LSSPQ: A new league in the ever-changing Canadian soccer landscape

[Richard]

Impact Academie play in CSL with TFC Academy. CSL is an absolutely fine level for U18 development.

That may be so in your opinion but the Whitecaps academy program (and I hope the Impact academy too in due course) extends to lower age levels than U-18.

[Jeremy]

It will in 2012. And I think TFC's program goes deeper than U-18 too, right?

[ThiKu]

Don't disagree, but we don't have such a league and clubs need to find the best competitive environment for their player development they can now, not in ten years time.

The BC Soccer Premier League (U-13 to U-18) is a step in the right direction for high level youth development but local clubs rejected the notion that the Whitecaps play their teams in the BCSPL because it was viewed as unfair competition. What better alternative for them and the game than the USSF academy program?

Which is interesting because I bet most of the BCSPL teams would think they'd give most USSDA teams a good game. Whitecaps, TFC etc should be in the American youth system as they are in an American-based professional league. The rest of Canada needs its own nationalized league. As you said.

[Richard]

The BCSPL hasn't played a game yet, not sure how one can compare the standard of play.

There are reports that some BCSPL clubs are having difficulty recruiting players - inadequate talent pool is one reason given. Others suggest cost and/or increased travel requirement or players/parents opting to stay together at the well established and better understood next lower level are factors.

I am sure there are many reasons but the BCSPL program was a top-down imposition, not a response to grassroots market demand and introduced as something of a surprise fete acccomplis to some people which could be presenting proponents with a 'selling' problem.

[NHFutbol]

I know I get emotional about this. Who cares! I want Canadian teams to stop using the American framework.

The question we all dance around is the differences in these leagues. If you had the money to build a team (build ... not buy) which league would you join? CSL, PDL, New OSA non-amateur?

A couple of comments...

1) CSL and PDL are kind of an apples and oranges thing. CSL is "professional" while PDL is amateur. PDL is widely perceived in the US as a summer league for NCAA players.

2) PDL is under increasing competition from the National Premier Soccer League. The league was formed by breakaway PDL teams (sort of reminds me of NASL & USL). http://www.nationalpremiersoccerleague.com/index.html and http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/soccer/post/_/id/7300/locals-hollywood-united-streaks-into-new-league

[tovan1]

The Première ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ) is set to launch this weekend on April 15. There was a decent amount of exposure in the Quebec media so I'm not sure why nobody here picked up on it...

Official website:

http://www.publicationsports.com/site/plsq

Official league proposal from 2011:

http://www.federation-soccer.qc.ca/files/PRESENTATIONENBREFPREMIERELIGUDESOCCERDUQUEBEC2011.pdf

Official English release:

http://www.publicationsports.com/site/plsq/nouvelles/quebec-premier-soccer-league-will-take-off

Media:

http://www.rds.ca/soccer/chroniques/337987.html

http://www.rds.ca/soccer/chroniques/338016.html

http://tvasports.ca/tvasports/soccer/archives/2012/04/20120403-113547.html

Video:

http://www.rds.ca/zone-video/#cat=60&videoID=108269

http://www.rds.ca/zone-video/#cat=60&videoID=108268

Key tidbits from the above:

- League will have Division 3 status (same as CSL)

- the league will have 5 teams in 2012 (all in the Metro Montreal area): FC l’Assomption, Blainville Soccer Association, FC Brossard, St-Leonard FC and FC Boisbriand, a team from Aylmer (Ottawa-Gatineau area) will join in 2013

- Each team will play a 16 game season + 4 friendly games (vs Impact Academy, Quebec U23's, the future Aylmer team, and a to-be-announced semi-pro team from Ontario)

- Team salaries will be capped at $45,000 with a salary floor of $25,000 for a 20 player roster

- A minimum 3 players must come from local associations

- Ex-Montreal Impact players Sandro Grande (FC l’Assomption) and Antonio Ribeiro (St-Leonard FC) will play in the league this season

[Obinna]

As richard pointed out, adding a semi professional component to existing amature leagues is a great step. What Quebec is doing comes close to this, the only difference is that they are creating new teams. In essence it should be more less the same thing, since the top amature players in theory will jump up to this level.

There is no reason why this cannot be done in Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia as well. Those provinces have well established provincial leagues and would be able to do the same thing with at least 6 to 8 teams.

Newfoundland could potentially do this because I think the facilities are here, but also I feel it would struggle to maintain 6 teams. Right now the Challenge Cup league here struggles to field 6 teams every year (This year is looking like 5 + 1 youth team). The upside though is that aside from the two St. John's teams that share King George V, the other three clubs have their own facilities that could hold at least 1000 people (2 of 3 are brand new fieldturfs with flood lights and clubhouse). Should Western Newfoundland ever revive their Corner Brook team, it would also have a brand new fieldturf with 1000 capacity and floodlights.

New Brunswick club soccer from what I can tell is in dissary, and PEI seem to only have 3 or so teams, but the Maritimes is geographically small and teams from there could join a NS league.

I think the foundation is there to do what Quebec is attempting, hat off to them!

[Juby]

The Première ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ) is set to launch this weekend on April 15. There was a decent amount of exposure in the Quebec media so I'm not sure why nobody here picked up on it...

I was waiting for someone with a better handle on french to confirm some of these things and didn't see the english release

NICE, it's salary structure may be a little lower but with guys like Grande and Riberio playing, and considering it's in it's first year (probably with good dibs (after the impact) on the player pool), It might be nearly as good as the CSL. If anyone can get me a match video (any word on TV?) I'll try and make up something.

[Redcoatsforever]

NICE, it's salary structure may be a little lower but with guys like Grande and Riberio playing, and considering it's in it's first year (probably with good dibs (after the impact) on the player pool), It might be nearly as good as the CSL. If anyone can get me a match video (any word on TV?) I'll try and make up something.

I'm really hoping they follow through on the "Canada Cup" concept they mentioned before, and that the CSL decide to just do a season-long Givova Cup with no playoffs. That would make my season.

[ThiKu]

Friendly v. Quebec u23? Who are the Quebec u23????