For the 2023 season, there would be no team in Edmonton as the CPL board of governors voted unanimously to terminate the city’s franchise, FC Edmonton.
In a press release on Monday, CPL commissioner Mark Noonan cited the team’s poor performance, low attendance and low revenue as factors that led to the termination.
The statement read,
“I have made it clear since I became Commissioner that we need certain conditions in each of our markets for our clubs to be successful on and off the field. After careful review, these conditions simply didn’t exist at FC Edmonton, consistently resulting in the smallest league average attendance, lowest revenue, and poor performance in the standings, despite incremental league investment. The die-hard supporters and soccer community of Edmonton deserve better,”
FC Edmonton, founded by Tom and Dave Fath in 2010 competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2011 to 2017 and then joined the CPL for its inaugural 2019 campaign. Last season, the team finished dead last in the CPL recording just four wins, 16 losses and eight draws.
Alan Koch, FC Edmonton’s head coach said the news was bad for the sport.
“FC Edmonton was one of the very few historic professional clubs in the country and with the club folding, that’s that’s not a good day for Canadian soccer,” Koch said.
However, for fans in the area this is not the end.
Commissioner Noonan added in the release that, “The CPL is actively engaged in discussions with prospective world-class ownership groups about bringing a new CPL franchise to Edmonton when more favourable conditions can be established in the market.”
He added that all FC Edmonton players that are not free agents will either return to their parent clubs or be eligible for selection by the existing CPL franchises.
