Ontario Soccer – Two-year pilot program is a strategic initiative to implement and align private academy stream into the Ontario Soccer Player Development Pathway 

Dec. 13, 2017

VAUGHAN – Ontario Soccer has announced today that the Soccer Academy Alliance of Canada (SAAC) will manage the administration and operation of the Ontario Academy Soccer League (OASL) in 2018.

The OASL, launched in 2017, is a two-year pilot program in the province and this strategic initiative is designed to implement a separate Academy soccer stream, made up of private academies, which can be aligned with Ontario Soccer’s player development pathway.

“Private academies continue to grow in Ontario and ensuring there is a choice for parents and athletes in programming is important,” said Johnny Misley, Ontario Soccer Chief Executive Officer. “SAAC has shown that they are professional leaders in this space and bringing them further into Ontario Soccer membership is important for the development of the sport in the province.”

SAAC, which remains an Ontario Soccer Associate Member for 2018, was established in 2005, with a vision to develop world-class soccer players in Canada on a continual and systematic basis. In the past nine years, Academy graduates have gone on to professional careers, trials overseas, NCAA scholarships and Canadian Universities.

“We at SAAC are excited to be working with Ontario Soccer. We are looking forward to sharing our expertise and best practices in the private academy stream. We believe this collaboration with Ontario Soccer will improve the caliber of competition and lead in the development of the best soccer players in Ontario,” said Greg Stamkos, Chairman of SAAC. 

The OASL will operate grassroots development for ages U-8 to U-12 and youth competitive U-13 to U-17 in 2018. Under the pilot provisions, Ontario Soccer and SAAC will work together to provide recommendations to the Ontario Soccer Board of Directors upon completion of the two-year term.

The organizations involved in OASL in 2018 will be announced in the new year. 

Visit SoccerAcademyAllianceCanada.wordpress.com or AcademySoccer.ca for more.

About Ontario Soccer

Founded in 1901, Ontario Soccer is the largest provincial sports organization in Canada. Its members include more than 650 Clubs servicing over 24,000 teams with 380,000 registered players, 70,000 coaches and managers, and 10,000 match officials. Ontario Soccer develops and delivers exceptional and sustainable programs and services throughout Ontario with the mission of providing leadership and support for the advancement of soccer in collaboration and cooperation with our membership, partners and other stakeholders. Ontario Soccer also operates League1 Ontario, a provincial professional-amateur men’s and women’s league as well as the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL).

Media Contact 

Ben Rycroft | Communications Manager | Ontario Soccer | brycroft@ontariosoccer.net | 905-264-9390 x 255