Forge’s Board is a podcast on the NSXI Network, dedicated to Forge FC, Hamilton’s team in the Canadian Premier League.
On their most recent episode, they managed to “sit down” with Dino Rossi, the Commissioner of League1 Ontario (L1O).
In addition to discussing the appointment of Carmelina Moscato as Commissioner of L1O’s Women’s division and the impact CanPL has had on the league, they discuss L1O expansion targets.
We’ll be making announcements next month about some new additions to the league for 2020.
Dino rossi
In addition to referees, coaches & facilities, when it comes to what areas they’re looking to expand into, Dino was relatively straightforward:
That’s very important for us, to plant flags in areas that we don’t currently serve, to work with strong organizations, whether they be community clubs, private academies, that have the right mentality, have the right structure, have the commitment to creating that pathway for their players and players in their communities to play at the highest level possible.
dino Rossi
When asked about Sudbury specifically:
I don’t see why Sudbury couldn’t support a League1 team, but it’s obviously a challenge. I think we’d like to approach the Northern end of Ontario step-by-step. I think Huronia would be the first and obvious connection, and then that can be a jumping off point.
We have identified a few markets in Northern Ontario, that under the right conditions, should definitely be considered for a League1 team.
Dino Rossi
A few responses/notes:
- Huronia is not in Northern Ontario. Huronia is a geographic region of southern Ontario, Canada that largely corresponds to the counties of Simcoe and Grey.
- That said, we agree expanding L1O to Huronia would make expanding into Northeastern Ontario easier.
- We also agree, taking on a few Northeastern Ontario teams at once, would be much better than taking on one club all by itself. We would suggest targeting Sudbury and one or both of North Bay and Sault Ste Marie, as the distance between the three is certainly manageable.
- The league entry requirements need to remain static for a few years in order to give investment groups & community organizations something specific for which to aim. The moving target to enter the league is disproportionately detrimental for under serviced areas like Northern Ontario which often have limited/no access to the training & resources necessary to upgrade their operations.
It’s a great podcast, and Dino makes a lot of interesting points.
Ultimately though, it’s up to us here in the North to make it happen.
View the original article & audio.