Teams win Alberta titles ahead of Canada Soccer’s PDP Championship

On the road to Canada Soccer’s inaugural Player-Development Program Championship in August 2024, teams have been crowd league and cup champions in the Alberta Player Development League. Calgary Foothills SC won all four league titles in the U-17 and U-15 divisions (boys and girls) as well as provincial cups in the two girls divisions (U-17 and U-15). Calgary Rangers SC won the boys’ division in the U-17 age category while Calgary Villains FC won the boys’ division in the U-15 age category.

Canada Soccer’s Player-Development Program Championship runs from 14 to 18 August in Edmonton, Alberta. Both the league and cup winners qualify for the PDP U-17 Cup and PDP U-15 Cup. In the two divisions where Calgary Foothills won the double, it will be the league runners up that qualify for the Girls’ PDP U-17 Cup and Girls’ PDP U-15 Cup.

In APDL Cup action in the U-17 age category, Calgary Rangers SC won 3:2 over Foothills (one match on 20 July) while Calgary Foothills SC won 8-0 on aggregate over Edmonton Scottish SC (20 and 27 July). In the U-15 age category, Calgary Villains FC won 5-2 on aggregate over the Foothills (21 and 28 July) while Calgary Foothills SC won 3-2 on aggregate over the Rangers (21 and 28 July).

Canada Soccer’s Player-Development Program features a network of standards-based programs that represent high-level amateur youth soccer in Canada. Participating organisations, both clubs and academies, all meet the requirements for standards-based programming including recognition as an active National Youth Club Licensee.

The new Canada Soccer Player-Development Program Championship strengthens that connection between standards-based programs and showcases their quality of play. Inaugurated in 2024, the competition features clubs from the BC Soccer Premier League, the Alberta Youth Soccer League, the Ontario Player-Development League, and the Québec Youth Soccer Premier League (Première Ligue de Soccer Juvénile du Québec).