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N.L. made pitch for pandemic pro soccer bubble, but games went west instead

The Canadian Premier League played its 2020 season in a bubble in Charlottetown, P.E.I. Earlier this year, the Newfoundland and Labrador government was in discussions with the league about hosting CPL games in 2021. (Nora Stankovic/Canadian Premier League - image credit)
The Canadian Premier League played its 2020 season in a bubble in Charlottetown, P.E.I. Earlier this year, the Newfoundland and Labrador government was in discussions with the league about hosting CPL games in 2021. (Nora Stankovic/Canadian Premier League - image credit)

Canada's men's professional soccer league eyed Newfoundland and Labrador as a possible home this summer, before ultimately deciding to have all eight teams bubble in Winnipeg for the first part of the season.

The possibility of a move out east was significant enough that provincial government officials prepared a four-page briefing note for Premier Andrew Furey and his senior staff on the topic in mid-May.

CBC News obtained a heavily-redacted version of that document through access to information.

Like other pro sports, the Canadian Premier League has had to deal with the impact of COVID-19 travel and public health restrictions.

Last year, the fledgling league played its entire season — albeit a compressed one — in Prince Edward Island because of the pandemic.

This spring, the CPL was again looking at its options. Enter the Newfoundland and Labrador government.

According to the provincial briefing note, the city of St. John's was supportive, and said King George V Park would be available. The stadium is a key part of Canadian soccer history, as the site where the men's national team qualified in 1985 for its first — and, to date, only — World Cup appearance.

The tourism marketing organization Destination St. John's developed a bid proposal covering things like accommodations and transportation, and sent it to CPL officials in early May. "The league advises the proposal is competitive," the briefing for the premier stated.

That put the ball at the feet of the province.

Public health officials waved play on, concluding that the season could be hosted safely.

The only remaining question was about a potential cash contribution — and time was of the essence.

Aaron Lynett/The Canadian Press
Aaron Lynett/The Canadian Press

According to the information note, CPL officials were pushing for an indication from the province on the level of financial support available in time for a league board meeting on May 14. That's just one day after the premier was sent the briefing document.

For a season that would begin on July 1 and run through mid- to late August, the league expected a funding contribution in the $2-million range. That amount could also include in-kind contributions, according to government documents.

On the upside, the premier was told, there would be a boost for the hospitality industry.

"The chief value of hosting the 2021 CPL season is in the immediate economic benefits derived during a period anticipated to have low economic activity given COVID-19 restrictions," the briefing note advised.

But marketing opportunities from hosting the season were "not ideally aligned" with ongoing efforts to sell the province to visitors as a travel destination, and the soccer league was described as a "niche market" for television audiences.

The last two pages of the briefing document were entirely redacted, and it's not clear what happened afterwards — other than the fact that play began in Winnipeg instead.

@CPLsoccer/Twitter
@CPLsoccer/Twitter

The province declined to make anyone available for an interview.

The tourism department issued a brief written statement confirming that the league was interested in playing here, but would not provide any details on what financial support, if any, the government offered.

League officials also did not grant interview requests.

In the end, all eight CPL teams descended on the Manitoba capital for a total of 32 games over a month-long period, before returning to their home stadiums to play out the rest of the schedule. One club, Valour FC, is based in Winnipeg.

In an interview posted on the CPL website, commissioner David Clanachan said the league had received offers from 11 locations to host the season-opening bubble.

That included interest from the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean and five Canadian provinces.

Clanachan cited the "world class" facility and Winnipeg's sports hosting experience as factors in the decision.

"They know how to do this," he said. "Plus you've got the province of Manitoba and the city of Winnipeg that want us there in a big way."

Winnipeg officials, meanwhile, touted the impact of hosting the season's kick off.

"This major sporting event is going to be done safely and will be a boost for our tourism sector, which has been hit hard by the pandemic," Dayna Spiring, president and CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg, said in a July article posted on the organization's website.

"The CPL tournament will translate into more than 5,500 booked hotel room nights and $4.9 million in economic spinoff."

The tournament was supported with a $750,000 contribution by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Winnipeg, via Manitoba's provincial long-term COVID-19 economic recovery fund.

The Winnipeg bubble lasted just under a month — several weeks shorter than what officials in Newfoundland and Labrador had been planning for.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador