So the big news is that BT Sport has started broadcasting the Canadian Premier League in the UK! No, I'm not quite sure why either. Could it be because Canada has just qualified for its first World Cup since 1986? Or because it's due to co-host the World Cup in 2026? Or just because there isn't much else to show at midnight on a Sunday? Whatever the reason, this was my first exposure to Canadian football.
Before the match some representatives from a local ethnic group - I think some sort of Native Indian group, I'm not entirely sure - played some traditional music. It was something to do with them either being under represented or disproportionately affected by Covid, I didn't quite catch what. Either way, hearing drums and chanting was an atmospheric way to start the match.
The match was played at the Starlight Stadium in Langford, which despite it's grand sounding name is smaller than most grounds in the English National League (fifth tier), holding 6000 people. You'd probably have to go down to the sixth tier of English football to find comparable sized grounds. Behind one goal was a stand small enough to bring back memories of a Subbuteo grandstand and behind the other is a purple building which I believe is some sort of arena, with a few rows of seats in front of it. Modest sized stands run along the length of the pitch, very reminiscent of the kind of grounds seen in early rounds of the FA Cup when a semi-professional side draws one from the Football League.
Yet despite it's lack of stature the Starlight Stadium still packed a punch. The ground was mainly full, and the crowd whether old or young were enthusiastic to a person. Chants could be heard, chants either mimicking or inspired by chants you hear in English football (pretty sure I heard a chant based on "Same old Arsenal, always cheating" at one point). If this match is anything to go by, whilst Canadian football fans may perhaps lack the numbers compared to other sports, they don't lack the passion.
The match, you ask? Well, the quality wasn't great though both teams did seem to want to build possession play from the back. Pacific took the lead after 5 minutes when Alejandro Diaz turned in a low cross and they didn't really look back. Pacific doubled the lead on 55 minutes when Amer Didic rose above all others to head Boostos' (sp?) beautifully placed free kick cross into the net. Two minutes before the end Forge reduced the deficit when Achinioiti-Jonsson evaded all markers to head in a corner at near post, but it was a mere consolation.
One criticism I'd have of the broadcast is there were a lot of close up views in play, which doesn't allow you to get a tactical overview of the game. I'm not sure whether that is a Canadian thing or an issue due to the size of the ground / positioning of the camera facilities.
Final score:
Pacific FC 2 - Forge FC 1
RM
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On 2022-04-11 11:04, Real Mardin wrote:

So the big news is that BT Sport has started broadcasting the Canadian Premier League in the UK! No, I'm not quite sure why either. Could it be because Canada has just qualified for its first World Cup since 1986? Or because it's due to co-host the World Cup in 2026? Or just because there isn't much else to show at midnight on a Sunday? Whatever the reason, this was my first exposure to Canadian football.

Don't know why they would broadcast CPL outside of Canada. So far this
new league (started in 2019) has been a qualified success. Teams have
been stable and Ottawa was added to the original seven, and this
stability, in spite of covid, is in contrast to the last Canadian League (started with fanfare in 1986, and beset with bankruptcies, chopping and changing, and low interest overall. It eventually collapsed, with some
of the stronger sides joining the american A league (like Toronto,
Montreal, Vancouver - eventually new Calgary and Edmonton sides joined
that league too). The play has been entertaining, and some players have stepped up to MLS teams, and even to the Canadian national team set-up.

Stadium capacities are in line with some of those in 2 divisions in
some major footballing countries (even France and Spain), and the lower reaches of the Scottish Premiership. (The average capacity is higher
than the premier division of the league or Ireland)

Remember that this is not the top level of Football in Canada, the three
big teams (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) play in MLS. Toronto
averages about 22,000 per game in a fairly nice, grass surface, built
for soccer , stadium.

Before the match some representatives from a local ethnic group - I think some sort of Native Indian group, I'm not entirely sure

Almost certainly one of the coastal First Nations Groups. The word
"Indian" is very much frowned upon in Canada these days. As is Eskimo -
our groups prefer Inuit, though apparently in the US (Alaska) they
don''t like Inuit as a term, and still use Eskimo (I could be wrong
about that). Indigenous reconciliation is a big deal these days,
though quite how to address it is not obvious. We are years behind New
Zealand in this respect, but probably ahead of Australia and the US.

- played some traditional music. It was something to do with them either
being under represented or disproportionately affected by Covid, I
didn't quite catch what. Either way, hearing drums and chanting was an atmospheric way to start the match.

The match was played at the Starlight Stadium in Langford, which despite it's grand sounding name is smaller than most grounds in the English National League (fifth tier), holding 6000 people.

There are nine league 1 teams with capacity below 10,000 (which is the
biggest capacity any of the CPL teams has, though in the case of the
teams like Winnipeg, Ottawa and Hamilton that play in bigger facilities,
they could double capacity if there were demand - they use CFL stadia).


There are six league 2 teams in England with capacity less than 6000,
and 14 with capacity less than 10 K..

You'd probably have to go down to the sixth tier of English football to
find comparable sized grounds. Behind one goal was a stand small enough
to bring back memories of a Subbuteo grandstand and behind the other is
a purple building which I believe is some sort of arena, with a few rows
of seats in front of it. Modest sized stands run along the length of the pitch, very reminiscent of the kind of grounds seen in early rounds of
the FA Cup when a semi-professional side draws one from the Football League.

Yet despite it's lack of stature the Starlight Stadium still packed a punch. The ground was mainly full, and the crowd whether old or young were enthusiastic to a person. Chants could be heard, chants either mimicking or inspired by chants you hear in English football (pretty sure I heard a chant based on "Same old Arsenal, always cheating" at one point). If this match is anything to go by, whilst Canadian football fans may perhaps lack the numbers compared to other sports, they don't lack the passion.

Covid still matters here, and there is competition for fans with
almighty hockey, as well as CFL, University sports (Basketball and
Hockey right now, gridiron football in Autumn), Basketball, Baseball and
so on.

The match, you ask? Well, the quality wasn't great though both teams did seem to want to build possession play from the back. Pacific took the lead after 5 minutes when Alejandro Diaz turned in a low cross and they didn't really look back. Pacific doubled the lead on 55 minutes when Amer Didic rose above all others to head Boostos' (sp?) beautifully placed free kick cross into the net. Two minutes before the end Forge reduced the deficit when Achinioiti-Jonsson evaded all markers to head in a corner at near post, but it was a mere consolation.

One criticism I'd have of the broadcast is there were a lot of close up views in play, which doesn't allow you to get a tactical overview of the game. I'm not sure whether that is a Canadian thing or an issue due to the size of the ground / positioning of the camera facilities.

The usual commentators are kind of annoying. They have been doing a lot
of the WCQ games as well. Jingoism at a level we modest Canadians are entirely unaccustomed to.

Final score:

Pacific FC 2 - Forge FC 1

RM

--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On Monday, April 11, 2022 at 6:11:32 p.m. UTC-4, MH wrote:

On 2022-04-11 11:04, Real Mardin wrote:

So the big news is that BT Sport has started broadcasting the Canadian Premier League in the UK! No, I'm not quite sure why either. Could it be because Canada has just qualified for its first World Cup since 1986? Or because it's due to co-host the World Cup in 2026? Or just because there isn't much else to show at midnight on a Sunday? Whatever the reason, this was my first exposure to Canadian football.

Don't know why they would broadcast CPL outside of Canada. So far this
new league (started in 2019) has been a qualified success. Teams have
been stable and Ottawa was added to the original seven, and this
stability, in spite of covid, is in contrast to the last Canadian League (started with fanfare in 1986, and beset with bankruptcies, chopping and changing, and low interest overall. It eventually collapsed, with some
of the stronger sides joining the american A league (like Toronto,
Montreal, Vancouver - eventually new Calgary and Edmonton sides joined
that league too). The play has been entertaining, and some players have stepped up to MLS teams, and even to the Canadian national team set-up.

Stadium capacities are in line with some of those in 2 divisions in
some major footballing countries (even France and Spain), and the lower reaches of the Scottish Premiership. (The average capacity is higher
than the premier division of the league or Ireland)

Remember that this is not the top level of Football in Canada, the three
big teams (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) play in MLS. Toronto
averages about 22,000 per game in a fairly nice, grass surface, built
for soccer , stadium.

As Micheal said, this is like regionaliga stuff. I have to admit, I live in a city that has a team, I could watch every game they play and not have to pay entry ( though admission is inexpensive, I wanna say $10 -20) and yet I have not seen a match yet, not even on tv and I think it is on tv?

Before the match some representatives from a local ethnic group - I think some sort of Native Indian group, I'm not entirely sure

Almost certainly one of the coastal First Nations Groups. The word
"Indian" is very much frowned upon in Canada these days. As is Eskimo -
our groups prefer Inuit, though apparently in the US (Alaska) they
don''t like Inuit as a term, and still use Eskimo (I could be wrong
about that). Indigenous reconciliation is a big deal these days,
though quite how to address it is not obvious. We are years behind New Zealand in this respect, but probably ahead of Australia and the US.
- played some traditional music. It was something to do with them either being under represented or disproportionately affected by Covid, I
didn't quite catch what. Either way, hearing drums and chanting was an atmospheric way to start the match.

First Nations People is the preferred name, though "Indians" are still treated like shit in this country and like the blacks in USA, they really should have killed Whitey years ago. I know I would. Whitey essentially just throws money at them and hopes all the bad stuff goes away. The Catholic Church and Whitey been found out for killing a bunch of native kids andoutside of the whole separating them from their families to make them less "Indian", they actually were killing the kids who did not like the new religion and living standards. It really is quite terrible and if you did not have any reason to hate religion, just read about it.

The match was played at the Starlight Stadium in Langford, which despite it's grand sounding name is smaller than most grounds in the English National League (fifth tier), holding 6000 people.

There are nine league 1 teams with capacity below 10,000 (which is the biggest capacity any of the CPL teams has, though in the case of the
teams like Winnipeg, Ottawa and Hamilton that play in bigger facilities, they could double capacity if there were demand - they use CFL stadia).

Once the old people die, the CFL will die with it. American football is not even a sport and is essentially a thing for fat people to watch and think they are athletes. You have about 20 seconds to 1 minute of actual action in an American football match. It is a really low skill level so called sport. I am watching the World Curling CUp final, live from Las Vegas now, it has more action than American football. (Can 6 - 6 Swe 10th inning)

There are six league 2 teams in England with capacity less than 6000,
and 14 with capacity less than 10 K..
You'd probably have to go down to the sixth tier of English football to
find comparable sized grounds. Behind one goal was a stand small enough
to bring back memories of a Subbuteo grandstand and behind the other is
a purple building which I believe is some sort of arena, with a few rows
of seats in front of it. Modest sized stands run along the length of the pitch, very reminiscent of the kind of grounds seen in early rounds of
the FA Cup when a semi-professional side draws one from the Football League.

Yet despite it's lack of stature the Starlight Stadium still packed a punch. The ground was mainly full, and the crowd whether old or young were enthusiastic to a person. Chants could be heard, chants either mimicking or inspired by chants you hear in English football (pretty sure I heard a chant based on "Same old Arsenal, always cheating" at one point). If this match is anything to go by, whilst Canadian football fans may perhaps lack the numbers compared to other sports, they don't lack the passion.

Covid still matters here,

I came into town today and was doing my Spring tire change and oil change. For the first time in I dont know how long, I did not wear a mask in a store. I have been in bars and restaurants without a mask, but not an actual retail store. Back in QUebec, where my cottage is, could not have done that.

The match, you ask? Well, the quality wasn't great though both teams did seem to want to build possession play from the back. Pacific took the lead after 5 minutes when Alejandro Diaz turned in a low cross and they didn't really look back. Pacific doubled the lead on 55 minutes when Amer Didic rose above all others to head Boostos' (sp?) beautifully placed free kick cross into the net. Two minutes before the end Forge reduced the deficit when Achinioiti-Jonsson evaded all markers to head in a corner at near post, but it was a mere consolation.

One criticism I'd have of the broadcast is there were a lot of close up views in play, which doesn't allow you to get a tactical overview of the game. I'm not sure whether that is a Canadian thing or an issue due to the size of the ground / positioning of the camera facilities.

The usual commentators are kind of annoying. They have been doing a lot
of the WCQ games as well. Jingoism at a level we modest Canadians are entirely unaccustomed to.

If the are the One Soccer guys, they are full of enthusiasm and not much else.

Final score:

Pacific FC 2 - Forge FC 1

RM

--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

No Spoilers in the header, but to follow up on the Curling WC, Sweden won the 2022 World Cup of Curling. Does than mean Swedes will now be on tv selling me Scotty Paper towels?
On Monday, April 11, 2022 at 9:33:14 p.m. UTC-4, Binder Dundat wrote:

On Monday, April 11, 2022 at 6:11:32 p.m. UTC-4, MH wrote:

On 2022-04-11 11:04, Real Mardin wrote:

So the big news is that BT Sport has started broadcasting the Canadian Premier League in the UK! No, I'm not quite sure why either. Could it be because Canada has just qualified for its first World Cup since 1986? Or because it's due to co-host the World Cup in 2026? Or just because there isn't much else to show at midnight on a Sunday? Whatever the reason, this was my first exposure to Canadian football.

Don't know why they would broadcast CPL outside of Canada. So far this
new league (started in 2019) has been a qualified success. Teams have
been stable and Ottawa was added to the original seven, and this stability, in spite of covid, is in contrast to the last Canadian League (started with fanfare in 1986, and beset with bankruptcies, chopping and changing, and low interest overall. It eventually collapsed, with some
of the stronger sides joining the american A league (like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver - eventually new Calgary and Edmonton sides joined that league too). The play has been entertaining, and some players have stepped up to MLS teams, and even to the Canadian national team set-up.

Stadium capacities are in line with some of those in 2 divisions in
some major footballing countries (even France and Spain), and the lower reaches of the Scottish Premiership. (The average capacity is higher
than the premier division of the league or Ireland)

Remember that this is not the top level of Football in Canada, the three big teams (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) play in MLS. Toronto
averages about 22,000 per game in a fairly nice, grass surface, built
for soccer , stadium.

As Micheal said, this is like regionaliga stuff. I have to admit, I live in a city that has a team, I could watch every game they play and not have to pay entry ( though admission is inexpensive, I wanna say $10 -20) and yet I have not seen a match yet, not even on tv and I think it is on tv?

Before the match some representatives from a local ethnic group - I think some sort of Native Indian group, I'm not entirely sure

Almost certainly one of the coastal First Nations Groups. The word "Indian" is very much frowned upon in Canada these days. As is Eskimo - our groups prefer Inuit, though apparently in the US (Alaska) they
don''t like Inuit as a term, and still use Eskimo (I could be wrong
about that). Indigenous reconciliation is a big deal these days,
though quite how to address it is not obvious. We are years behind New Zealand in this respect, but probably ahead of Australia and the US.
- played some traditional music. It was something to do with them either being under represented or disproportionately affected by Covid, I
didn't quite catch what. Either way, hearing drums and chanting was an atmospheric way to start the match.

First Nations People is the preferred name, though "Indians" are still treated like shit in this country and like the blacks in USA, they really should have killed Whitey years ago. I know I would. Whitey essentially just throws money at them and hopes all the bad stuff goes away. The Catholic Church and Whitey been found out for killing a bunch of native kids andoutside of the whole separating them from their families to make them less "Indian", they actually were killing the kids who did not like the new religion and living standards. It really is quite terrible and if you did not have any reason to hate religion, just read about it.

The match was played at the Starlight Stadium in Langford, which despite it's grand sounding name is smaller than most grounds in the English National League (fifth tier), holding 6000 people.

There are nine league 1 teams with capacity below 10,000 (which is the biggest capacity any of the CPL teams has, though in the case of the
teams like Winnipeg, Ottawa and Hamilton that play in bigger facilities, they could double capacity if there were demand - they use CFL stadia).

Once the old people die, the CFL will die with it. American football is not even a sport and is essentially a thing for fat people to watch and think they are athletes. You have about 20 seconds to 1 minute of actual action in an American football match. It is a really low skill level so called sport. I am watching the World Curling CUp final, live from Las Vegas now, it has more action than American football. (Can 6 - 6 Swe 10th inning)

There are six league 2 teams in England with capacity less than 6000,
and 14 with capacity less than 10 K..
You'd probably have to go down to the sixth tier of English football to find comparable sized grounds. Behind one goal was a stand small enough
to bring back memories of a Subbuteo grandstand and behind the other is
a purple building which I believe is some sort of arena, with a few rows of seats in front of it. Modest sized stands run along the length of the pitch, very reminiscent of the kind of grounds seen in early rounds of
the FA Cup when a semi-professional side draws one from the Football League.

Yet despite it's lack of stature the Starlight Stadium still packed a punch. The ground was mainly full, and the crowd whether old or young were enthusiastic to a person. Chants could be heard, chants either mimicking or inspired by chants you hear in English football (pretty sure I heard a chant based on "Same old Arsenal, always cheating" at one point). If this match is anything to go by, whilst Canadian football fans may perhaps lack the numbers compared to other sports, they don't lack the passion.

Covid still matters here,

I came into town today and was doing my Spring tire change and oil change. For the first time in I dont know how long, I did not wear a mask in a store. I have been in bars and restaurants without a mask, but not an actual retail store. Back in QUebec, where my cottage is, could not have done that.

The match, you ask? Well, the quality wasn't great though both teams did seem to want to build possession play from the back. Pacific took the lead after 5 minutes when Alejandro Diaz turned in a low cross and they didn't really look back. Pacific doubled the lead on 55 minutes when Amer Didic rose above all others to head Boostos' (sp?) beautifully placed free kick cross into the net. Two minutes before the end Forge reduced the deficit when Achinioiti-Jonsson evaded all markers to head in a corner at near post, but it was a mere consolation.

One criticism I'd have of the broadcast is there were a lot of close up views in play, which doesn't allow you to get a tactical overview of the game. I'm not sure whether that is a Canadian thing or an issue due to the size of the ground / positioning of the camera facilities.

The usual commentators are kind of annoying. They have been doing a lot
of the WCQ games as well. Jingoism at a level we modest Canadians are entirely unaccustomed to.

If the are the One Soccer guys, they are full of enthusiasm and not much else.

Final score:

Pacific FC 2 - Forge FC 1

RM

--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On Monday, April 11, 2022 at 11:11:32 PM UTC+1, MH wrote:

Remember that this is not the top level of Football in Canada, the three
big teams (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) play in MLS.

Yeah, I'm aware the big Canadian sides play in MLS but my view is CPL is still the top level football *in Canada*. For instance, if the European Super League had taken off, I don't think we'd look at what was left of EPL and say "Ahhh, but this isn't the top level of football in England, don't forget that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur play in the ESL!".

Almost certainly one of the coastal First Nations Groups. The word
"Indian" is very much frowned upon in Canada these days. As is Eskimo -
our groups prefer Inuit, though apparently in the US (Alaska) they
don''t like Inuit as a term, and still use Eskimo (I could be wrong
about that). Indigenous reconciliation is a big deal these days,
though quite how to address it is not obvious. We are years behind New Zealand in this respect, but probably ahead of Australia and the US.
- played some traditional music.

Thank you for clarifying that, and also thanks to Binder for his insights. I genuinely didn't mean to offend anyone by saying "Native Indian", I've never had any dealings with First Nations People and don't really know much about their culture or history other than the sort of crude overview you get in films. I shall make a note not to use said term again.

There are nine league 1 teams with capacity below 10,000 (which is the biggest capacity any of the CPL teams has, though in the case of the
teams like Winnipeg, Ottawa and Hamilton that play in bigger facilities, they could double capacity if there were demand - they use CFL stadia). There are six league 2 teams in England with capacity less than 6000,
and 14 with capacity less than 10 K..

Where I went wrong here is to look at typical stadium sizes in the English fifth tier and make the assumption that clubs in the leagues above that must have bigger grounds. My bad. However, I'll say this: a number of English fifth tier sides do indeed have larger grounds than the Starlight Stadium:
Aldershot Town - The EBB Stadium - 7100
Altrincham - J Davidson Stadium - 7873
Chesterfield - Technique Stadium - 10600
Grimsby Town - Blundell Park - 9002
Halifax Town - Shay Stadium - 10401
King's Lynn Town - The Walks - 8200
Notts County - Meadow Lane - 19841
Southend United - Roots Hall - 12492
Stockport County - Edgeley Park 10841
Wrexham - Racecourse Ground - 10771
Yeovil Town - Huish Park - 9565
Barnet, Dagenham & Redbridge, Weymouth and Woking have grounds which are about the same size as the Starlight (in the 6000 range) and a few others have grounds which are slightly smaller.
Either way, to a typical UK viewer the Starlight very much looks like an "early rounds of the FA Cup" ground as opposed to a top tier ground. Of course, the counter view is that the CPL is only three years old (Pacific FC was founded on June 1st 2018, so coming up to four years old) whereas the English teams and pyramid have been in existence much longer. You'd expect Notts County, formed in 1862 and formerly an English top tier side (albeit not since 1991/92) to have a bigger ground as they've had 156 more years to generate revenue!

The usual commentators are kind of annoying.

There was a female commentator (I note her gender to help you identify her and am not someone who has a problem with female commentators) who sounded enthusiastic but at one stage expressed surprise at players transferring between teams and how interesting it was to see Player A who previously played for Team B now playing for Team C...............not sure if I missed some cultural context but I couldn't help but think - "yeah, we've been doing transfers since forever??"
I'll say this much, if the three year old CPL with its European lower league size grounds has managed to sell its tv rights to the UK then someone running the CPL is doing something right.
RM
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On 2022-04-12 07:02, Real Mardin wrote:

On Monday, April 11, 2022 at 11:11:32 PM UTC+1, MH wrote:

Remember that this is not the top level of Football in Canada, the three
big teams (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) play in MLS.

Yeah, I'm aware the big Canadian sides play in MLS but my view is CPL is still the top level football *in Canada*. For instance, if the European Super League had taken off, I don't think we'd look at what was left of EPL and say "Ahhh, but this isn't the top level of football in England, don't forget that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur play in the ESL!".

Well the original plan for the ESL still had the teams playing in their respective home leagues (which do not always align perfectly with
countries as defined by UEFA for that matter -see Wales, Monaco, Berwick Rangers, Derry City and so on).

What would you say was the top level of football in the USA ? If you
say MLS, then there is an inconsistency, but I would still regard that
as the right answer.

Transnational leagues are the norm in North America for all sports
except NFL football. Sometimes the Canadian content is minimal
(basketball, baseball, though both of those did have other Canadian
teams than Toronto in the past). They are also not unknown in other
sports like Rugby Union and Rugby league. (Eg. Super Rugby in its
various forms - now Pacific with Australia, NZ, and Fiji; United Rugby Championship currently with South Africa, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and
Italy, and its predecessors Pro 14, Pro 12, and Celtic league). Not
sure what answer you would expect to the question "what is the top level
of rugby in Ireland (or Wales) ?

Almost certainly one of the coastal First Nations Groups. The word
"Indian" is very much frowned upon in Canada these days. As is Eskimo -
our groups prefer Inuit, though apparently in the US (Alaska) they
don''t like Inuit as a term, and still use Eskimo (I could be wrong
about that). Indigenous reconciliation is a big deal these days,
though quite how to address it is not obvious. We are years behind New
Zealand in this respect, but probably ahead of Australia and the US.
- played some traditional music.

Thank you for clarifying that, and also thanks to Binder for his insights. I genuinely didn't mean to offend anyone by saying "Native Indian",

No offense taken at all. This is hard enough for us to keep track of
with constant reminders every day. First Nations, Inuit and Metis is
the current description of indigenous peoples. And they do have a lot of
very legitimate grievances, which we are only slowly sorting out - and
they are not necessarily unified in their attitude to things like
resource development, government policy and so on. There is a huge
diversity of languages and organizations within these groups.

I've never had any dealings with First Nations People and don't really
know much about their culture or history other than the sort of crude
overview you get in films. I shall make a note not to use said term again.

There are nine league 1 teams with capacity below 10,000 (which is the
biggest capacity any of the CPL teams has, though in the case of the
teams like Winnipeg, Ottawa and Hamilton that play in bigger facilities,
they could double capacity if there were demand - they use CFL stadia).
There are six league 2 teams in England with capacity less than 6000,
and 14 with capacity less than 10 K..

Where I went wrong here is to look at typical stadium sizes in the English fifth tier and make the assumption that clubs in the leagues above that must have bigger grounds. My bad. However, I'll say this: a number of English fifth tier sides do indeed have larger grounds than the Starlight Stadium:

For sure, but nearly all the "big" ones below are teams that did play
higher up in the English pyramid for a considerable period of time, like Grimsby, Halifax, Notts COunty (were in Div 1 shortly before the Premier league came along I think), Stockport, Wrexham, Southend. CHesterfield
too I think.

Aldershot Town - The EBB Stadium - 7100

Altrincham - J Davidson Stadium - 7873

Chesterfield - Technique Stadium - 10600

Grimsby Town - Blundell Park - 9002

Halifax Town - Shay Stadium - 10401

King's Lynn Town - The Walks - 8200

Notts County - Meadow Lane - 19841

Southend United - Roots Hall - 12492

Stockport County - Edgeley Park 10841

Wrexham - Racecourse Ground - 10771

Yeovil Town - Huish Park - 9565

Barnet, Dagenham & Redbridge, Weymouth and Woking have grounds which are about the same size as the Starlight (in the 6000 range) and a few others have grounds which are slightly smaller.

Either way, to a typical UK viewer the Starlight very much looks like an "early rounds of the FA Cup" ground as opposed to a top tier ground. Of course, the counter view is that the CPL is only three years old (Pacific FC was founded on June 1st 2018, so coming up to four years old) whereas the English teams and pyramid have been in existence much longer. You'd expect Notts County, formed in 1862 and formerly an English top tier side (albeit not since 1991/92) to have a bigger ground as they've had 156 more years to generate revenue!

The usual commentators are kind of annoying.

There was a female commentator (I note her gender to help you identify her and am not someone who has a problem with female commentators) who sounded enthusiastic but at one stage expressed surprise at players transferring between teams and how interesting it was to see Player A who previously played for Team B now playing for Team C...............not sure if I missed some cultural context but I couldn't help but think - "yeah, we've been doing transfers since forever??"

I'll say this much, if the three year old CPL with its European lower league size grounds has managed to sell its tv rights to the UK then someone running the CPL is doing something right.

RM

--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)