May 14, 2020...E-mail from CPL league commissioner David Clanahan further delaying season (from e-mail to Season Seat Members)
Dear Season Seat Member, First and foremost, we hope you, your family members and loved ones are safe and healthy. We know it’s been incredibly tough for all and I personally appreciate everyone who has been doing their part to stay home and continue to practice social distancing. Equally important, if you are one of many essential and frontline workers putting yourself at risk every day – for all of us – all we can say is - Thank You! We know as Founders, Season Seat Holders and Supporters, you have shared the vision for the Canadian Premier League since its inception and Inaugural Matches in 2019. Each of you share our passion to build a tier-one Canadian professional domestic league focused on the ongoing development of Canadian players and the growth of soccer in Canada. We at the CPL are deeply grateful for your commitment! During these unprecedented times in our world, our community, our staff and clubs, are doing our best to navigate the uncertainty that we all face as global citizens. Like you, we are operating in a very fluid environment and adapting to the situation daily. As more information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting impact becomes available, we continue to evolve our plans. We are staying on top of all that is happening in Canada and appreciate your patience as well as understanding while we navigate through this process. You have our commitment to keep you informed of any developments as they come forward. The CPL will continue to work with all relevant authorities so that we can make the right decision to start our 2020 season - when it is declared safe for all by the relevant health and government agencies. We know that all Canadians are struggling, and we know that the government is dealing with matters of life and death, but we continue to stress that we want to be here and be strong, so we can be there for each of you and all Canadians, helping to play an important role in our country’s recovery from this terrible pandemic. One of the fundamental purposes of the Canadian Premier League is to provide many more professional opportunities to players, coaches, referees and administrators around the game of soccer in Canada and ultimately create “A New Soccer Economy”. You may have heard we have asked the federal government to work with us to look for ways it can help us sustain the League, jobs, economic activity and sense of community and country that it fosters from coast to coast. Our ask of the federal government includes a commitment to provide significant value to Canadians and pay back taxpayers through a series of initiatives that we are currently working on. We want our return to play to help unite soccer and sports fans across Canada to be a symbol of Canadian unity from a League For Canadians, By Canadians. We wish that we could tell you how all of this will turn out, when our games will start and exactly what our season will look like. As a season seat member, your support, patience and understanding through this challenging time helps us even more. This is an unusual and difficult time for everyone, and our number one priority is everyone’s safety. We can’t thank you enough. We continue to be optimistic and hopeful that we will play in 2020, we are working on any and all scenarios as it relates to playing this season but remain focused on making a decision which recognizes that keeping everyone safe and healthy is our priority. Thank you for your support, passion and dedication to the Canadian Premier League – it has been a pleasure bringing the CPL to Halifax, York Region, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver Island and soon, Ottawa! We look forward to continue developing, improving and building our league together - For Canadians, By Canadians. Thank you for all you have done and will do in the future! I strongly believe that we will get through this and see each other again at your stadium - for “We are Many, We are One!” Best regards, David Clanachan Commissioner, Canadian Premier League
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