Dates and host venue announced for Inaugural Player Development Program Championship
Player Development Program Championship
Canada Soccer confirmed today the dates and host venue for the inaugural Player Development Program Championship announced last December. The championship will take place from 13-18 August 2024 at Bill Gilhespy Soccer Complex in Edmonton, Alberta.
“Canada Soccer would like to thank the Alberta Soccer Association and local venue partners for hosting our inaugural PDP Championship. Edmonton has a tremendous hosting history and Bill Gilhespy Soccer Complex will be an outstanding venue for this event and the players taking part.”
- Dave Nutt, Interim Director of Development at Canada Soccer.
The PDP Championship is being organized as a team-based event focused on individual and team performance on the field, education, and growing connections off the field. It will include match analysis, player identification and scouting opportunities through the Canada Soccer EXCEL program.
The following standards-based programs are recognized as a part of the PDP network:
- Alberta Youth Soccer League (AYSL)
- BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL)
- Ontario Player Development League (OPDL)
- Première Ligue de Soccer Juvénile du Québec (PLSJQ)
The PDP Championships will be divided into two age categories (U15 and U17) for boys and girls and each participating Member Association will be allotted two spots per competition. The PDP Championships will be played with a two-pool round-robin with seeding crossover (1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4) to determine placement.
Information regarding the Player Development Program Championship schedule will be provided in the coming months.
About the Player Development Program
The Canada Soccer PDP is a network of standards-based programs that represents the highest level of amateur youth soccer in Canada. Participating organizations (clubs and academies) must hold the National Youth Club Licence, the highest category of recognition for amateur youth clubs within the Club Licensing Program and meet any additional requirements of the standards-based program.
By introducing standards at the club level — all of which are informed by best practices in player development from leading nations around the world — Canada Soccer aims to help and support clubs to better focus their efforts on creating the best environment possible for player and coach development.