It鈥檚 dubbed the 鈥渟ingle-site solution鈥� and it could be the vehicle by which the Canadian Premier League plays the 2020 soccer season in some semblance through the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淲e at the league office are very interested in this idea of playing an event where we bring all the teams together and how that would work,鈥� CPL commissioner David Clanachan, said during an online chat with fans of CPL club Atl茅tico Ottawa.
The eight-team CPL, which includes Island-based Pacific FC, has missed the first five weeks of its season due to the pandemic.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working on all the options to get a product on the field,鈥� said PFC president and co-owner Josh Simpson.
鈥淔ootball is in high demand. The TV numbers were big and all eyes were on Germany last weekend for the reopening of the Bundesliga [in empty stadiums].鈥�
The CPL has several advantages that leagues with cancelled seasons don鈥檛 have. Unlike the Western Hockey League and West Coast League of baseball, the closed sa国际传媒-U.S. border is not an issue for the CPL because all its franchises are within sa国际传媒. Unlike the gate-driven Western Lacrosse Association, the CPL has a non-gate source of revenue due to its TV and streaming deal with Spanish sports giant MediaPro.
But the CPL is a pro league and its players reportedly make between $30,000 to $55,000, which means a larger overhead than the WHL, WCL or WLA.
CPL players, however, have taken a 25 per cent deferral in salaries because of the pandemic.
Now comes the task of salvaging something of the season, perhaps through games played at a single venue. No fans would be in attendance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a natural move given the circumstances,鈥� Simpson said.
Clanachan concurred. 鈥淲e think that would be very entertaining for our fans from across the country,鈥� the commissioner said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l see how it works and it will take a lot of work to get it done. Things are starting to move along now and we鈥檙e excited.鈥�
Single venues or selected hub venues are also being considered for the restarts of the NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS.
鈥淲e鈥檙e learning from those leagues,鈥� Clanachan said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e also prepared a lot on our own while taking the lead from sa国际传媒 Soccer and others.鈥� Clanachan said he 鈥渢ook notes鈥� as the Bundesliga reopened last weekend.
Asked if Westhills Stadium could be in the running to be the single venue for the CPL season, Simpson, a 43-time sa国际传媒 capped former European leagues pro, said: 鈥淲e would love to bid for it, but it鈥檚 far too early to tell. There are numerous hoops to jump through, as you may well imagine. Premier [John] Horgan has talked about sa国际传媒 being a hub for the NHL. So there must be a way.鈥�
The Bundesliga TV numbers show there is a desire among fans to see sport again, Simpson said.
鈥淭he CPL is looking to fill a need and demand for sport while, at the same time, being responsible in a health crisis,鈥� he said.
鈥淣one of us have gone through this before, so there is no playbook. When there is no playbook, you have to be innovative.鈥�
CORNER KICKS: Simpson noted many Canadian soccer fans tuned in last weekend to watch national team star Alphonso Davies play for Bayern Munich. Davies was to have played at a sold-out Westhills Stadium in March, but sa国际传媒鈥檚 two games against Trinidad and Tobago, considered key for 2022 World Cup Qatar qualifying, were cancelled due to the pandemic.
