Canadian soccer fan James Oliphant grew up watching teams such as Britain's Manchester United on television, but thought it wasn't the same as being in the stands to cheer on a team.

It was like part of the game was missing.

That's why he was excited to hear Major League Soccer (MLS) officials in the U.S. had finally agreed to open their ranks to a Canadian team that will take to the home field for the first time this month - in his hometown of Toronto.

"I missed the announcement somehow, so I couldn't believe it (last summer) when a friend told me the news," said Oliphant. "We were finally getting a top-flight Major League Soccer team in Canada. This is going to be good for everyone in the country."

David Gairns, Special to Business Edge
Toronto FC fans cheer at a local pub during their soccer club's opening game in California.

MLS officials announced in October 2005 that Toronto had the rights to the first expansion franchise outside the U.S. for an undisclosed price.

The new owners were familiar to local sports fans.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) already owns and manages the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Marlies AHL hockey team and Toronto Raptors NBA basketball team. The company also owns and manages the Air Canada Centre in downtown Toronto and General Motors Centre in Oshawa.

But in order to get the franchise, members of the bid team had to agree to build a soccer-specific stadium. According to media reports, MLS commissioner Don Garber felt this was necessary for a more intimate crowd atmosphere, because soccer stadiums can be smaller than NFL and CFL ones. It would also allow teams to control most of the crucial revenue decisions.

Plans were unveiled for Toronto to have the largest soccer stadium in the country, located west of the downtown core on the former Exhibition Stadium site. It would be owned by the City of Toronto and managed by MLSE at a cost of about $62.5 million, with naming rights quickly purchased by the Bank of Montreal for an undisclosed price.

Garber was apparently pleased, announcing later the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup would be held at BMO Field, along with the 2008 MLS all-star game and MLS Cup by 2012. According to MLS estimates, 600 million people worldwide would be watching the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup on television.

Club officials started an online poll to get fans to choose a name for the new team. Last May, they announced a new moniker picked by more than 40 per cent of the fans who voted: Toronto FC.

The big question on everyone's minds was how Toronto fans would accept soccer. If they didn't, everyone agreed it would be an expensive mistake. But if it did go well in Toronto, could major league teams be next in Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver and other cities?

Toronto FC lost its first opening season game April 7 in a 2-0 match against Chivas USA in Carson, Calif.

Attendance was sparse, one Toronto sports reporter noted, and Garber said attendance was one of the key issues with which the MLS executives are struggling.

Photo courtesy of Toronto FC
First-round pick Maurice Edu models Toronto FC's team jersey with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment COO Tom Anselmi, left, and BMO Financial Group CEO Frank Technar.

Meanwhile, Oliphant joined with several other fans to start an unofficial team website www.gotorontofc.com. He said the number of visitors has been doubling the past few months, with 56,000 hits recorded during the first 10 days of April. "We wanted to put together a site for everyone to call their own and support the team," he explains.

Three main fan groups have already sprung up, known as Red Patch Boys, U-Sector and the Ceilidh House Hoolies. According to the group's website, Red Patch Boys have made it their mission to turn BMO Field into the "most colourful, exciting and noisiest" place in major league soccer, congregating mostly in sections 111 and 112 at the stadium.

U-Sector is named after fans who used to congregate in the U-Section of now demolished Varsity Stadium, and the Ceilidh House Hoolies got their name from a pub in Hamilton's Hess Village area.

Toronto FC officials announced last month they had already sold more than 14,000 season tickets and were capping season-ticket sales at that level in the 20,000-seat stadium.

Season tickets are listed at $528 per seat on the team's official website and individual game tickets range from $15 to $200.

"We want to make sure there are tickets available to everyone at all levels, especially when it comes to group sales," said team marketing manager Cesar Velasco, taking a break from moving into his office at the newly finished BMO Field.

"These are for the smaller soccer teams with kids who want to meet their heroes and see them play. There are also families who might want to come out and see one or two games during the season. The idea is to appeal to as many people as possible."

Velasco said the team didn't start the fan groups and doesn't provide them with any funding. "We certainly acknowledge them and are grateful that they are there, but we do not run these groups at all. It's for the fans and run by the fans."

He explained the team has chosen to use "grassroots marketing" to meet one-on-one with the local fans whenever possible, with head coach Mo Johnston and the players visiting restaurants and elementary schools over the past year.

Several observers were surprised when the team's jerseys were unveiled earlier this year with the Bank of Montreal logo prominently displayed on the front. But experienced fans noted this type of endorsement is common with European teams, said Bob Stellick, of Stellick Marketing and Communications in Toronto.

Stellick said that while the corporate logos are also prominent on NASCAR racing suits, he doubts it will become a trend with other sports teams.

"It's a question of when advertising becomes clutter and how much is too much. I can't see the Leafs uniforms changing anytime soon," he said.

He added that while most sponsors will be adopting a "wait-and-see" attitude for the team's first season, Toronto FC is making some strong business moves. "The team is way ahead of where they thought they would be," said Stellick. "Expansion teams are always a challenge, but I'm optimistic about their chances here."

There was increased interest in the team after it was announced that LA Galaxy's David Beckham was scheduled to be in Toronto for a game this summer. But season-ticket sales were strong even before that announcement, said Stellick.

"It's hard to say if that success could be used in other Canadian cities. I think the Vancouver Whitecaps have done very well (in United Soccer League action) and have a strong fan base," he added.

The City of Vancouver is going through a public consultation process that would see a 15,000-seat stadium built near the waterfront. One design shows additional capacity for another 30,000 seats if a second tier was added. It would also potentially accommodate other users, ranging from rugby teams to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, according to news releases.

Michael Vandale was one of the organizers behind the former Calgary Storm soccer team in 2002 and 2003 when it competed in 'A' League action. He said they had excellent corporate sponsorship from major firms including Enmax and averaged about 2,000 fans per game.

"I don't know if Major League Soccer would work here, though," he said in an interview. "Calgary is a different place than anywhere else sometimes.

"That fan support just didn't translate into the gate (revenue). It's also weather dependent to a large degree."

Vandale adds he has to give MLSE credit for taking a chance by starting a Major League Soccer franchise in Toronto.

"They need to work at establishing a long-term fan base in order to be successful. Try to do some cross-marketing with minor-league soccer," he said. "Reaching out to the kids is important because they need someone to emulate when they are playing. I have a feeling this is going to take everything to a whole new level."

(David Hatton can be reached at hatton@businessedge.ca)