March 31, 2022...Canadian Soccer Business Announces Launch of League1 Canada (from League1 Ontario website)

  
Canadian Soccer Business Announces Launch of League1 Canada
By League1 Ontario staff, 03/31/22, 2:04PM EDT

LEAGUE1 CANADA WILL UNIFY AND ELEVATE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S PROVINCIAL DIVISION III PRO-AM SOCCER LEAGUES NATIONWIDE

Toronto, ON (March 31, 2022) - Canadian Soccer Business(CSB) in partnership with BC Soccer, Soccer Québec, 
and Ontario Soccer announced today the formation of League1 Canada, an alliance of Canada’s existing 
provincial Division III Pro-Am Men’s and Women’s soccer leagues: League1 BC, League1 Ontario 
and Première ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ).

The League1 Canada national alliance helps unify and elevate the sport of soccer at the Pro-Am level in Canada. 
Working together, the three partner leagues want alignment on the sporting pathway for Canadian men and women 
to develop and transition to the professional level. The benefits include sharing best practices while respecting 
the unique realities that exist in each province. In the first instance, an alignment of league logos demonstrates 
that commitment, with both League1 BC and League1 Ontario having aligned logos in 2022 and PLSQ transitioning 
in 2023. 


The alliance will also create a unique value proposition for potential national commercial partnerships through 
a series of national tournaments, competitions, and activations.

This initiative, which was the brainchild of former CPL Commissioner David Clanachan, is designed to help forge 
deeper ties between the three provincial leagues, the provincial associations that sanction and support 
the operation of those leagues, the CPL, and all their other stakeholders within the Canadian Soccer landscape. 
The move creates an organized association between the three provincial leagues and puts a focus on young soccer 
players in the largest provincial soccer associations in Canada. Bringing the three Pro-Am leagues together will 
allow for greater collaboration that helps strengthen standards, promote development and create opportunities 
for inter-league competition down the road.

“League1 Ontario has enjoyed very positive relationships with our colleagues at PLSQ for many years and that 
spirit of cooperation has carried over to our new friends at League1 BC over the past several months, but the 
League1 Canada alliance takes those existing relationships to a completely different level,” said L1O Executive 
Chairman Dino Rossi. “I am confident that, by working together and establishing a close alignment of interests, 
we will grow the sport at the Division III Pro-Am level to all new heights.”

“The collaboration between League1 BC, League1 Ontario and PLSQ via League1 Canada enhances our ability to create 
opportunities for Canadian players, coaches and officials and consolidates our competition structure. 
It demonstrates our commitment to sustain the momentum of the sport in Canada. We are entering a new era in our 
province and our country!”, said Gabriel Assis, BC Soccer Director of Operations.


“Today's announcement solidifies our common desire to join forces and work more closely together to provide our 
teams and players with a more professional environment coupled with new sporting challenges," said President 
of Soccer Québec Pierre Marchand. "This alliance will be very profitable as the leagues will be able to benefit 
from more resources and expertise, which will allow them to grow further and take a more important place in the 
landscape of Canadian soccer, which is in full swing."

About League1 BC

League1 BC is an adult open age Pro-Am Soccer League operated by BC Soccer. Established in 2021, the league 
is intended to bridge the gap between youth and professional soccer, targeting the “Training to Compete” stage 
within Long-term Player Development (LTPD). The League will engage communities across British Columbia providing 
standard-based competition and training environments for female and male players, coaches, and match officials. 
League1 BC serves as a key platform of development into further opportunities within the game.

About League1 Ontario

League1 Ontario is the province of Ontario’s pro-am, standards-based, senior league. Founded in 2014 by Ontario 
Soccer, the league began with a ten team men’s division, which has now grown to 22 teams in the men’s division 
and includes a separate 20 team women’s division. League1 Ontario serves as a stepping stone between 
the high-performance youth level and elite amateur and professional levels of the game.

Owned and managed by Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) and sanctioned by FIFA through the domestic bodies 
of Canada Soccer and Ontario Soccer, League1 Ontario’s primary focus is the showcase and development of Canada’s 
future stars.

About Première ligue de soccer du Québec

The Première ligue de soccer du Québec is a semi-professional soccer league created in 2012 under the aegis 
of Soccer Québec. Affiliated with Canada Soccer, this is the highest soccer division in Québec and is recognized 
as a division 3 level in Canada.

About Canadian Soccer Business

Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) represents a suite of top-tier national assets that are core to the sport of soccer 
in Canada. This includes representation for all corporate partnerships and media rights (broadcast and distribution) 
related to Canada Soccer’s core assets including its national teams, along with all rights associated with 
the Canadian Premier League – Canada’s professional men’s soccer league that debuted coast-to-coast in April 2019.

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