Victoria on USL expansion radar
Recent FIFA matches perk interest
MURRAY LANGDON
Special to The Globe and Mail
July 24, 2007
If attendance at the recent FIFA U-20 World Cup games is any indication of support for soccer in Victoria, then one man's dream of fielding a professional squad in the city could become a reality.
Alex Campbell Jr. hopes to bring a United Soccer League franchise to the B.C. capital.
Campbell has been in talks with the Florida-based league for several weeks now, but after seeing Victoria's appetite for the FIFA matches, he's more convinced than ever it would work.
"Those were great numbers," he said from Goteborg, Sweden, where he's coaching a B.C. youth team in an international tournament. "We've got the market for it and it would be a great fit."
All seven under-20 games in Victoria were sellouts: average of 11,500 fans a game and a total of 80,500. The numbers have strengthened the entrepreneur's belief in drawing the 4,000 to 5,000 fans needed to secure a USL team.
"Things are moving along well," Campbell said. "I'm going to see what [Royal Athletic Park] looks like after the tournament to see if it's viable and sit down with the city to talk about an expansion."
The USL is a six-division league, four of which feature franchised teams. The others are developmental and youth leagues.
The Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact play in the top-level USL-1, while the Toronto Lynx, Thunder Bay Chill and Ottawa Fury are members of the Premier Development League. Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, London, Ont., and Laval, Que., have teams in the women's W-League.
Campbell is ambitious man and would prefer to play in the top flight, against the very best.
"Victoria has a history of successful athletes, so we'd want to be near the top," he said.
Harold McNeil, the chairman of the Victoria organizing committee for the FIFA matches, says the sport evokes a lot of passion and emotion in its fans, making it a strong draw.
But running a professional franchise comes down to one main thing: dollars and cents, he said.
"The key to what happens in soccer is money. You need TV, you need ticket sales and a good spectator base, but ultimately, to bring a team here, you need financial backing," he said.
Campbell seems to have resources on the financial side.
He runs a small chain of European-style bakeries on Vancouver Island and is the son of Alex Campbell Sr., who recently sold the Thrifty Foods grocery chain to Sobeys Inc. for $260-million dollars.
Tim Holt, executive vice-president and CEO of the USL, confirms talks with a Victoria-based group are under way, but stressed discussions are in the preliminary stages.
Three things need to be nailed down, according to Holt, in terms of securing a franchise: a proper venue, a strong fiscal plan and community support.
"We're intrigued by Victoria for a USL team," Holt said from the head office in Tampa.
"We're at the beginning stages of this right now. All things are open."
Holt said a representative of the league attended some of the U-20 matches in Victoria and was "impressed by the venue."
Attendance-wise, city-owned Royal Athletic Park can fit some 3,000. Temporary bleachers were brought in for the FIFA event that nearly quadrupled capacity.
The mayor of Victoria says he is prepared to work with Campbell to help secure a USL franchise.
"When you have any pro sport come to town," Alan Lowe said, "it gives a big boost to the city and puts it on a stage for everyone to see."
