Canada Soccer National Development Centres
| League | League1 Ontario League1 British Columbia Première ligue de soccer du Québec |
|---|---|
| Website | Club website |
The Canada Soccer National Development Centre and Canada Soccer EXCEL programs are full-time women's soccer development programs run by the Canadian Soccer Association in partnership with the various provincial associations to develop Canadian women's soccer players as part of the Canadian women's soccer pathway.[1][2] There are three National Development Centres in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia and Regional EXCEL programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.[3]
The three National Development Centres enter teams in Canada's tier 3 women's leagues: League1 Ontario, League1 British Columbia, and the Première ligue de soccer du Québec.
NDC Ontario
| File:NDC Ontario.jpg | |
| Full name | National Development Centre Ontario |
|---|---|
| Ground | Ontario Soccer Centre Vaughan, Ontario |
| Capacity | 2,000 |
| Head coach | Joey Lombardi |
| League | League1 Ontario |
| 2022 | League, 2nd Playoffs, Champions |
The Canadian Soccer Association partnered with the Ontario Soccer Association, Own the Podium, Sport Canada, the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, and Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham Ontario, to launch its Regional EXCEL (REX) program in January 2018. The REX Super Centres provide top youth female players with a centralized, daily training program to develop their skills for players from U14 to U18 as part of Canada Soccer's Long-Term Player Development (LTPD) program.[4]
In 2022, it was announced that the NDC Ontario program would join and enter a team in the League1 Ontario women's division.[5] Their debut match occurred on May 22, finishing in a 1–1 draw against the Woodbridge Strikers.[6][7] After finishing in second place in the regular season standings,[8] NDC were crowned champions after defeating Alliance United FC in the playoff final in their debut season.[9]
Seasons
| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | League1 Ontario | 20 | 14–4–1 | 2nd | Champions |
NDC British Columbia (Whitecaps Academy REX)
| File:VWFC women.png | |
| Full name | Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy |
|---|---|
| Ground | Ken Woods Field Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Head coach | Katie Collar |
| League | League1 British Columbia |
| 2022 | League, 2nd Playoffs, Champions |
In 2015, the Canadian Soccer Association partnered with the BC Soccer Association and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC to launch its regional EXCEL program which will be run as part of the Whitecaps FC Academy.[10]
In 2021, it was announced that the program would join the semi-professional League1 British Columbia as a founding franchise for the 2022 season.[3][11] They played their debut match on May 22, defeating the Victoria Highlanders 5-1.[12] During the regular season, the Whitecaps managed to finish second in the regular season standings and qualified for the Championship final, despite many of their university age players having to depart the team before the end of the season, leaving them with a roster composed of 14-17 year old players.[13][14] In the Championship Final, the Whitecaps Girls defeated Varsity FC to win the inaugural women's League1 British Columbia title.[15]
Seasons
| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | League1 British Columbia | 7 | 8–1–3 | 2nd | Champions |
PEF Quebec
| File:PEF Quebec.png | |
| Full name | Programme Excel Féminin de Soccer Québec |
|---|---|
| Ground | Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne Laval, Québec |
| League | Première ligue de soccer du Québec |
| 2022 | PLSQ-F, 7th |
In 2021, the Canadian Soccer Association in partnership with Soccer Quebec set up the Programme EXCEL féminin in Quebec.[16]
In 2022, it was announced that they would field a team in the Première ligue de soccer du Québec women's division beginning in the 2022 season.[17]
Seasons
| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Première ligue de soccer du Québec | 12 | 4–2–5 | 7th | did not qualify |
References
- ^ "Canada Soccer Women's EXCEL Program: Technical Overview" (PDF). Canadian Soccer Association.
- ^ "Women's EXCEL Program: A Guide for Players and their Parents" (PDF). Canadian Soccer Association.
- ^ a b "Canada Soccer Announces 2022 Club Competitions for National Development Centres". Canadian Soccer Association.
- ^ "Ontario Regional Excel Super Centre". Ontario Soccer Association.
- ^ "Canada Soccer's National Development Centre-Ontario To Join L1O Women's Premier Division for 2022 Season". League1 Ontario. March 4, 2022.
- ^ Bates, Matt (May 22, 2022). "L1O Weekend Preview". League1 Ontario.
- ^ Bates, Matt (May 26, 2022). "The Weekly Rewind". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Women's Premier Division Playoffs: Final Preview". League1 Ontario. August 4, 2022.
- ^ Cheng, Jonathan (August 7, 2022). "NDC Ontario cap off dream season with victory in Women's Premier Division Final". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Girls' Elite Academy". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
- ^ "League1BC welcomes the Vancouver Whitecaps as a founding License Holder". League1 British Columbia. October 22, 2021.
- ^ Fossey, Maxim (May 22, 2022). "League1 BC: Women get the win, men earn a draw". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
- ^ Fossey, Maxim (July 22, 2022). "League1 BC: 'Caps clinch a spot in the final!". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
- ^ "'Caps excited for League1 BC final: "We saw what the young players were capable of"". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. July 29, 2022.
- ^ Fossey, Maxim (August 1, 2022). "Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite crowned League1 BC Finals champions!". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
- ^ Dugas, Michel (October 5, 2021). "Début du nouveau programme EXCEL féminin (PEF) de Soccer Québec" [Start of Soccer Québec's New Women's EXCEL Program (PEF)]. Soccer Quebec (in French). Archived from the original on January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Le PEF intègre la PLSQ Féminine" [The PEF Integrates into the Feminine PLSQ]. PLSQ (in French). February 11, 2022.