The Canadian Premier League

How do you build a professional football league? It is a daunting challenge at the best of times, but doing it during an unprecedented global health crisis is simply a tour de force, and one the Canadian Premier League, Canada Soccer, the clubs and other stakeholders have pulled off with bravura in a country that has long been infatuated with ice hockey. FIFA has assisted the league with funding from the world governing body’s Forward Programme, a key driver in FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s vision for a truly global game. Now in its third season, the Canadian Premier League is blossoming, leaving growing pains behind, and looking to a bright future in a region that is thriving and continuing the momentum that hosting all FIFA events including the upcoming 2026 edition of the game’s quadrennial showpiece, the FIFA World Cup™ has generated.

Peter Montopoli, General Secretary of Canada Soccer, Jair Bertoni, FIFA’s Director of Member Associations for the Americas region and David Clanachan, Canadian Premier League Commissioner shared their thoughts with us.

Peter Montopoli, General Secretary of Canada Soccer

Why is the Canadian Premier League (CPL) important for Canada and what was the vision behind its creation? 

The establishment of the CPL is a testament to the ever-increasing interest in and growth of the world’s sport in Canada. Canada has a strong history of hosting record-setting FIFA events and the professional game arrived in Canada [again] as a legacy of one of these events – the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007, when the national football stadium was built to host the competition. The stadium resulted in the arrival of Major League Soccer (MLS) and Toronto FC the following season. The CPL is an important part of the Canada Soccer Player Pathway along with our provincial and territorial member associations, with increased opportunities for young Canadian players to play professional football on home soil.

Is the CPL a game-changer? 

The CPL, boasting eight teams from coast to coast, has raised the profile for the sport in these regional markets. The additional playing opportunities for young Canadians provides inspiration for many players who might otherwise not continue to pursue their dream of playing the game professionally. In both the league and the Canadian Championship, minimum requirements for playing time for young Canadians have been introduced to ensure that players on the CPL team rosters will develop. Most notably, the Canadian Championship has expanded to include these eight CPL clubs along with the three Canada-based MLS clubs and two semi-professional clubs from Ontario and Quebec, which has created a coast-to-coast competition that engages fans on an annual basis. 

Why was now the moment to do it?

Hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 along with our neighbours in Mexico and the United States provides the ideal runway for the Canadian Premier League to establish itself from coast to coast and contribute to the continued momentum that the game of football has had in our country over the past decade of hosting record-breaking FIFA competitions and National Teams’ success on the international stage.

Were you confident that relaunching the professional game in Canada would prove successful?

We have always felt that more football under the right conditions would ensure success for the expansion of the game across various levels of engagement and the CPL was launched at the right time, with strong corporate support to deliver stability in the short and long term. The popularity of the sport is at an all-time high based on the success of Canada Soccer’s national teams, the hosting of record-setting FIFA events, and the opportunity for Canada to co-host the FIFA World Cup 2026™. With 25% of new Canadians identifying football as their favourite sport combined with Canada’s focus on immigration, the world’s game will become even more relevant than it is today.

How does the FA seek to engage with the CPL? 

The CPL and its eight clubs are members of Canada Soccer. Engagement occurs through the Annual Meeting of the Members as well as through the Professional Game Committee, where ideas and input in respect of the professional game are discussed, and where necessary policy or rule changes affecting the professional level are formulated, discussed, and debated. Operational support is provided through Canada Connect and the TMS system for registrations, player contracts and movement; competition management is handled through COMET, which is also the platform for referee assignments, disciplinary procedures and the Canada Soccer Club Licensing Program. All eight CPL clubs are licensed through the Canada Soccer Club Licensing Program, which has four main goals to support the clubs and raise the level of club football across the board in Canada.  These goals include: to understand and safeguard club football; to raise the level of professionalism in club football administration; to identify and share best practices of our clubs and leagues to further development; and to formalise requirements for participation in national and regional club competitions. Proven referee development opportunities are also provided for the advancement of match officials to the highest level of the game. 

Is there a good exchange of ideas and interaction? 

Regular touchpoints occur through the ongoing operational support that is provided by Canada Soccer for the Canadian Premier League. As with all Canada Soccer Membership, there is an opportunity to collaborate through the various touchpoints with additional engagement through various functional areas of Canada Soccer with the relevant areas within the Canadian Premier League.

Can these clubs help improve the national team? 

The Canadian Premier League is an important part of the Canada Soccer player pathway and provides professional playing opportunities at an important development stage in that pathway. The impact of the CPL on the National Team will not be immediate given the developmental nature of the league but will be cumulative over the years as players continue to be provided with additional playing opportunities both within the league and through the Canadian Championship.

What should the CPL become by 2026 when Canada will co-host the FIFA World Cup™? 

By 2026, the CPL will have a strong regional presence in multiple markets in most Canadian provinces and territories where our member associations are also operating development programmes on the Canada Soccer Player Pathway. It will be important for the CPL as well as for our member associations to continue to align with our national teams’ tactical identity to ensure that development ultimately leads to the strongest and widest pool of players available on the road to 2026.

Jair Bertoni, FIFA’s Member Associations Director – Americas

How important is the CPL for the region?

The region is very diverse and includes a mix of countries with a strong footballing culture at all levels, countries that have seen solid football development and others with great athletes with the potential to grow the game. Thus, the continental footballing landscape and the local circumstances are very different, but there is a need to continue the professionalisation and development of football in many of the countries. What is undeniable is that all of them share the same passion for football. It is against this backdrop that the CPL should be assessed. As one of the top ten economies in the world, Canada offers a valuable market for having a professional football league of its own and creating a pathway for its young players. In this sense, establishing the CPL was a major milestone and FIFA is providing the support needed to consolidate it in the upcoming years. Additionally, as a crucial part of this project, the Canadian football stakeholders made huge investments based on the accomplishment of a clear long-term vision. How does this impact the region? There is no doubt that having a strong professional league in Canada lifts the level of competitions not just at national level, but also at regional and global level. To illustrate this, one need look no further than the CPL teams now qualifying for the second round of the Concacaf Champions League, the continent’s top club competition. This shows that football at elite level in Canada is developing successfully and that the CPL has played a crucial role in this achievement, providing the league’s teams with the necessary conditions and environment to train their talent and offering players and coaches the right level of competitiveness on the pitch.

How did your subdivision assist in the creation of the league?

FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s vision is for football to be truly global and the development of domestic football is a key aspect to achieve this. We want to increase the number of clubs around the globe that can compete at the highest level but, even more than that, if one considers the big picture, the creation of a successful professional league benefits both club and national-team football. ultimately impacting football positively at national and international level. In fact, the more opportunities a football association gives national players to play in a competitive and professional environment, the more it enlarges the pool of talented footballers who could potentially be identified and developed with a view to strengthening its representative teams and, thus, the greater its chances of excelling in international tournaments. So, when Canada Soccer shared its vision for the future of football in Canada with us, we welcomed its interest in establishing a men’s professional league as a priority to strengthen the game at national level. The FIFA Member Associations Americas Subdivision worked diligently to explore the ways in which FIFA could contribute to this important initiative via the FIFA Forward Programme, the flagship development programme for our member associations. In this process, one of the key points addressed was the sustainability of the league – from a financial viewpoint, so that the logistic and organisational requirements are fulfilled, to the sporting side, i.e. ensuring that players can play regularly and extensively throughout the year and take their game to the next level. To give more concrete financial information, the 2019 season had a total costs of approximately CAD 37,9 million (USD 29 million). Since the first edition of the league, FIFA has been contributing with USD 500,000 per season. Within this context, a challenge to be considered is, for example, financing teams’ travel in light of the long distances existing in Canada. So, our first step was to identify the main components that would ensure such sustainability and strategically discuss with Canada Soccer and the CPL where exactly those funds were needed and subsequently invested. Throughout this consultation process, since the project’s inception, our subdivision has closely supported Canada Soccer and now the CPL and put FIFA’s expertise at their disposal to make the creation of the league a success.

How does the assistance process work? 

As per the FIFA Forward Regulations, there is a clear obligation for FIFA and Canada Soccer to sign a contract of agreed objectives in every Forward cycle (lasting four years) to formalise our commitment to supporting the league. In this framework, in order to access the funds, Canada Soccer has to submit a project application every year. Based on a formal agreement between Canada Soccer and the CPL (“funding agreement”), the investment – both the actual amount and how it will be allocated – is pretty much set every year. Nevertheless, before the application is sent, we evaluate the results of the previous season of the league to verify the key learnings and the elements that can be improved in the future, for example whether to invest in the same areas or boost other ones. Looking to the future, considering that the current cycle (Forward 2.0) will finish in 2022, we need to conclude a new contract of agreed objectives for the next cycle (Forward 3.0 – 2023-26). To this end, an exhaustive joint evaluation of the results attained during the current cycle will serve to gauge the objectives to be achieved and the areas to be enhanced. So, we will engage with Canada Soccer and the CPL to discuss what should be improved, how best to serve the clubs, players, referees and coaches and more generally speaking football in Canada, and how FIFA can contribute more efficiently, including by offering our expertise in key aspects related to the league.

What have some of the early positive developments been since the inception of the CPL?

On the sporting side, as mentioned before, the CPL clubs have shown a high standard of football, with some qualifying for the second round of the Concacaf Champions League, meaning they are now competing against major professional clubs from the US and Mexico. It is clear that the Canadian clubs are catching up rapidly. Unfortunately, the promotion and growth of the league were challenged due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we need to applaud the league for its efforts and for taking concrete measures to restart play once the government gave the green light for football to return. Amongst other changes, the CPL had to reshuffle the format to adjust to the shorter amount of time available before the end of the year, offering the teams the opportunity to play and keep their players active, with a certain level of preparation and competition, in these difficult circumstances. Fortunately, the 2021 season has just started at a normal pace. Additionally, the experience and competitive standard of these players are being taken to another level, allowing them to compete for their club and country. You will certainly see some players from the league being part of the Canadian men’s national team in the future. From a financial point of view, the success of the first editions of the league has attracted interest in investing in what they call the “franchise model”. Atlético Ottawa is a concrete and recent case, and more domestic and international investors will certainly be interested in joining the league with financial capital. Commercially speaking, the league is being consolidated, with sponsors coming on board gradually. For a league, like any other sporting project, there is an initial growth trend, followed by repositioning or consolidation, and finally the need to be creative and pragmatic for the sake of reinvention, including on the commercial and operational side. The league is quite new, so the trend now is to grow. Logically, COVID-19 has posed obstacles in terms of income and spectatorship, but there have been positive steps taken jointly by Canada Soccer, the CPL and other football stakeholders to overcome those difficulties. At the same time, major cities have expressed their interest in being involved in the league by hosting a club franchise, proving that there is an appetite for football throughout Canada. All of this illustrates the unity in the Canadian football community and, in particular, that the league is here to stay and will continue growing in sporting and financial terms.

What is the potential of the CPL?

The future is bright for the league as long as the stakeholders continue to commit to the project in the long run, thoughtfully putting football development first and anticipating business opportunities. When we first looked at the concept of the league, the idea was to reach between 16 and 20 clubs by 2026. There is a strong sense of enthusiasm around the potential growth in the number of clubs, which, by leveraging football’s growing profile and popularity in Canada, will positively impact the average attendance and sponsors’ financial contributions, not to mention the rising number of football lovers who will consume football products in different forms (through media platforms, buying merchandising, etc.). At the moment, there is a conservative approach to the future, based on growing steadily to ensure revenue and operations for the league. With the FIFA World Cup 2026 on the horizon, we believe that the league will boost interest in football, especially among the youngest generations. There is also call for addressing some key points to improve in the medium and long term. For example, the need to reflect on the implementation of financial control mechanisms and increase the investment in youth development. The former will certainly ensure the financial health of the clubs and sustainability of the league whilst keeping any high spending on players’ contracts under effective control. Regarding youth development, clubs only have a first team for the time being. Is it then desirable to have youth teams? That is how leagues usually bring through considerable talent and simultaneously reduce the salary costs of their rosters. It is not possible to immediately jump into a full structure without understanding if the means to do so are available. It is not only about finances – more and fully capable referees and coaches are also needed to improve the professional side of the game. On a different note, the league is currently sharing some stadiums with other sports. In this sense, it is also worth considering whether specific football venues are required to enhance the experience and conditions of football for participants and spectators alike. Governance-wise, the relationship between Canada Soccer and the league is perfectly clear and sound via the funding agreement, making this a win-win partnership where the association benefits from having this top-level football on its doorstep, helping it to scout talent and keep those talented young players at home for their continuing training, development and education. The professional clubs of the CPL now have a chair and voting power at Canada Soccer’s congress [the Annual Meeting of the Members], giving them a voice to shape the future of professional football in the country together with the association. The league also benefits media-wise and commercially from Canada Soccer’s support from a regulatory and governance point of view. This partnership is fruitful and providing the expected outcomes for the benefit of football as a whole in Canada in the lead-up to what is going to be a landmark in the history of our game in the country: the FIFA World Cup.

David Clanachan, Canadian Premier League Commissioner

What’s the biggest challenge in building a league from scratch?

You have to find the right partners. Stadiums and infrastructure are among the most important aspects of the league, especially when launching seven clubs simultaneously. You also want to establish and cultivate a greater fanbase while making it accessible to all.

Is the CPL looking towards particular other leagues for guidance and inspiration?

We have had communication with many leagues - including La Liga in Spain and the Bundesliga in Germany - which has certainly helped us.

What is the financial model of the CPL and the clubs? 

CPL clubs are owned individually by the owners and each club owns an equal share of the league and its company Canadian Soccer Business (CSB). 

How do you ensure clubs operate on a sound and sustainable basis? 

That comes down to our ownership model. We have a long-term growth strategy in place. To be good in business, you must stay in business, and we are taking a managed and staged approach to how we grow the league. Our mission is to create a solid foundation that will help grow the game and be a force on the world stage. 

How do you reflect on the first season and the abbreviated second season? 

There were so many success stories in 2019 – HFX Wanderers’ massive fan support and attendance, Calgary’s Cavalry FC beating the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship, the creation of and drive behind our fan and supporters’ movements and the overall general support of the league in our first year, to name but a few. Last year, we were ready to hit the ground running and we launched a new schedule that was widely well received and changed because of fan and supporter feedback. We also launched our eighth club with historic ownership group Atlético Madrid in Ottawa, as well as new 2020 Macron home kits at community events in all our markets. Then March arrived… We didn’t give up and we fought, working diligently for months to be able to create, launch and successfully run The Island Games (the 2020 season held in a bubble in Charlottetown). It was 37 days of fans across the nation and around the world viewing all eight CPL teams compete for a chance to become the 2020 CPL champions, all done safely, successfully, and completely COVID-19-free.

Do you feel that the CPL has achieved its goals so far?

The CPL has had a great start and we added our first expansion club, Atlético Ottawa. We had to adapt our goals because of the pandemic, but we surpassed those goals and expectations by successfully and healthily completing The Island Games in 2020 on Prince Edward Island and beginning our season in Winnipeg in 2021 to be able to complete our full season primarily at home stadiums with fans. We have seen our teams compete in the Canadian Championship against MLS clubs, and compete at the Concacaf level, and handle it very well. But we still have much work to do to continue to build our game in Canada.

Building on 2019 and 2020, what are the objectives for this season? 

To rebound from the pandemic – back to a level of normalcy for our supporters and fans – as well as fine-tune and grow the business. We want to deliver an entertaining and exciting season for fans to enjoy in person. Finally, the CPL is preparing to welcome Saskatoon and is continuing expansion discussions with several potential partners. 

In which areas, be it commercial, broadcast, operations, etc., is improvement required? 

We can never stop improving all aspects of our business – we have just begun. In operations, we need to continue with the creativity and the flexible mindset that we have shown exist in our league. Our partners at Mediapro and OneSoccer have been terrific and will continue to push us to greater heights. Our commercial group certainly needs to build on the momentum and create new support from partners, but also continue to deliver value to our existing partners. 

How can the clubs develop their grassroots operations?

It’s all about community and obviously the lack of integration in our communities for the past year and half has had an impact and will continue to do so as we return to normal life. We have introduced Zoom mentor sessions and presentations to reach out. We are still small and thus nimble. Our players and coaches are out there and contribute extensively in the communities. The focus is on getting back to supporting our club communities, integrating with youth and local football clubs, organizations, clubs and members of the community. Our clubs have established affiliations with the football grassroots organizations across Canada. We have a long-term national community initiative that we plan to launch this year that will support the communities we play in that we are very excited about - stay tuned!

Will it help to create a pathway for aspiring players?

Of course, 100%. The fundamental purpose of the CPL is to provide many more professional opportunities to players, coaches, referees, and administrators in the game in Canada. Talent is universal, but opportunity is not - what we are creating right now for the first time is for young Canadians to test whether they have what it takes to be a professional in our sport. 

How do you ensure a natural engagement with the fans?

We continue our focus on growing the culture and widening our fan base. Football has been embraced by communities across our country and the CPL is here to help grow the game and fan culture in Canada. We are proud that we have been very inclusive with our supporters and fans throughout our start up and believe this is the way to grow the game organically at the community level, including the engagement of fans that represent what Canada is.