New Canadian Women’s Soccer Competition

Canada Soccer Business, the parent organization of the CPL purchased League1 Ontario from Ontario Soccer back in 2019, the year it launched the CPL. The reason for the purchase was a more holistic and organic approach to building a professional pathway for soccer players in Canada. While the CPL has already provided 8 professional teams for men, what about the women?

While a professional league for women is still something we’re all waiting for and often debating about online, CSB has slowly continued it’s behind the scenes work by purchasing Quebec’s PLSQ, an equivalent to League1 Ontario and then forming League1 BC. (It is our understanding the eventual plan is for each province to have it’s own League1 equivalent.)

Recently, CSB has announced a new Canadian women’s soccer competition in the form of “League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championships” where 1 team from League1 Ontario, and League1 BC will be joined by two teams from PLSQ in a 4 team, straight knockout, playoff.

Alliance United (L1O) vs. AS Laval (PLSQ)
AS Blainville (PLSQ) vs. Varsity FC (L1BC)

The winners of the first round knockouts will face one another for the first ever inter-provincial title, while the two losing teams will play for 3rd place.

Canadian Women’s Soccer Competition

We can all accept that, to keep up with the rest of the soccer playing world, Canada needs a professional women’s soccer competition, the importance of “lower league” competitions like the League1 Inter-Provincial Championships shouldn’t be discounted. If Canada is to have a sustainable pathway to professionalism which ultimately culminates in a professional women’s league, we also need the development tiers, like League1’s, PLSQ and Brampton Adult Soccer’s Women’s Divisons beneath that professional level to continually develop players.

About the Clubs in Canada’s New Women’s Soccer Competition

Alliance United

Alliance United Futbol was formed as a partnership between Markham Soccer Club and Wexford Soccer Club. The men’s team was established in the spring of 2018 and the women’s team played its inaugural season in 2019.

AS Blainville

Association de Soccer de Blainville, commonly referred to as A.S. Blainville, is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in the Montreal suburb of Blainville, Quebec, that plays in the Première ligue de soccer du Québec. They are the only club to have participated in every season of the PLSQ.

AS Laval

Alliance Soccer Laval (formerly CS Monteuil) is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Laval, Quebec that plays in the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec. In 2021, CS Monteuil merged with youth club CS Étoiles de l’Est to form AS Laval.

Varsity FC

Varsity FC aims to create a more feasible pathway for soccer players in BC to transition from youth club play to the professional scene. Varsity FC is one of seven founding members of League1 BC, British Columbia’s first domestic men’s and women’s semi-professional soccer league.

Update: League1 Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship Highlights