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Written by Gerry Prince
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Wednesday, 19 January 2000 |
Call it the Great NPSL Shootout in Cereal Flats.
Call it a trial balloon.
Realistically, though, you'd have to call tonight's neutral site game featuring the Edmonton Drillers and Montreal Impact at Saskatchewan Place a shot in the dark.
Funny thing is, you never know what you're going to hit when you squeeze off a round or two at night which is why NPSL commissioner Steve Paxos and Drill owner Wojtek Wojcicki will have a close eye on the proceedings.
Given Paxos hasn't been able to lure Seattle, Portland or San Diego or any other defunct Continental Indoor Soccer League side into the NPSL fold, Saskatoon could be a good fit.
Not ideal, but OK.
'Toon Town, like the City of Champions, is airline challenged. Although it's not impossible to get here by plane from Wichita or Greensboro, it would require some doing.
How well the NPSL would fly in Saskatoon is something the commish didn't want to speculate about yesterday.
"Only time will tell,'' offered Paxos.
"They think they've got something there. We'll look at anything in Canada. It's no secret that we want to have a little more expansion in that part of the world.''
Paxos admits he's had calls from parties interested in the NPSL.
Not many, mind you, but some.
"There's been calls now and then but nothing to get excited about because it's an unknown,'' said Paxos, who had hoped to be on hand for the game. "I have to defer to people who have more knowledge of the territory than I do.''
A HEFTY WALK UP
An estimated 6,000 tickets had been sold by late yesterday and Sask Place officials anticipate a hefty walk up will mean between 7,000 and 7,500 will be in the seats. If the 6,000 folks who've already bought tickets show up, that'll be roughly 1,200 more tickets than the Drill sold for their last home game.
Averaging over 7,000 a night in a building which seats 10,500 for indoor soccer 22 times a year is another matter.
"We haven't been seriously pursuing a franchise,'' admitted Scott Ford, Sask Place marketing and events manager. "We like the exhibition game format but there is interest from the league. They have some ownership people that are interested in this market. They know Saskatoon is a strong soccer market.''
Ford estimates there are 6,000 youngsters registered for Saskatoon's indoor soccer program and double that playing outdoor in the summer.
Edmonton's soccer enrollment is twice that but the Drill still aren't anywhere near packing Skyreach Centre.
COULD CARVE A NICHE
Despite competition from the Western Hockey League's Saskatoon Blades and most likely yet another incarnation of the International Basketball Association's Saskatchewan Hawks, Ford says the NPSL could carve a niche for itself.
"Twenty-two times, that could be a different story,'' admitted Ford. "The one thing I like about the NPSL is the ticket prices are affordable for the sports fan or the consumer.
"That's a big plus. They are well-priced and they offer great entertainment. Could we handle 22 games a year, that's a question mark.''
Clearly, the folks at Sask Place didn't set out to upstage the Drill's marketing but they will.
Nor is Paxos about to drop a franchise into Saskatoon tomorrow, but he may want to sleep on it. Given the current state of the 12-team NPSL, Paxos is convinced Sask Place would be an ideal venue. Where Saskatoon is on the map is another story.
"The building is actually perfect for us at this stage in our development,'' he said. "If it wasn't so far away, I'd have been there. Isn't Big Foot from Saskatoon or Saskatchewan?''
Geography isn't a problem for the Drill owner. There's no question Wojcicki knows exactly where Saskatoon is.
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