How to join the CSL?

[keeper0]

How do the CSL teams get their players? Drafts or tryouts? Is there any league that holds tryouts and pays their players?? I have always wondered this.

[Juby]

well they do hold tryouts but I think most of the players are local youth products, foreign players from decent or minor (but probably better then the csl) foreign divisions(some of these guys probably came over first and then either approached the team or the team 'found' them), canadian's who didn't make it in europe or bigger teams here. Alot of ways, probably a decent number of them started out as tryouts when they were like 18-20.

[keeper0]

Ahh I see, I always thought it was from some sort of draft. So CSL teams hold annual tryouts?

[Juby]

some usually do, I think at least 4 teams held tryouts this year but they take place before the season.

[VPjr]

I can't speak for all clubs but Milltown FC held Open Tryouts in March and at least 60% of our 30+ man roster of players came from those tryouts.

We have also had players contact us directly for tryouts, we've had players recommended to us by trusted contacts who we have invited for tryouts and we have had players on our team recommend other players that they know. For instance, we just signed a player from Cameroon, Eric Batchanou (a right back), who was recommended to us by a player on our team.

There is no single way to build a squad. Some teams choose to bring over foreign players en masse, others are opt for quality local talent, etc. etc.

Over time, we'd like to start working very closely with our youth club affiliate, Milton Youth Soccer Club, to start actively developing young talent who can one day graduate to our senior team. That kind of organic player development is definitely a big part of our long term plan for populating our rosters.