March 23, 2010 CSL Trois-Rivieres Attak will take one year of absence from the CSL (from attakfc.com)
on the Attack's web site:
http://www.attakfc.com/l_attak_prend...abbatique.html
23 mars 2010
L'ATTAK PREND UNE ANNÉE SABBATIQUE
THE ATTAK WILL TAKE ONE YEAR OF ABSENCE FROM THE CSL
The Three Rivers Attak has announced that they will not be participating in the 2010 CSL season.
“We have decided to not participate in this upcoming season; however it is only a year sabbatical from competition. The CSL has an expansion project in our province and a second team is more than welcome,” stated Attak President Tony Iannitto.
As announced last week, the Montreal Impact has revamped their organizational structure and has acquired a new franchise in the CSL. The team, which will be named Montreal Impact Academy, will be managed by the Montreal Impact,play their games at Saputo Stadium and will be coached by the Attak’s former head coach Phillipe Eullaffroy
“Even though I maintain territorial and player’s rights, it was in the best interest of the players, as well as youth soccer development, that I decided to relinquish the player’s rights to the Montreal Impact and Joey Saputo who are the foundation of soccer in Quebec”, added Tony Iannitto.
In response to a lack of sense of belonging brought upon many over the course of the last several weeks, the Attak had to make this decision due to technical issues. “Playing at this professional level requires many sacrifices on the part of these young players such as travel and practice and it became an issue for most who are still students in school and studies should remain a priority. On top of which, we had to accommodate the Ontario teams according to their schedules which lead to conflicts for the Attak lodging in Three Rivers concerning very late checkouts .”
The Attak’s administration also noted that the team’s youth movement as well as lack of local players from the region may have had a negative impact on the number of spectators it would attract. “All the technical decisions were made by the Montreal Impact, including the selection of players. The coaches wanted to select more players from the Three Rivers region; however, they were not able to find players who met their criteria during the evaluation camps and open try outs.”
Our long term goal was to develop local talent and to work closely with local clubs in our region. Contrary to popular belief, the fact is that not all talented players were solely from the Montreal region. We had players from Gatineau, Quebec, Lanaudiere and South Shore regions. Also, the relocation of the stadium in the middle of the season was a mistake.
The team’s president did not hide the fact that it was difficult to attract the support the local businesses in the community of Three Rivers region in order to obtain sponsorship.
“To sustain a serious club, it is not only necessary to have the city’s support for infrastructures, but as well to have the financial aid of local investors ready to collectively raise or invest the sum of $350,000. For the last three seasons, it was attained and we were ready to continue.”
“Other than Stratos, and the National Bank, the Three Rivers team did not have any major partners in the region. To attain our yearly objectives, Mr. Serge Gaumond, president and C.A of the team as well as the club les Amis de l’Attak, organized an annual cocktail in benefit of raising funds to support the local team.”
“After three years of hard work to put a structure in place, it is hard to see a team who has just won a CSL championship have to leave. My sincerest hope is to see that the businesses and community of Three Rivers combine efforts to help stabilize a team in their region and offer a positive example to the youngsters of the region who deserve it.”
One thing is for sure, the Attak will not participate in the 2010 season, however this sabbatical year will allow us the opportunity to evaluate the situation and then decide whether to reinstate the team , sell it or simply move the franchise ” concluded Tony Iannitto.
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