Canada Soccer announces Professional Club Licensing renewals for 2021
Ahead of the 2021 season, Canadian Premier League clubs HFX Wanderers FC, Atletico Ottawa, York United FC, Forge FC, Valour FC, Cavalry FC, and Pacific FC, 2019 League1 Ontario champions Masters Futbol, and 2019 Premire ligue de soccer du Qubec champions AS Blainville have renewed their Canada Soccer Club Licences.
The seven Canadian Premier League received renewals of their Canada Soccer Professional Club Licence, the highest-level of Canada Soccer Club Licensing Program. Masters Futbol and AS Blainville received the Canada Soccer National Club Licence, a requirement to ensure that the clubs are prepared for the hosting requirements that come with their berth in the 2021 Canadian Championship.
Toronto FC, Club de Foot Montral, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and FC Edmontons Professional Club Licence renewals for 2022-23 will take place in Q4 2021.
The Canada Soccer Club Licensing Program is designed to raise the standards of member organizations throughout the country both on and off the field toward best principles for development to improve the overall soccer system in Canada.
Launched in 2017, the Canada Soccer Professional Club Licensing Program includes the Canada Soccer Professional Club Licence and the Canada Soccer National Club Licence. The objective of the Licensing Program is to safeguard the credibility and integrity of club competitions, to improve the level of professionalism, to promote sporting values in accordance with the principles of fair play as well as safe and secure match environments, to promote transparency in the finances, ownership, and control of clubs, to share club and league best practices to further develop, and to formalize requirements for participation in national, and regional competition.
The Canada Soccer Professional Club Licence denotes that professional clubs in membership have fulfilled all the criteria as outlined by Canada Soccer for professional soccer in domestic leagues, Canadian Championship participation, and by Concacaf to be eligible clubs for Confederation competition (Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, Scotiabank Concacaf League) leading to international competition (i.e. FIFA Club World Cup).
The Canada Soccer National Club Licence is a requirement for clubs that have earned the right to compete in the Canadian Championship, with potential qualification into the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League competition on the pathway to the FIFA Club World Cup. All clubs participating in senior standards-based leagues or who seek cross-border sanction will require a Canada Soccer National Club Licence by 2023.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Brad FougereCorporate Communications | Communications corporatives
bfougere@canadasoccer.com
m. +1 613.299.1587
Richard Scott
National Teams Program | Programme de l’quipe nationale
rscott@canadasoccer.com
m. +1 613.818.0305