A League Of Their Own

Nearly 27 years after the Canadian Soccer League folded, a new competition kicks off

The Canadian Premier League (CPL) will kick off its inaugural campaign with seven teams spread from coast to coast: Forge FC (Hamilton), York 9 FC (Toronto area), FC Edmonton, HFX Wanderers (Halifax), Valour FC (Winnipeg), Cavalry FC and Pacific FC (Vancouver Island).

The competition will operate a split season format – as used in many South American leagues – with the spring and fall winners meeting in a championship Final in October following the 28-game regular season.

Sanctioned as Canada’s top division, the CPL was founded by a small group of investors – the most notable being computer-software millionaire Bob Young – working in conjunction with the Canadian Soccer Association to help fill a major footballing void in the country. Although MLS boasts three Canadian clubs (Toronto, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps), Young was at a loss as to why Canada didn’t have a domestic league, and he quickly became one of the driving forces behind the scenes to get the CPL up and running.

“It made no sense to me or anyone else in the Canadian soccer community that Canada [didn’t have its own league], despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world,” says Young.

CPL commissioner David Clanachan insists the league isn’t in competition with MLS and points to the fact that the CPL stayed away from the markets that MLS is already in. However, there is no denying that the CPL was largely born out of a desperate need for Canadian soccer to develop its players and give them opportunities they otherwise might not receive elsewhere, including in MLS.