Forge FC brass praises outgoing CPL commissioner, as Clanachan exits to pursue expansion club
Published January 10, 2022 at 6:15 pm
While Hamilton’s Forge FC have been steady winners over their first three seasons, off-field shake-ups continue for the Canadian Premier League.
The soccer league announced Monday (Jan. 8) that its first commissioner, David Clanachan, is stepping down as commissioner to spearhead the launch of an expansion club in the Windsor/Essex County region. The CPL said that Clanachan has been been awarded exclusive rights for a CPL expansion club in his hometown, contingent on delivering a soccer-specific stadium and “other expansion criteria to league standards.”
League investors and soccer officials praised Clanachan’s work as commissioner.
“Very few thought we could pull this off when we started talking about this with David five years ago, and yet here we sit with a league that is clearly been a great success despite the obstacles and that is destined to establish itself as one of the more important leagues in the world,” CPL co-founder Scott Mitchell, who is CEO of Forge FC and football’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, said in a statement.
Mitchell also thanked Clanachan “for his commitment in helping us with a seamless transition to our next leader.” Clanachan said he expects the league to “move at haste” to find his successor.
Congratulations to @CPLsoccer Commissioner David Clanachan who announced today’s he’s stepped down to work on bringing an expansion franchise to his hometown. There is no CPL without David and I have no doubt that my great friend will do something special in Windsor !
— Scott Mitchell (@ticatmitchell) January 10, 2022
Videos
Forge FC owner Bob Young called Clanachan “an incredible leader, builder and a passionate champion for Canada’s soccer community.”
“He has inspired our league through our exciting startup phase and navigated us through the difficult days of the pandemic,” Young added.
The eight-team CPL, which wrapped up its third season last month with Pacific FC crowned champion after defeating Forge in the final, already has expansion plans with Vancouver expected to come on board in 2023 and a conditional franchise awarded to Saskatoon.
However, it also needs new investors for its Edmonton franchise. Seasoned Canadian soccer podcaster Duane Rollins also noted on Monday that the league has not made much of a push into developing interest in Quebec.
Thé #CanPL needs to search for a younger, French-er and more millennial Don Garber now that David Clanachan has left. https://t.co/9TgWkgudHz
— Duane Rollins (@24thminute) January 10, 2022
In comparison, the Canadian Elite Basketball League, which also began play in 2019, like the CPL, is adding a Montreal team for its 2022 season.
Meantime, Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis paid tribute to Clanachan’s “tremendous legacy for professional soccer in Canada.”
“I still remember our initial meetings when we drew up many of the current league policies on the back of a napkin several years ago,” he said in a statement. “The league is now ready for a new trajectory of growth in large part due to his commitment.”
Clanachan joined the CPL after more than 35 years at Tim Hortons, starting at 14 unloading trucks and mopping floors at a Windsor franchise. He rose to president and COO before shifting to chairman of RBI Canada, the Canadian arm of Tim Hortons parent company, in August 2016.
A league spokeswoman said there was no agreement about getting a franchise when Clanachan became the CPL’s first commissioner in January 2018. And Clanachan said he faces the same vetting as any potential owner.
“I’ve got to fulfil all the same things that everyone else has to do as far as how as the vetting process, the financial — all the expansion criteria that the league standards have, I know them as well as anybody,” he said in an interview. “I have to be able to punch those tickets as well.”
Windsor does not have a soccer-specific stadium, and the multipurpose outdoor stadiums at St. Clair College and the University of Windsor have small seating capacities. York United’s 4,500-seat stadium is the smallest in the league.
Clanachan said realistically 2024 would be the target to have the Windsor-area club begin play, with the goal to have the franchise up and running prior to the 2026 World Cup that Canada is co-hosting.
Clanachan said while he alone is behind the proposed Windsor franchise, “there are people that are interested.”
“I wouldn’t say that we’ve actually inked any deal at this point in time. That’s not what I’m worried about,” he added. “I’m more concerned about making sure we get moving on where we’re going to play first and go from there.”
He pointed to Halifax’s Wanderers Grounds as a model worth following, given its proximity to the city centre.
Clanachan, who oversaw the Canadian league’s launch and expansion to eight Canadian markets, says the league’s level of play has risen each year despite the pandemic.
“The reality is this league has survived and thrived through probably one of the most incredibly difficult times that I’ve seen in my entire life,” he said.
“We’re nowhere near being finished,” he added. “But we’ve really laid down a phenomenal foundation. And I think this league is here to stay … I’m extremely proud of what we’ve got..”
— The Canadian Press
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising