On Thursday afternoon, the Canadian Premier League announced the appointment of their second-ever commissioner, Mark Noonan. Noonan, who is also slated to become the CEO of Canada Soccer Business, ends the league’s months-long international search for a new commissioner, and as such, will inherit some of the CPL’s biggest problems.

Perhaps the most pertinent of those challenges right now is what is happening with one of the league’s seven founding clubs, FC Edmonton. Without an owner, The Eddies have won just two games, and the stands have been regularly empty, with fewer than 1,000 fans showing up to each game on average. Despite all of the issues, Noonan still believes Edmonton can be a viable, and successful, CPL market with the right love and care.

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“I would say first and foremost, we believe in Edmonton as a market,” Noonan said. “I think it’s a great soccer market, but we probably don’t have the formula right right now.”

Noonan couldn’t provide an update on the ownership situation in Edmonton, nor could he divulge what the plan to make Edmonton work could be, but he did share his commitment to ensuring FC Edmonton is an integral part of the CPL going forward.

“I don’t know enough yet to make an informed statement yet, I need to confer with our board in terms of what’s happening in that market,” Noonan said. “But stay tuned, because we believe in the market, and it’s something that we have to figure out.”

In 2022, The Eddies became the first team to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after a 1-1 draw against Valour FC on Sunday. They will be back on the pitch at Clarke Stadium on Sunday evening against the HFX Wanderers.

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• CPL
• Soccer