The Carleton men’s soccer team scrimmage during a practice at Keith Harris Stadium. Carleton will host the Canadian Interuniversity Sport National Championships in November.
In a few years Ottawa could have its own Major League Soccer team.
While fans will be cheering for wins, stakeholders say the city will score from the team’s impact on business, tourism and the local soccer community.
“Just the sheer economic spinoff would be a positive for the local economy,” says Jim Watson, Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing.
Last month, Sens owner Eugene Melnyk announced his plan to bring an MLS team to Ottawa. In competition with eight other North American cities, Ottawa is vying for one of two expansion teams that will enter the league in 2011.
Watson says he is enthusiastic about the bid because it would create jobs, attract visitors and interest more people in participating in minor league soccer.
“Bringing an MLS team to Ottawa is estimated to generate between $50 and $60 million in annual regional economic activity,” Melnyk said last month.
The plan is to build the stadium between Scotiabank Place and the Bell Sensplex, creating a sports and entertainment complex, according to Cyril Leeder, chief operating officer of Senators Sports and Entertainment.
The space could eventually be expanded to offer more venues, Leeder says.
“A natural extension would be to have more entertainment options, like restaurants and places to go at night.”
A professional soccer team would also have a positive impact on the city’s tourism industry, says Jantine Van Kregten, director of communications at Ottawa Tourism.
The team would provide Ottawa Tourism with another product to market, drawing Canadian and foreign soccer fans alike, she says.
City councilor Alex Cullen agrees the team would create an entertainment venue and support soccer activities within the city, but says he disagrees that the city should contribute land for the project.
“I don’t believe we should be subsidizing a private for-profit sports venture by giving away . . . public land,” he says.
The plan also raises some financial concerns, Watson says.
Melnyk has a “great track record” financially, he says, but Ottawa has had trouble supporting professional sports teams in the past, such as the Ottawa Lynx and several CFL franchises.
“Anytime there is ever any discussion of pro sports and public money, you have to be very cautious and respectful of the fact that these are public dollars that are going into these venues,” he says.