It’s Ottawa in 2020 says Eric Perez

[ojx]

9 minutes ago, Jayme2020 said:

In Toronto's case I think it has more to do with the dome being over the stadium until Apr now Ottawa could start playing home games in early March as a rule its not that cold then.

Ottawa in March. I shudder to think about that. 

[Jayme2020]

Many years ago the Cfl team was bad on the field at ticket wise yes the team folded once came back and the ownership group was worse and the league revoked the franchise.

OSEG who owns the football teams now has done an amazing job the team has something like 18,000 season tickets sold and there is no reason to think the rugby team can't have success with OSEG helping out.

[Jayme2020]

Just now, ojx said:

Ottawa in March. I shudder to think about that. 

The last 2 weeks outside of a couple days its been above freezing next week is going to be really nice Friday there calling for 10 above.

[Kayakman]

Certainly April is playable there but it would be muddy.

[TheReaper]

21 minutes ago, Kayakman said:

Certainly April is playable there but it would be muddy.

Turf though, no mud. Only Toronto has real grass in the CFL.

 

I'm curious to see how involved OSEG actually is. Perez  says he's "partnering with" OSEG, but also has his own group of 15 people.  So it's not under the same umbrella, it could be as little as having a rental agreement.  Likely more, ie facilities and marketing lists, but it'll be interesting to find out more details about that relationship. 

[PatrickB]

11 hours ago, Kayakman said:

What are you talking about?...Ottawa is a great town and has always been so!

The Canadian capital is beautiful and very clean...a large amount of extra money is spent on our capital city here...the Market is a great place to party on the weekend and, indeed, any night in the summer.   What a great geographic location too.  Ottawa has everythiong and is a great place to live and work.

Here is the company Ottawa keeps with capital G 7 countries:

Paris, London, Rome, Washington, Tokyo, Berlin...thats the peer group...

Ottawa is currently the center of the universe!

Ah yes. I always called it Paris on the Rideau. Just not in February.

[Jayme2020]

It would be nice if we get Ottawa and NY maybe its time to start thinking about a North American Cup.

[Jayme2020]

15 minutes ago, TheReaper said:

Turf though, no mud. Only Toronto has real grass in the CFL.

 

I'm curious to see how involved OSEG actually is. Perez  says he's "partnering with" OSEG, but also has his own group of 15 people.  So it's not under the same umbrella, it could be as little as having a rental agreement.  Likely more, ie facilities and marketing lists, but it'll be interesting to find out more details about that relationship. 

My fear is OSEG is taking on a lot not just with there teams but they are working with Carleton and U of Ottawa they also have a agreement with the baseball team.

[fevtom]

https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/ottawa-wont-replicate-high-spending-toronto-says-perez-19863/

According to this article Ottawa will use some Canadian players and have a more organic growth than Toronto. Feeder team to start with perhaps? It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out.

[Damien]

35 minutes ago, fevtom said:

https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/ottawa-wont-replicate-high-spending-toronto-says-perez-19863/

According to this article Ottawa will use some Canadian players and have a more organic growth than Toronto. Feeder team to start with perhaps? It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out.

Interesting. God help us though if Perez deviates from this slightly or changes his plan because if he does we will hear it quoted forever more from Parky.

[Jayme2020]

For some players

Just now, Damien said:

Interesting. God help us though if Perez deviates from this slightly or changes his plan because if he does we will hear it quoted forever more from Parky.

I think his plan is a really smart one I hope it works.

[Damien]

Just now, Jayme2020 said:

For some players

I think his plan is a really smart one I hope it works.

It certainly is and I think having Canadian teams with different approaches works very well. It can give the sport a wider appeal and engage with people on different levels.

[Jayme2020]

I think if Toronto is in the SL next year and Ottawa League 1 you would see Ottawa being very attractive to a lot of young players wanting a chance to play they may not get with Toronto.

[Captain Survival]

Its been some time since I have commented on the forum.  I have lurked occasionally but my professional life has had me very busy of late.

However, I felt this news exciting enough to log in and comment.  Somewhere in 2017 in one of the many exasperating endless threads debating Toronto/expansion I discussed at length for the potential of a viable franchise in Ottawa.   In my professional opinion as a businessman it is a slam dunk, and great news for RL.  Here are some of my thoughts as to why:

1) Ottawa is a large city with an even larger catchment area - beyond the local CMA which exceeds 1 million people it is in fact within easy driving distance of both Montreal and Kingston, and many Torontonians who are Wolfpack fans will think nothing of the 500km trip to go see a game in Ottawa whether the Wolfpack or new Ottawa team.  

2) I grew up in Ottawa and can attest to the fact it is a very sports oriented city.  And Ottawans like rugged sports so I see rugby being an easy sell to the population.  Ottawa is also generally familiar with Rugby - I played while in high school and I think it will actually have an easier intro into Ottawa then it did into Toronto.  BTW Ottawa has a fair sized UK expat population.

3) Ottawa is well known to peer sporting cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York and Philadelphia and having a team in Ottawa will allow for an easy sporting rivalry with any of these should they ever get involved in RL.  A Toronto/Ottawa/NY basis for RL to gain a presence in NA is such a natural step.  Should it come to fruition adding Boston and Philly would be an easy fit and result in very manageable travel times for both the local and visiting teams.

4) Ottawa is a very pleasant place to visit as a tourist.  The venue is easy to get to.  Its right beside the Rideau Canal which itself is a tourist attraction.  Ottawa has many attractions which can easily keep any tourist busy for several days.  And if coming from the UK it cuts about an hour off the flight time.  Plus Montreal is an alternative for flights.

5) Landsdowne is a modern stadium in great shape.  It beats the pants off almost all the other RL grounds.  Its easy to get to as its just off the highway.  Its served by public transit.  One potential matter might be some scheduling conflicts with the CFL team that the backers also own, but I think that is very easily resolved.

6) the Ottawa partner is very successful.  They have the deep pockets such that this venture is not even remotely a stretch for them.  Other then the NHL hockey team they own every other major sporting entity in the city already, and have promotion & marketing down to a science.  They know their market and how to work it.  The entire cost associated with the RF team including travel etc is likely not even a secondary expense figure on their annual statements.   If only we had more ownership groups in RL that were as capable and financially sound as this one.

7) There will be no lack of external sponsors - there are a lot large companies with a major presence in Ottawa.  Ottawa is one of the high tech hubs in North America as well as a major legal hub due to government.  I expect corporate boxes will sell out quickly.  I can see Ottawa getting to 8-10k attendance very quickly and Lansdowne park lends itself much more to the type of atmosphere the WolfPack has created as its a much larger space that is traditionally set up for family type events.

7) I do believe having a 2nd Canadian team will imprint upon the psyche of young Canadians the potential of pursuing RL rugby as a sport.  It will improve the potential for government funding.

Even Ottawa weather is not what it used to be.  In the 60's and 70's it was common for the winter temp to be below -20C from end of Nov to end of March continuously.  This is a pipedream now.  I suspect by mid april games could be played outdoors.  I also think they could actually cover Lansdowne but I don't think they have enough reasons yet to justify the cost.  And a few early season games in the RL is not enough on their own to justify that expense.

With all due respect to Man of Kent and his observation of having visited some family and thinking Ottawa is dull, I beg to disagree.  Ottawa would not get a million people attending its winter carnival, all freezing their asses off in Feb, were it a dull place.  But I suppose in the end each place we visit is what we make of it.  Some do better then others in this regards.  I think away visitors will not have any difficulties finding many attractions to enjoy.

Thus about Perez and the ownership group and the capability to make Ottawa a viable RL entity I have no qualms.  On the usual matters debated ad nauseam on the forum such as the amount of talent available, developing Canadian junior talent, etc I am happy to let someone else discuss - I think they are non-issues.

Edit:  I think Rowley will be a contender to be coach. 

[Jayme2020]

The other thing the fans are fed up with the owner of the Nhl team and after his statements today that won't get any better I could see the rugby teams getting a lot of those upset fans and they become big time fans of this new club.

[Kayakman]

29 minutes ago, Captain Survival said:

Its been some time since I have commented on the forum.  I have lurked occasionally but my professional life has had me very busy of late.

However, I felt this news exciting enough to log in and comment.  Somewhere in 2017 in one of the many exasperating endless threads debating Toronto/expansion I discussed at length for the potential of a viable franchise in Ottawa.   In my professional opinion as a businessman it is a slam dunk, and great news for RL.  Here are some of my thoughts as to why:

1) Ottawa is a large city with an even larger catchment area - beyond the local CMA which exceeds 1 million people it is in fact within easy driving distance of both Montreal and Kingston, and many Torontonians who are Wolfpack fans will think nothing of the 500km trip to go see a game in Ottawa whether the Wolfpack or new Ottawa team.  

2) I grew up in Ottawa and can attest to the fact it is a very sports oriented city.  And Ottawans like rugged sports so I see rugby being an easy sell to the population.  Ottawa is also generally familiar with Rugby - I played while in high school and I think it will actually have an easier intro into Ottawa then it did into Toronto.  BTW Ottawa has a fair sized UK expat population.

3) Ottawa is well known to peer sporting cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York and Philadelphia and having a team in Ottawa will allow for an easy sporting rivalry with any of these should they ever get involved in RL.  A Toronto/Ottawa/NY basis for RL to gain a presence in NA is such a natural step.  Should it come to fruition adding Boston and Philly would be an easy fit and result in very manageable travel times for both the local and visiting teams.

4) Ottawa is a very pleasant place to visit as a tourist.  The venue is easy to get to.  Its right beside the Rideau Canal which itself is a tourist attraction.  Ottawa has many attractions which can easily keep any tourist busy for several days.  And if coming from the UK it cuts about an hour off the flight time.  Plus Montreal is an alternative for flights.

5) Landsdowne is a modern stadium in great shape.  It beats the pants off almost all the other RL grounds.  Its easy to get to as its just off the highway.  Its served by public transit.  One potential matter might be some scheduling conflicts with the CFL team that the backers also own, but I think that is very easily resolved.

6) the Ottawa partner is very successful.  They have the deep pockets such that this venture is not even remotely a stretch for them.  Other then the NHL hockey team they own every other major sporting entity in the city already, and have promotion & marketing down to a science.  They know their market and how to work it.  The entire cost associated with the RF team including travel etc is likely not even a secondary expense figure on their annual statements.   If only we had more ownership groups in RL that were as capable and financially sound as this one.

7) There will be no lack of external sponsors - there are a lot large companies with a major presence in Ottawa.  Ottawa is one of the high tech hubs in North America as well as a major legal hub due to government.  I expect corporate boxes will sell out quickly.  I can see Ottawa getting to 8-10k attendance very quickly and Lansdowne park lends itself much more to the type of atmosphere the WolfPack has created as its a much larger space that is traditionally set up for family type events.

7) I do believe having a 2nd Canadian team will imprint upon the psyche of young Canadians the potential of pursuing RL rugby as a sport.  It will improve the potential for government funding.

Even Ottawa weather is not what it used to be.  In the 60's and 70's it was common for the winter temp to be below -20C from end of Nov to end of March continuously.  This is a pipedream now.  I suspect by mid april games could be played outdoors.  I also think they could actually cover Lansdowne but I don't think they have enough reasons yet to justify the cost.  And a few early season games in the RL is not enough on their own to justify that expense.

With all due respect to Man of Kent and his observation of having visited some family and thinking Ottawa is dull, I beg to disagree.  Ottawa would not get a million people attending its winter carnival, all freezing their asses off in Feb, were it a dull place.  But I suppose in the end each place we visit is what we make of it.  Some do better then others in this regards.  I think away visitors will not have any difficulties finding many attractions to enjoy.

Thus about Perez and the ownership group and the capability to make Ottawa a viable RL entity I have no qualms.  On the usual matters debated ad nauseam on the forum such as the amount of talent available, developing Canadian junior talent, etc I am happy to let someone else discuss - I think they are non-issues.

Edit:  I think Rowley will be a contender to be coach. 

Thank God you are back...I thought you might have died.

[fighting irish]

1 hour ago, Captain Survival said:

Its been some time since I have commented on the forum.  I have lurked occasionally but my professional life has had me very busy of late.

However, I felt this news exciting enough to log in and comment.  Somewhere in 2017 in one of the many exasperating endless threads debating Toronto/expansion I discussed at length for the potential of a viable franchise in Ottawa.   In my professional opinion as a businessman it is a slam dunk, and great news for RL.  Here are some of my thoughts as to why:

1) Ottawa is a large city with an even larger catchment area - beyond the local CMA which exceeds 1 million people it is in fact within easy driving distance of both Montreal and Kingston, and many Torontonians who are Wolfpack fans will think nothing of the 500km trip to go see a game in Ottawa whether the Wolfpack or new Ottawa team.  

2) I grew up in Ottawa and can attest to the fact it is a very sports oriented city.  And Ottawans like rugged sports so I see rugby being an easy sell to the population.  Ottawa is also generally familiar with Rugby - I played while in high school and I think it will actually have an easier intro into Ottawa then it did into Toronto.  BTW Ottawa has a fair sized UK expat population.

3) Ottawa is well known to peer sporting cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York and Philadelphia and having a team in Ottawa will allow for an easy sporting rivalry with any of these should they ever get involved in RL.  A Toronto/Ottawa/NY basis for RL to gain a presence in NA is such a natural step.  Should it come to fruition adding Boston and Philly would be an easy fit and result in very manageable travel times for both the local and visiting teams.

4) Ottawa is a very pleasant place to visit as a tourist.  The venue is easy to get to.  Its right beside the Rideau Canal which itself is a tourist attraction.  Ottawa has many attractions which can easily keep any tourist busy for several days.  And if coming from the UK it cuts about an hour off the flight time.  Plus Montreal is an alternative for flights.

5) Landsdowne is a modern stadium in great shape.  It beats the pants off almost all the other RL grounds.  Its easy to get to as its just off the highway.  Its served by public transit.  One potential matter might be some scheduling conflicts with the CFL team that the backers also own, but I think that is very easily resolved.

6) the Ottawa partner is very successful.  They have the deep pockets such that this venture is not even remotely a stretch for them.  Other then the NHL hockey team they own every other major sporting entity in the city already, and have promotion & marketing down to a science.  They know their market and how to work it.  The entire cost associated with the RF team including travel etc is likely not even a secondary expense figure on their annual statements.   If only we had more ownership groups in RL that were as capable and financially sound as this one.

7) There will be no lack of external sponsors - there are a lot large companies with a major presence in Ottawa.  Ottawa is one of the high tech hubs in North America as well as a major legal hub due to government.  I expect corporate boxes will sell out quickly.  I can see Ottawa getting to 8-10k attendance very quickly and Lansdowne park lends itself much more to the type of atmosphere the WolfPack has created as its a much larger space that is traditionally set up for family type events.

7) I do believe having a 2nd Canadian team will imprint upon the psyche of young Canadians the potential of pursuing RL rugby as a sport.  It will improve the potential for government funding.

Even Ottawa weather is not what it used to be.  In the 60's and 70's it was common for the winter temp to be below -20C from end of Nov to end of March continuously.  This is a pipedream now.  I suspect by mid april games could be played outdoors.  I also think they could actually cover Lansdowne but I don't think they have enough reasons yet to justify the cost.  And a few early season games in the RL is not enough on their own to justify that expense.

With all due respect to Man of Kent and his observation of having visited some family and thinking Ottawa is dull, I beg to disagree.  Ottawa would not get a million people attending its winter carnival, all freezing their asses off in Feb, were it a dull place.  But I suppose in the end each place we visit is what we make of it.  Some do better then others in this regards.  I think away visitors will not have any difficulties finding many attractions to enjoy.

Thus about Perez and the ownership group and the capability to make Ottawa a viable RL entity I have no qualms.  On the usual matters debated ad nauseam on the forum such as the amount of talent available, developing Canadian junior talent, etc I am happy to let someone else discuss - I think they are non-issues.

Edit:  I think Rowley will be a contender to be coach. 

Send this to Ralph Rimmer and Robert Elstone

[northamptoncougar]

1 hour ago, fighting irish said:

Send this to Ralph Rimmer and Robert Elstone

Don’t, they’d either take credit or screw it up!

[Damien]

12 minutes ago, northamptoncougar said:

Don’t, they’d either take credit or screw it up!

Or charge you for it.

[Big Picture]

57 minutes ago, northamptoncougar said:

Don’t, they’d either take credit or screw it up!

The latter most likely given their small-minded ways of thinking.

[Cdd]

7 hours ago, Captain Survival said:

Its been some time since I have commented on the forum.  I have lurked occasionally but my professional life has had me very busy of late.

However, I felt this news exciting enough to log in and comment.  Somewhere in 2017 in one of the many exasperating endless threads debating Toronto/expansion I discussed at length for the potential of a viable franchise in Ottawa.   In my professional opinion as a businessman it is a slam dunk, and great news for RL.  Here are some of my thoughts as to why:

1) Ottawa is a large city with an even larger catchment area - beyond the local CMA which exceeds 1 million people it is in fact within easy driving distance of both Montreal and Kingston, and many Torontonians who are Wolfpack fans will think nothing of the 500km trip to go see a game in Ottawa whether the Wolfpack or new Ottawa team.  

2) I grew up in Ottawa and can attest to the fact it is a very sports oriented city.  And Ottawans like rugged sports so I see rugby being an easy sell to the population.  Ottawa is also generally familiar with Rugby - I played while in high school and I think it will actually have an easier intro into Ottawa then it did into Toronto.  BTW Ottawa has a fair sized UK expat population.

3) Ottawa is well known to peer sporting cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York and Philadelphia and having a team in Ottawa will allow for an easy sporting rivalry with any of these should they ever get involved in RL.  A Toronto/Ottawa/NY basis for RL to gain a presence in NA is such a natural step.  Should it come to fruition adding Boston and Philly would be an easy fit and result in very manageable travel times for both the local and visiting teams.

4) Ottawa is a very pleasant place to visit as a tourist.  The venue is easy to get to.  Its right beside the Rideau Canal which itself is a tourist attraction.  Ottawa has many attractions which can easily keep any tourist busy for several days.  And if coming from the UK it cuts about an hour off the flight time.  Plus Montreal is an alternative for flights.

5) Landsdowne is a modern stadium in great shape.  It beats the pants off almost all the other RL grounds.  Its easy to get to as its just off the highway.  Its served by public transit.  One potential matter might be some scheduling conflicts with the CFL team that the backers also own, but I think that is very easily resolved.

6) the Ottawa partner is very successful.  They have the deep pockets such that this venture is not even remotely a stretch for them.  Other then the NHL hockey team they own every other major sporting entity in the city already, and have promotion & marketing down to a science.  They know their market and how to work it.  The entire cost associated with the RF team including travel etc is likely not even a secondary expense figure on their annual statements.   If only we had more ownership groups in RL that were as capable and financially sound as this one.

7) There will be no lack of external sponsors - there are a lot large companies with a major presence in Ottawa.  Ottawa is one of the high tech hubs in North America as well as a major legal hub due to government.  I expect corporate boxes will sell out quickly.  I can see Ottawa getting to 8-10k attendance very quickly and Lansdowne park lends itself much more to the type of atmosphere the WolfPack has created as its a much larger space that is traditionally set up for family type events.

7) I do believe having a 2nd Canadian team will imprint upon the psyche of young Canadians the potential of pursuing RL rugby as a sport.  It will improve the potential for government funding.

Even Ottawa weather is not what it used to be.  In the 60's and 70's it was common for the winter temp to be below -20C from end of Nov to end of March continuously.  This is a pipedream now.  I suspect by mid april games could be played outdoors.  I also think they could actually cover Lansdowne but I don't think they have enough reasons yet to justify the cost.  And a few early season games in the RL is not enough on their own to justify that expense.

With all due respect to Man of Kent and his observation of having visited some family and thinking Ottawa is dull, I beg to disagree.  Ottawa would not get a million people attending its winter carnival, all freezing their asses off in Feb, were it a dull place.  But I suppose in the end each place we visit is what we make of it.  Some do better then others in this regards.  I think away visitors will not have any difficulties finding many attractions to enjoy.

Thus about Perez and the ownership group and the capability to make Ottawa a viable RL entity I have no qualms.  On the usual matters debated ad nauseam on the forum such as the amount of talent available, developing Canadian junior talent, etc I am happy to let someone else discuss - I think they are non-issues.

Edit:  I think Rowley will be a contender to be coach. 

Great post and I agree that the player pool argument is weak.

Ottawa could recruit from Canadian Rugby union, Canadian 7’s,  the Toronto Wolfpack,  the PNG Hunters (highly advisable IMO), both the NSW and Queensland cup competitions, and of course the NRL and maybe even some young French RL talent (also advisable for the bilingual aspect).....

The suggestion that they’ll ‘weaken’ League 1, Championship and Super League is a weak argument when Ottawa or any other club could tap into talent pools they don’t currently use. 

Not to mention the dozens of young players who leave Super League clubs year on year because of the lack of a reserves structure. 

I hope they do a serious raid of Canadian RU talent along with the Wolfpack and make it clear that RL is the pathway for professional rugby in Canada. 

[Chris Reid]

1 hour ago, Cdd said:

Great post and I agree that the player pool argument is weak.

Ottawa could recruit from Canadian Rugby union, Canadian 7’s,  the Toronto Wolfpack,  the PNG Hunters (highly advisable IMO), both the NSW and Queensland cup competitions, and of course the NRL and maybe even some young French RL talent (also advisable for the bilingual aspect).....

The suggestion that they’ll ‘weaken’ League 1, Championship and Super League is a weak argument when Ottawa or any other club could tap into talent pools they don’t currently use. 

Not to mention the dozens of young players who leave Super League clubs year on year because of the lack of a reserves structure. 

I hope they do a serious raid of Canadian RU talent along with the Wolfpack and make it clear that RL is the pathway for professional rugby in Canada. 

We both know the team like the Toronto team will be filled with Northern Englishmen and some Aussies and Kiwis. Who are you trying to kid?

[GUBRATS]

3 hours ago, Chris Reid said:

We both know the team like the Toronto team will be filled with Northern Englishmen and some Aussies and Kiwis. Who are you trying to kid?

That isn't really fair , we can only see what they do 

[Bert1]

Hopefully the Ottawan club helps to promote tag rugby which is a great way for kids and adults to get fit. Kids, men & women can play together which is good for ‘inclusivity’. 

Tag would also be great for those with learning difficulties etc.

[Jayme2020]

I don't think Ottawa is a threat to the talent pool of players in the UK however BC/Alberta I could see them raiding the talent pool which could hurt both areas big time.