Five things to know ahead of Canada Soccer’s inaugural PDP Championship
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What is the Player-Development Program Championship
The Player-Development Program Championship will bring together high-level amateur youth soccer clubs with 28 teams participating in the first edition.
The competition will crown national champions in four divisions across two age groups: both the PDP U-17 Cup and PDP U-15 Cup for boys and girls. The competition will run from 14 to 18 August at the Bill Gilhespy Sports Complex in Edmonton, Alberta.
Player-Development Program Championship Tickets
Alberta Soccer has launched ticket sales for group matches that will be played on 14, 15 and 17 August followed by the ranking and Championship matches on Sunday 18 August.
Single-day and tournament event passes are available for purchase. Youth admission (17 years or younger) and seniors (60 years or older) is free.
*Youth admission (17 years or younger) and seniors (60 years or older) is free.
How to watch the Player-Development Program Championship
Fans from across Canada and around the world can watch the Player-Development Program Championship for free through Canada Soccer’s YouTube page.
All 50 matches will be broadcast from the Bill Gilhespy Soccer Complex, including all eight medal matches on Sunday's Finals Day.
Fans can also follow the Player-Development Program Championship through Canada Soccer’s digital channels on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter.
Qualification for the Player-Development Program Championship
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 Player Development League, the Ontario Player-Development League, and the Québec Youth Soccer Premier League (Première Ligue de Soccer Juvénile du Québec). This marks the first time that Canada Soccer has hosted as many as 28 youth teams in one venue for a national competition.
Canada Soccer Referees
Canada Soccer has assigned an equal number of men's and women's match officials for the Player-Development Program Championship. The tournament will include 18 Canada Soccer referees from the Elite Development Referee Program alongside an additional 20 referees appointed by Alberta Soccer and its Referee Development Committee.
