Ontario Soccer was overwhelmed by applications for the 2019 Canadian Club Licensing Program. As a result, they have extended the deadline for the final review to 30 September 2019, after which an announcement of successful organizations will be made.
Additionally, they’ve adjusted the application window for 2020:
- 2020 Expression of Interest Deadline: September 30, 2019
- 2020 Application Cycle: October 2019 – March 2020
The above deadlines apply for the “Provincial Level 2”, “Provincial Level 1” and “Quality Soccer Provider” licenses, with the application window officially opening September 15th.
Not long ago, Ontario unveiled the first 24 clubs to receive the “National Club Youth License.” Unfortunately, none of the clubs were in the North, primarily due to Northern Ontario clubs being unable to participate in the OPDL (which is impossible for clubs in the NW).
As seen to the right, presentations on the club licensing program were made between January & March 2019, with the Northern-most presentation taking place in Barrie, ON. Barrie is over 1,200 km from potential clubs in Thunder Bay, leaving the NW completely unable to attend without obtaining air fare.
Despite, once again, being an inconvenient afterthought for Ontario Soccer, it is hoped that there will be a number of Northern Ontario clubs obtaining Provincial 1 & 2 designations, and a plethora more obtaining their QSP license.
When Ontario Soccer announces the inaugural license holders, we’ll be sure to outline the clubs who earned their designations, as these will serve as some of the strongest clubs to feed into a Northern Ontario pipeline for a potential Sudbury-based L1O or CPL club.