guncurug: November 2015

Appointments

MLS West Conference Championship 2015

15.58

Appointments

FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifiers � CONCACAF (Round 4)

22.18

Appointments

NASL Soccer Bowl 2015

23.19

News

Division 3 � �A League of Our Own�

20.27

Why would the level of competitions matter for the development of Canadian refereeing? The regulations governing the registration of international match officials specify that the maximum number of referees from each association shall be decided by the FIFA Referees Committee, taking into account: (1) the level of refereeing of each association, (2) the level of competitions of each association and (3) the professional level of each association�s competitions. Therefore, if Canada would like to have more international referees, the level of competitions must be improved.
According to the FIFA website, the National League of Canada is considered the Canadian Championship, who only has five teams: Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps, FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury. These five teams are playing in the MLS and NASL, both US-based leagues. In 2013, the CSA released the professional soccer viability report entitled �In A League of Our Own�, recommending the creation of a favourable environment for investors to build regional leagues, which would be administered by a body (CSA) that could also crown a national champion. The �Easton Report� suggested relaxing financial requirements for a team�s first three years of entry into a semi-pro league. Easton and his researchers know that the best way to create a new Division 3 is to use existing amateur clubs that could easily convert to the semi-pro model. The main objective of a Division 3 semi-professional league is to fill the gap that has existed in the talented player pathway. A logical next step would be to introduce the champions of these leagues into the Canadian Championship. For example, the winners of League One Ontario and the Premiere Ligue de Soccer du Quebec can play each other in an early round (Inter-Provincial Cup), with the winner getting the lower ranked NASL club. Once western leagues get going, perhaps Division 3 champions there can play the FC Edmonton, while the winner of the Ontario/Quebec Inter-Provincial Cup would play Ottawa Fury (keeping it regional with the intent of reducing travel costs). The first step was made last year by Ontario and Quebec with the first Division 3 Inter-Provincial Cup played between the champions of the League1 Ontario (L1O) and the Premiere Ligue de Soccer du Quebec (PLSQ). The next step should be the introduction of the winners of Alberta Major Soccer League (AMSL), Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL), Manitoba Major Soccer League (MMSL) and Nova Scotia Soccer League (NSSL). In the future, it can be extended to allow the participation of all provincial champions. The new structure of the Canadian Championship would have 11 teams (instead of only 5, as it is now), starting with a tournament (Inter-Provincial Cup with 6 teams playing each other). That would allow for a better representation for a Canadian Championship and will also offer motivation to non-MLS or non-NASL teams to play for a spot in a National League. An extended Canadian Championship will provide more and better opportunities for refereeing development at the national level.

The expanded Canadian Championship would have the following structure:

Inter-Provincial Cup: CSA tournament with the winners of League1 Ontario (L1O), Premier League de Soccer du Quebec (PLSQ), Alberta Major Soccer League (AMSL), Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL), Manitoba Major Soccer League (MMSL), Nova Scotia Soccer League (NSSL).

Quarter-finals: Two matches home and away: the first two teams from the Inter-Provincial Cup vs FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury (regional matches)

Semi-finals: Two matches home and away: the winner from QF + Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps.

Final: Matches home and away between the winners from the semi-finals.

Currently, CSA is organizing Club Nationals for Senior, U-18, U-16 and U-14. In the new structure, the Senior Club Nationals would be replaced by the Inter-Provincial Cup, as a preliminary round of the Canadian Championship. The youth Club Nationals should mirror the international competitions: U-20, U-17 and U-15.