Yes this is the right room.
October 13, 2022...York United FC Season Ending Town Hall With Season Ticket Holders (by Rocket Robin)
Yes this is the right room.
Details of the 2022 End of Season Town Hall for York United Season Members held at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Suites in Markham Ontario at 6:30pm.
The invitations were sent by e-mail. Invitations were free but had to be reserved in advance. I estimated there were about sixty fans there to hear directly from head coach Martin Nash and find out what 2023 will look like from CEO Angus McNab.
It was a chance for invitees to mix and mingle with players and staff with giveaways and more with light food and beverages provided.
I am a season ticket holder although I also have a media pass so I can do post game interviews.
Most fans ate in the back on some standing tables or went out in the hallway. There was a merchandise table inside the main room for fans to purchase customized jerseys...they could be customized with player names and numbers right while you waited. All jerseys and othere souvenirs were double the usual discount for SSH. That converted to 30% off the normal price using that figure for me buying a team poster on my way out.
The doors opened at 6:00pm and the meeting was called to order at 6:45pm and people moved to the front to sit and listen.
The front of the room just before the town hall began.
Just to set the 2022 season review up, York started off middle of the pack with a very new roster, hit an injury bug and went into a long slump where they fell out of playoff contention. They brought in some new players when the transfer windown opened and their play improved but ran out of time to make the playoffs.
Just yesterday, Osaze De Rosario was named as one of three nominees for Best U-21 Canadian Player of the Year. Winners will be announced a day or so before the final. Earlier today, former York goalie Nathan Ingham who now plays for Atletico Ottawa was named as a nominee for Goalkeeper of the Year. Also earlier today, HFX Wanderers announced the firing of their original head coach (since 2019) Stephen Hart.
Audio from the town hall (62 minutes in total)
defender Tass Mourdoukoutas is asked questions by VP, Content and Communication Strategy Eoin O'Callaghan
introduction of defender Tass Mourdoukoutas (in progress) What were your first impressions of the team? What do you think of Mo Babouli being added late in the season? What will you talk to people about your impressions of the CPL when you return to Australia? What are the standout moments to you of the season? What was it like to see the success of the other new players brought into the team? What do you think of your new Canadian friends/teammates?
goaltender Niko Giantsopoulos (playing reporter Cody Pearson) with Eoin O'Callaghan.
starts at the 8 minute mark of audio. How excited were you to start the season with former Cavalry coach Martin Nash and teammate Oliver Minatel? How did you feel for success at the start of the season? What were your impressions of young but inexperienced Osaze De Rosario at the start of the season? Please review your experience for Vancouver Whitecaps for an MLS game and your thoughts on the Canadian Championships? Is the team's long run in the Canadian Championship more important than the trouble it caused for the team's play in the league? Was their always a confidence that the team would recover from the long injury run? Was their a turning point that you can pinpoint for the team's recovery? (short answer: the away win against Cavalry while playing down a man) What did you think when you first saw and hear about the signing of Mo Babouli? How is the injury recovery coming along? Your thoughts on winning the fan awarded 'Player of the Year' award?
CEO Angus McNab and head coach Martin Nash with Eoin O'Callaghan
CEO Angus McNab and head coach Martin Nash with Eoin O'Callaghan (starts at 21 minutes) (for MN) What were your highlights of the season? (for MN) How proud are you of your coaching staff (many being added as the season went on)? (for MN) Is there a module/playbook for so many injuries? (for MN) What changes did you have to make with so many injuries? (for AM) How frenzied was it to bring in the 'right' kind of players? They had to make a decision between a quick fix or a long term solution for sustained success. Problems with transfer windows being closed. AM A long run in the Canadian Championship hurt us for injuries, Covid etc. We must look at 'development permit footballers' for competitive balance. MN There were three times I met players for the first time on game day! MN I had to 'overplay' players because of no worthy subs. (for MN) How proud are you of younger players not having injury-plagued older players to mentor them? (for MN) Were you concerned aout the season with physical then mental challenges until reinforcements arrived? (for AM) Provide details of the Mo Babouli deal? AM The guys had dug themselves out of their bad spell before Mo Babouli was added. MN Mo fit in well as well as the other four that were brought in. (for both) What was your favourite goal of the season? (for MN) how did you turn Osaze from banging in goals to becoming a goal poacher? Fan Questions: (as read by O'Callaghan from his phone) (starts at 44 minutes) 1. (for AM) What is the new stadium situation in transport negotiations? --there will be a new GO train station that will make it faster to get to Woodbine from Union Station (ie downtown) then the subway system to York Lions Stadium! Also the GO line can bring in fans from as far away as Kitchener. --Woodbine site promises retail, food and entertainment center. --good relationship with the Woodbine developers, Jim Lawson (who also a small ownership stake in Forge) --negotiating is tricky in an election cycle. --The World Cup requires Canada to build an infrastructure and facilities to host. (Some rejected US cities have more than Toronto) --patience required but most important that we do have is: The parcel of land is already zoned for the stadium! 2. (for both) What's the missing piece(s) for the team to move up the standings next year? MN--a replacement for Abzi, 'filling in the gaps'. The parity in the league. 3. (for AM) What is the team's mindset of U-21 minutes vs other teams using 'older' players to win now? AM--for the league it's important to expand the player pool of young Canadians. AM--opportunities are needed for these young players. Giving opportunties to U-21 players attracts other U-21 players to York. Ronan Kratt is used as an example of choosing York as he saw how other U-21s were given playing time and that's a reason he signed for York. 4. (for AM) Will York sign Sebastian Giovinco? (laughter from the crowd) --no we've got Mo Babouli! 5. (for AM) Is it possible to elevate the Supporters' Stands to get a better view of the field? --No we don't own the building and it would have to be a long term solution. Martin Graiciar is finished with the club because of injury. Austin Ricci has been re-signed and continues to recover from the injury he had. 6. (for AM) What did you think of the league in it's Year 4? The new Commissioner is fitting in well. Opportunities are being created. We get to start the World's game in Canada with a World Cup coming. 7. (for MN) What are your memories to sum up the season? --fondly looked back to the second half of the season and is looking forward to the future. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx A lot of my questions were answered as expected. I was able to get Angus McNab to answer a few more after the meeting broke up at 7:50pm. The invitation said the party ran to 8:0pm. I didn't notice any players except for Tass and Niko. 1. Do you have a first choice on dates or will MLSE push you around for TFC II in their MLS NEXT Pro league now that they are playing there too? AM said they don't have an automatic first choice but they have a 'preferred' status for their longer relationship with the university. 2. Can the team have a negotiating style like MLS New England with Belgium where they let Tajon Buchanan go there but, special deal, after their season was over? AM said they have to negotiate while they can. We are not New England! (I asked this because York lost Abzi to Pau in France and Lowell Wright to Whitecaps 2 when they had a player shortage right in the middle of the season) 3. The players that are 'on loan' to FC Edmonton, will they be coming back to York or will the league want them to be extended one more year? AM said 'maybe', that will be ealt with in talks in the offseason.
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