45 regular season games, the playoffs, and the championship game. “There will be a myriad of games that are covered. Most games will be broadcast live and the coverage will provide wonderful exposure for us and the league,” added Willy Jong, a representative of Rogers.
For games in the Toronto area, every game will be produced in High Definition. The games will be broadcast beyond the local area. All the live games that are broadcast to just the local area will be available on the Rogers Super-Sports-Pack. There will be a weekly league results/magazine show too.
In addition, hotel chain Days Inn also has a new agreement with the CSL. It will provide teams overnight accommodation and special rates, especially for road games to Montreal and for the Montreal team coming to Southern Ontario. Eric Barber said the company was “looking to get into the sports market, which is an area that has shown growth for the hospitality industry.”
The CSL will be upgrading its website as well. The new website will have e-mail newsletters, podcasts, and new connections with such publications as Inside Soccer Magazine among other things.
But the future of the CSL belongs to the young elite players. Canada does not have a full soccer development structure. While Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps do provide professional development they do not on a broad Canadian front.
John Knox of the CSA spoke of the need for the CSL to develop young players to feed the pro teams and the National teams. “Professional and youth soccer must come together with strong ties, a strong vision and higher standards,” said Knox. “The CSL has to be that missing link.”
Frank Perin – At the head table of BMO Field Rogers Room sat CSL Commissioner Domenic Di Gironimo, Canadian Soccer Association Director John Knox, and Ontario Soccer Association Chief Executive Officer Guy Bradbury among others, as Executive Director of the Canadian Soccer League Stan Adamson outlined changes to the league.
The 2010 CSL schedule will see the league operate nine returning First Division teams — Brampton Lions, London City, North York Astros, Portugal FC, Serbian White Eagles, St. Catharines Wolves, TFC Academy, Toronto Croatia, and York Regions Shooters.
There are also four new teams, including the Montreal Impact Academy. The reserve team for the MLS-bound club are taking the place of the Trois-Rivieres Attak who won the championship last year but are taking one year off and will be back in 2011.
The others are Brantford Galaxy, Milltown FC from Milton, and Hamilton Croatia, who have a long history at the senior level and have large attendances in Hamilton over the years.
“Negotiating with cities and owners to make a fair 156-game schedule is tough work. “ said Adamson.
The Reserve Division will field 10 teams. London, Montreal, and Toronto Croatia will be the only teams to not be part of the Reserve League.
Newly appointed commissioner Domenic Di Gironimo thanked the teams in the CSL for their commitment to change. A former partner with Trois Rivieres and the Laval Dynamite, Di Gironimo reported that the CSL was restructured this past year as a non-profit organization and has gained sanctioning from the Canadian Soccer Association.
“We will work closely with the governing bodies of Canadian soccer, and we will stay connected with our member communities.”
The CSL announced three new corporate partners as well.
Italian company Givova Sports is the official ball and uniform supplier for the league. “Givova is new in the big leagues of sportswear, having created the trademark at the beginning of 2009. The company founder, Giovanni Acanfora, has more than 20 years of experience in the sportswear business,“ explained Di Gironimo.
Also joining the fold, Rogers Cable is scheduled to show 45 regular season games, the playoffs, and the championship game. “There will be a myriad of games that are covered. Most games will be broadcast live and the coverage will provide wonderful exposure for us and the league,” added Willy Jong, a representative of Rogers.
For games in the Toronto area, every game will be produced in High Definition. The games will be broadcast beyond the local area. All the live games that are broadcast to just the local area will be available on the Rogers Super-Sports-Pack. There will be a weekly league results/magazine show too.
In addition, hotel chain Days Inn also has a new agreement with the CSL. It will provide teams overnight accommodation and special rates, especially for road games to Montreal and for the Montreal team coming to Southern Ontario. Eric Barber said the company was “looking to get into the sports market, which is an area that has shown growth for the hospitality industry.”
The CSL will be upgrading its website as well. The new website will have e-mail newsletters, podcasts, and new connections with such publications as Inside Soccer Magazine among other things.
But the future of the CSL belongs to the young elite players. Canada does not have a full soccer development structure. While Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps do provide professional development they do not on a broad Canadian front.
John Knox of the CSA spoke of the need for the CSL to develop young players to feed the pro teams and the National teams. “Professional and youth soccer must come together with strong ties, a strong vision and higher standards,” said Knox. “The CSL has to be that missing link.” 