$10M lawsuit launched against group trying to start pro soccer team in Saskatoon

A group trying to bring professional soccer to Saskatoon is suing its former partners for breach of contract.

The lawsuit alleges Alan Simpson and Prairieland Park conspired to cut Novatrek Capital out of a deal to bring a Canadian Premiere League (CPL) soccer team to the city.

Joseph Belan of Novatrek had obtained exclusive rights to develop a soccer stadium at the grandstand in Prairieland Park with the goal of bringing a professional soccer franchise to the city.

Simpson had teamed up with Novatrek in late 2017, and after making inroads with the CPL, the two partners held a summer soccer series in Saskatoon in 2019 to test the concept.

Preparations for a larger summer series in 2020 fall apart when Simpson suddenly quit the partnership one week before a meeting with the owners of the CPL, the lawsuit alleges.

“Simpson expressed, in vague terms, doubt about the marketing strategy for the 2020 series in a telephone call with Belan. At the end of the call, Simpson abruptly advised that he was no longer interested in taking part in the 2020 series, which was a key element of advancing the venture,” the statement of claim says.

“Simpson did not offer any reason for his decision.”

The lawsuit claims that Simpson secretly negotiated with the league owners and Prairieland Park to cut Novatrek out of the deal.

Shortly after Simpson split, Novatrek says Prairieland Park tried to end their exclusivity agreement early.

A year later CPL announced that Simpson’s company, Living Sky Sports and Entertainment, now held the exclusive rights to develop a franchise in Saskatchewan, and that the company eyed Prairieland Park as the preferred site for a stadium.

The lawsuit alleges that Simpson and Prairieland essentially cut Novatrek out of its own deal, using connections and market research that it had provided.

CTV News reached out to both Prairieland Park and Alan Simpson and they declined to comment since the matter was before the court. Novatrek also declined to comment on the matter.

In 2021 when Simpson’s company won the franchise rights to a CPL team in the province, he touted the need for his company to be in control of the venue.

“It becomes quite evident that we need to have a stadium where we are the key anchor tenants, where we have access to naming rights, sponsorship rights, advertising rights, employment, food and beverage, and all sorts of things, and all the ancillary revenues that come,” he told CTV News at the time.

Prairieland Park CEO Mark Regier was effusive about the proposal.

“They're very, very committed,” Prairieland Park CEO Mark Regier said of the CPL in 2021. “They have a good management team, and they're committed long-term to the success of the league, and we think it's going to be hugely successful going forward.”

In 2021, Simpson said construction costs could range between $15 to $21 million.