Canada Soccer announces Professional Club Licensing renewals for 2021

Ahead of the 2021 season, Canadian Premier League clubs HFX
​Wanderers FC, Atletico Ottawa, York United FC, Forge FC, Valour FC, Cavalry FC,
​and Pacific FC, 2019 League1 Ontario champions Masters Futbol, and 2019 Première
​ligue de soccer du Québec champions AS Blainville have renewed their Canada Soccer
​Club Licences.

The seven Canadian Premier League received renewals of their
​Canada Soccer Professional Club Licence, the highest-level of Canada Soccer
​Club Licensing Program. Masters Futbol and AS Blainville received the Canada
​Soccer National Club Licence, a requirement to ensure that the clubs are
​prepared for the hosting requirements that come with their berth in the 2021
​Canadian Championship.

Toronto FC, Club de Foot Montréal, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
​and FC Edmonton’s Professional Club Licence renewals for 2022-23 will take
​place in Q4 2021.

The Canada Soccer Club Licensing Program is designed to
​raise the standards of member organizations throughout the country both on and
​off the field toward best principles for development to improve the overall
​soccer system in Canada.

Launched in 2017, the Canada Soccer Professional Club
​Licensing Program includes the Canada Soccer Professional Club Licence and the
​Canada Soccer National Club Licence. The objective of the Licensing Program is
​to safeguard the credibility and integrity of club competitions, to improve the
​level of professionalism, to promote sporting values in accordance with the
​principles of fair play as well as safe and secure match environments, to
​promote transparency in the finances, ownership, and control of clubs, to share
​club and league best practices to further develop, and to formalize requirements
​for participation in national, and regional competition.

The Canada Soccer Professional Club Licence denotes that
​professional clubs in membership have fulfilled all the criteria as outlined by
​Canada Soccer for professional soccer in domestic leagues, Canadian
​Championship participation, and by Concacaf to be eligible clubs for
​Confederation competition (Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, Scotiabank
​Concacaf League) leading to international competition (i.e. FIFA Club World
​Cup).

The Canada Soccer National Club Licence is a requirement for
​clubs that have earned the right to compete in the Canadian Championship, with
​potential qualification into the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League
​competition on the pathway to the FIFA Club World Cup. All clubs participating
​in senior standards-based leagues or who seek cross-border sanction will
​require a Canada Soccer National Club Licence by 2023.