27 mars 2017 – Times & Transcript New Brunswick FC? Group eyeing pro soccer team Younes Bouida, executive director of Soccer New Brunswick, is trying to drum up support for a a Moncton team to take part in a much-rumoured Canadian soccer league. PHOTO: TOM BATEMAN/TIMES AND TRANSCRIPT Moncton is a“perfect fit”for a fledgling Canadian professional soccer league, but the city will have to get the ball rolling quickly to stay in the game, says the executive director of Soccer NB. Younes Boiuda said he spent much of last week talking about Metro Moncton’s role in a proposed Canada-wide professional soccer league, a concept which has been creating a buzz in cities like Halifax, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Quebec for months. The size and scale of the nascent Canadian Premier League lines up perfectly with Metro, where both the economic and soccer communities are booming, Bouida said. But they need investors: the Moncton bid will go nowhere without financial backing, Bouida said. “It’s generated a lot of discussion, not only in New Brunswick but across the country. There are business people that are interested and there’s a lot of people that are also keen about 27 mars 2017 – Times & Transcript the project, that want to be involved,”he said on Friday. To succeed, they need attendance of about 7,000 fans per game, Bouida said, with the annual cost of running a team estimated to be $3 to $5 million.The cost of a franchise has not yet been set. Bouida is the executive director of Soccer NB, the non-profit group whose mission is, in part, to govern and promote the sport of soccer in the province. It’s a mission that’s gone pretty well in recent years. Soccer NB now has about 15,000 members - that’s more than 500 per cent growth over the last decade. There are also more New Brunswickers getting university scholarships in the sport, and training through high-performance academies across the province, Bouida says.. “Just here in the Moncton region, we have 5,000 people playing the game,” he said.“Nintey per cent of them are under the age of 18. So right there, you’re talking about 10,000 parents.” Boudia said the league intends to offer the top-level soccer in Canada, with the exception of the U.S.-based Major League Soccer teams in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Unlike previous pro leagues, its mandate will focus of getting more Canadian-born players into the world-class ranks and follow a Canadian Football League pattern of growth. That fits with Soccer NB’s mandate, which is why Bouida chose to“create awareness”about the league’s potential in New Brunswick. “I think the scale of this league fits well with our resources and our population,”Bouida said.“I think the return will be huge.” Bouida envisions a Moncton franchise assuming a provincial identity, similar to the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, and 27 mars 2017 – Times & Transcript attract fans from other cities in the province. But few details about the new league have yet been confirmed. Paul Beirne, a veteran sports executive who was one of the first executives behind the Toronto FC MLS team, and whose resume includes time with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and the Ottawa Senators, is working behind the scenes to prepare the league for a public unveiling. Beirne declined to comment on the record to the Times & Transcript about the Moncton bid, but is meeting with investors of a similar push for a team in Halifax next week. On Thursday, Halifax company Sports and Entertainment Atlantic, presented their concept for a 6,000-seat pop-up stadium in Wanderers Grounds to Halifax city councillors. “We think this will be terrific for our community,”the company tweeted about their plans.“Grateful to present our pop-up stadium plan ... receive such positive feedback.” But this is not a Halifax vs. Moncton situation - at least until if and when the league becomes a reality. André Bourque,a spokesman for a Halifax supporters group, said also having Moncton in the league would be ideal. “If there’s only Halifax then we won’t have any natural rivals,”Bourque said. Bouida agrees. “It creates competition which is healthy. I think it’s actually healthy for the game,”he said. Unlike Halifax, Moncton already has a future home for the team at the $17-million Stade Moncton Stadium.With about 9,000 permanent seats and a healthy record of hosting sports events there,Bouida said having the stadium available will be an important part of a potential bid for Moncton. During last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, the stadium drew an average of 11,000 per match. 27 mars 2017 – Times & Transcript Université de Moncton spokeswoman Nathalie Haché said UdeM would be pleased have some new neighbours on campus,“as we believe this would have a positive economic impact for the area.” Similar pockets of support have emerged in cities like Hamilton, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Victoria, all Canadian cities that Bouida says Moncton should strive to rub shoulders with. “Just look at the promotion of our province and the Moncton area, attracting tourists and promoting all that we have .. creating that positive momentum for our business,”Bouida said. On top of the economic boost and jobs created, Bouida notes how soccer in particular could play a role in attracting immigrants to move to and stay in Moncton. A 2014 survey by FIFA, the sport’s governing body, estimated there are 265 million active players around the world. While Bouida expects it will be three years before a team would start playing should the plan move forward, getting the ball rolling now is important. “All we want is really to build and create awareness in our community - in Moncton and also in New Brunswick - about this opportunity,”he said. “Knowing the risk and knowing the scale of this league, I think it’s a perfect fit.” .