Fath Sports Limited stripped of FC Edmonton operating rights

The Canadian Premier League’s (CPL) Board of Governors has removed the rights of Fath Sports Limited to operate FC Edmonton.

Monday the board voted unanimously on the matter. As a result of the vote, Edmonton will not have a club in the CPL for the 2023 season.

“I have made it clear since I became commissioner that we need certain conditions in each of our markets for our clubs to be successful on and off the field. After careful review, these conditions simply didn’t exist at FC Edmonton, consistently resulting in the smallest league average attendance, lowest revenue, and poor performance in the standings, despite incremental league investment. The die-hard supporters and soccer community of Edmonton deserve better,” said Noonan in a statement.

“This decision, while painful in the short term, will allow us to reset the market for a CPL return to Edmonton in the future. The key to this return is having a proper facility to showcase our matches and provide a first-rate fan experience. Unfortunately, Clarke Stadium in its current state is outdated and not suitable for this purpose. We look forward to working with the City of Edmonton leadership on a strategy to return CPL to the market in an appropriate facility. With the right venue, we fully believe Edmonton can, and should be, one of the best markets in the CPL.”

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In the meantime, the league will be looking for new ownership for the club in Edmonton, so it can return at a later date.

“I would like to thank Tom and Dave Fath for their decades of commitment to growing soccer in the city of Edmonton. They love the game, love the city and have been passionate advocates for Canadian soccer. I am saddened that this has not worked out the way they had envisioned and wish them nothing but the best,” Noonan said. “To the FC Edmonton players and staff, I also thank you for your commitment to the club and the CPL under challenging circumstances.”

“Let me be very clear, FC Edmonton is a unique, one-off situation, and is not at all reflective of the overall health and viability of the CPL,” said Noonan. “Building on record post-season crowds, exceptional corporate partnerships, increases in player compensation, and with active expansion discussions in no less than six prospective markets, I couldn’t be more optimistic about the future of the CPL and soccer in Canada as we head into our fifth season.”

The league added that all players that were a part of the club will return to their parent club – if they were on loan – or will be available to be selected by another CPL club.

Since the Canadian Premier League formed in 2019, FC Edmonton has finished with a record of 8-8-12 in 2019, 0-1-6 in 2020, 6-10-12 in 2021, and 4-8-16 in 2022.