December 7, 2023...Press Conference to introduce new owners of York United FC (recorded by Rocket Robin)

All the audio from the press conference held to introduce the new owners of York United FC

If I ask the question it's in bold lettering.

This is one long 31 minute file. I will time it along the way for when a particular question is asked. press conference audio

Mark Noonan, Commissioner of Canadian Premier League

0 minutes (1:04pm)...Eoin O'Callaghan the VP, Content & Communication Strategy for York United is the first voice you hear setting the rules about asking questions and introducing Mark Noonan.

1 min...Mark Noonan gives a brief outline about how the league's board and the league offices and York staff for bringing this group in to the league. May 4th was the start of the talks.

The new owners, brothers Ricardo Pasquel President and GM, Eduardo Pasquel CEO, and Miguel Pasquel CCO/Head of New Strategy Alliances

5 min...Ricardo speaks first and thanks the league office and staff.

6 min...questions start: Charlie O'Connor Clarke [from the CPL office] (for Eduardo) What appealed to you about Canada and this club?
(for Ricardo) Your thoughts on York's rather successful 2023 season and what you will do in the months to come?

8 min 25 sec...Mitchell Tierney [from the CPL office] (for Miguel) How important was it to move to Canada to oversee the day-to-day operations of the team?

9 min 30 sec...Thomas Hewitt (for Eduardo) What are the plans for a permanent stadium? Is there a date?
10 min 25 sec....(for Miguel) Is there one particular community you are working on in the GTA's crowded sporting market?

11 min 45 sec...Josef: What are you going to do to keep the interest beyond today's turnout?
Are you going to be more flexible for good ideas presented? Like for building attendance?

15 min 00 sec...Brandon: What are your goals for getting your club's name out in to the community marketing wise?
Security of the coaching staff? Are there any ideas to the upcoming U-Sports draft?

17 min 15 sec...Rocket Robin: The team in Ottawa holds their training camps in Spain, will you take this team down to Mexico for training camp?

18 min 10 sec...John: Are there some other investors involved in your group?

19 min 00 sec...Carlo: (for Ricardo) Your early plans on making this a championship club?

20 min 00 sec...the Spanish guy: (for Ricardo) Are you going to bring in any Mexican players to appeal to the GTA's expanding Mexican community and will they actually interact with the community?

21 min 25 sec...John: What is the team doing about the club's current option on ten players with contracts coming up?

Now for Zoom calls for reporters not here in person:

21 min 35 sec...James Grossi: Do you have any past experience in administering a club?
Do you have any plans for developing players from local youth teams?
What are your plans of moving to Toronto? [One of the brother's wife previously lived in Toronto years ago]

25 min 30 sec...Josh: What initially excited you about this oppotunity? What will be your biggest challenge?

27 min 10 sec...Felipe: How will you balance bringing players in from Mexico and the goal of using Canadian players?

28 min 30 sec...Ridwan from York United media: Are you happy with the current team and their results last season?
[We watched all the York games last year either in person or online].

31 minutes: Hey it's over!

I thought the press conference went well. There were about 50 people here taking up all the seats and crowding along the wall. There was only one player I recognized. Midfielder/defender Max Ferrari. The three owner/brothers brought their father Miguel Pasquel Sr who had served as a General Secretary & CFO for the Mexican Football Federation and I think he'll be able to help his sons. The brothers' wives were here and there are plans to have them and their children live in Canada over the months to come (some are schoolage, some are younger). The coaching staff was not here but the owners have talked with them already.

We had our first real snowfall (meaning the snow has stayed around) overnight so that came up in some of the responses.

A good turnout of reporters (although I'd seen them all before). No legacy TV nor newspaper reporters. Three of the four reporters from the CPL league office, three reporters/commentators from the broadcaster One Soccer. Most of all the reporters who showed up for even one game last season were here. Pretty good on only two day's notice.

I was worried when I received a reminder yesterday that there wasn't enough interest and there'd just be the league reporters (and as the press conference attendance dwindled), myself and the teenage reporter*. No worries today! Leaving the teenage reporter's name out of this as he had to cut school for the afternoon to be here.

After the formal part of the press conference was over I talked to player Max Ferrari. He answered me he is fully recovered from the injury that plagued him last season. He also answered he has a contract for 2024 meaning he is NOT one of those ten players mentioned in the question to the owners.

I also asked Eoin O'Callaghan about scheduling. Yes trying to avoid the same days as Toronto FC home games is important, (there is a small overlap of fans of both teams years ago). Eoin said they also have the league involved with their plans for scheduling games for One Soccer. York University obviously gets first choice for their student athletes. MLS NEXT Pro Toronto FC II also plays here and it worked out they were usually here on opposite weekends. At least this year they won't have to worry about the pro rugby team Toronto Arrows has ceased operations so they are out of the scheduling mix.

This could have been a disaster if it had started half hour earlier. The school warned us they were testing their fire alarm by announcing that fact three times. Then rang the siren more than that often and told us to evacuate the building (Are we supposed to disregard that too?). Then they announced three times that the test was now over. All this was repeated in French as well so the time taken up was doubled! The optics would have been awful if that had happened during our event.

Some more pictures from today taken before the press conference started!

York Lions Stadium north end entrance.

The Pioneer Village TTC subway and bus station.

These two pictures are less than the length of a football field apart. The Pioneer Village tourist attraction is about 1/2 km away. This always gets me when downtown people complain the stadium is 'sooooo....faaarrrr.....awwwaaaayyyy!' and insist that York United should play at downtown Lamport Stadium...just across the railway tracks from BMO Field. After the post game press conference at the Canada vs Jamaica game (very similar story for both the Women's and Men's games there two months apart) I had to wait 35 minutes for a streetcar to pull in to the loop and connect me to the subway to take me uptown.

A view from outside the south end. The field is under a bubble at this time of year and student athletes were entering while I waited to get into that broadcast/party room two floors above those red seats.

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