Cavalry on tour from coast to coast
It’s been all about B.C. for Cavalry FC the last few weeks.
Included is the Calgary club’s involvement in the possible expansion of the domestic soccer circuit to Kelowna.
So this little side trip for Cavalry (1W-2D-1L) way across the country to the East Coast amid a heavy schedule of games against West Coasters to face the HFX Wanderers FC (0-0-3) in Canadian Premier League play Saturday in Halifax (noon MT, Onesoccer, Onesoccer. ca) seems a little strange.
“We finish all these games with West Coast clubs, and then head as far east as we can go in our league,” said Cavalry general manager/ head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “We haven’t named the same starting 11 back-to-back yet, and that includes (February’s) CONCACAF Champions Cup games. But it’s because we’re playing every four days, so you’ve got to manage that roster very well for the long haul.”
The long haul to Nova Scotia comes fresh off Tuesday’s first-leg loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship quarterfinal and news of Cavalry being named one of the teams involved in the kickoff of the CPL’S On Tour series.
The initiative launched by Canada’s top flight of men’s professional soccer foresees the staging of competitive games at neutral sites across the country in the coming years, as the CPL continues its mission to connect with fans of The Beautiful Game from coast to coast and expand into new communities across the nation.
Kelowna is a high-priority expansion market for the loop, so much so that the country’s domestic soccer circuit is making the B.C. centre its first stop of the series next month.
That upcoming game in the Okanagan Valley features a regular-season match involving Cavalry and Vancouver FC.
“When this CPL On Tour concept came up for Kelowna, it made sense to have both sides of the Rockies represented,” said Cavalry president Ian Allison. “We know how many people from this part of the world hang their shingle out in the Okanagan Valley for a good part of the year. So I’m hoping that it’s a balanced crowd-fandom out there on June 16. We may even bring the 2023 CPL Shield for photo ops and inspiration.
“I’m excited about it.”
The contest between Vancouver FC and CPL Shield-holder Cavalry is slated for Kelowna’s Apple Bowl (5 p.m. ET, Onesoccer, Onesoccer.ca). It marks the second of four league meetings between the western Canadian rivals and is one of Vancouver’s two home games in the season-long series.
The game marks the first time the league will stage a one-off competitive match at a neutral site.
Cavalry season-ticket holders gained pre-sale access for the game Thursday. Tickets then went on sale to the public Friday.
“Our new On Tour series is an innovative way to bring our league, clubs and players to prospective new CPL markets, and we’re thrilled to be making Kelowna our first stop On Tour this summer,” said CPL commissioner Mark Noonan. “We look forward to engaging with existing CPL supporters in the Okanagan Valley, attracting new fans to our game, meeting with Kelowna city officials and turning the On Tour series into a destination event for other potential CPL communities.”
And hopefully add — sooner rather than later — to the eight teams making up the league.
“Especially the Okanagan Valley, and Kelowna in particular, has been on the CPL radar for some time,” Allison said. “The circumstances were that the first group that looked at it wasn’t able to put the puzzle together. But it’s had a bit of a rising from the ashes and the city seems to be on board. And with the Apple Bowl out there, there’s a venue that has hosted our sport in the past. Indeed, the Vancouver Whitecaps have played a neutral site game there — or many of them there — so we know it’s a great soccer community.
“We already have a concentration of teams in the area where there’s Ottawa, York and Forge, so it would be a great benefit if all the stars aligned to have a team on Vancouver Island, a team in Vancouver, a team in Calgary and maybe in the Okanagan. And presumably one day again, we’ll be able to look at Edmonton again and do all that.
“Exciting times.”