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Competitions July 31, 2024

All 28 teams qualified for the inaugural PDP Championship

PDP

All 28 teams have now qualified for Canada Soccer’s 2024 Player-Development Program Championship in all four categories: both the PDP U-17 Cup and PDP U-15 Cup for boys and girls. The new annual event will feature a higher level of competition for youth soccer players and organisations across the country.

The 28 teams represent 21 clubs including former national youth champions Burnaby FC, Calgary Foothills SC, Calgary Villains FC, South Surrey’s Coastal FC, Coquitlam Metro Ford SC, CS Saint-Laurent, St. Albert Impact FC, Surrey United SC, and Unionville-Milliken SC. This marks the first time ever that Canada Soccer has hosted as many as 28 youth teams in one venue for a national competition.

The 2024 Player-Development Program Championship runs from 14 to 18 August in Edmonton, Alberta with tickets now available for purchase at https://www.universe.com/events/player-development-program-championship-tickets-9D6BQP. Admission to youth (17 years or younger) and seniors (60 years or older) is free.

In all, 50 matches will be played across the four divisions at the Bill Gilhespy Sports Complex, with the four championship matches played in succession on Sunday 18 August. The 28 participating teams have qualified from a pool of 155 youth teams competing in the U-17 and U-15 age groups through 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).

Alongside the Canadian Championship for professional and semi-professional clubs, Canada Soccer delivers annual national amateur competitions in April (Futsal Canadian Championship), August (Player-Development Program Championship) and October (Toyota National Championships). Alberta Soccer will serve as the hosts and Local Organising Committee for the inaugural edition of Canada Soccer’s Player-Development Program Championship.

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.