I think there are plenty of signs. Of course we all heard the battery was not doing well financially. I've heard this multiple times from multiple people. I was told that starting the youth club was one of the ways they were trying to inject some money back into the organization. Attendance has been sagging for years. They offer a season ticket to a player, make it seem like its a reward, but they know the parents will have to bring them- boosts the ticket, beer, food, parking sales. I dont blame them for that, you do what you can to get people in the seats. The CBSC fees are rather expensive what you get and their uniforms are as well, but they are able to generate cash flow from starting a youth club.
I think the stadium being sold out from under them, with no clear plan for next year is very telling. The members of the cbsc that I work with were very surprised at this. They had no idea this was in the works. They can spin it that wanted to move back to the peninsula, but the perception is that is damage control, because they dont have a workable alternative yet.
Also, the fact that there are battery employees whose own children still play at other clubs in the area, is perhaps the most telling about the long term viability of the first team.
I'll admit, we used to go to plenty of battery games. We used to tailgate and basically see all our soccer friends there on weekend games. We went to probably 80% of the home weekend games. But , We haven't been to a game since the cbsc formed. Honestly though, that has less to do with them starting a rival youth club and much more to do with ticket prices. When they doubled their ticket prices, they lost my family and basically ever soccer family that I hang out with.