The Club Licensing Regulations outline the minimum infrastructure, technical/sporting, administration, governance/financial/legal and social responsibility criteria to be fulfilled by a club to be granted a license by Canada Soccer as part of the admission procedure to enter the national or Concacaf club competitions.
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National 1 License
Club Licensing Program
National 1 License
The National 1 License is a requirement for all Professional Clubs in membership of Canada Soccer, including those participating in Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Northern Super League.
License Goals
The overall aim of Canada Soccer’s Club Licensing program is to raise the level of club soccer in Canada. With this in mind, four (4) main goals have been developed for the National 1 and 2 Licensing Program:
Understand and safeguard club soccer in Canada
Raise the level of professionalism in club soccer administration
Identify and share best practices of our clubs and leagues to further development
Formalize requirements for participation in national and regional club competitions
Standards
Implementation of the Infrastructure Criteria is aimed at ensuring that clubs have adequate stadiums and training facilities for all matches and training sessions, as well as informing clubs of the minimum requirements their stadiums must comply with to participate in Concacaf club competitions.
Implementation of the Technical and Sporting Criteria is aimed at identifying and increasing the number of players and coaches while improving the experience for youth players at club level.
Implementation of the Administration Criteria is aimed at encouraging clubs to appoint individuals to key administrative roles to increase the level of professionalism at the organizations.
Implementation of the Governance, Financial and Legal Criteria is aimed at assisting Canada Soccer with protecting and safeguarding the integrity and continuity of club competitions. It also looks to understand the capabilities of the clubs while formalizing their legal structure.
Implementation of the Social Responsibility Criteria is aimed at increasing the involvement and impact of clubs in their local communities.
Clubs
AFC Toronto
Atlético Ottawa
Calgary Wild FC
Cavalry FC
Club de Foot Montréal
FC Supra
Forge Football Club
Halifax Tides FC
HFX Wanderers FC
Inter Toronto Football Club
Montreal Club
Ottawa Rapid FC
Pacific FC
Toronto Football Club
Vancouver Football Club
Vancouver Rise
