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Canadian Premier League awards first expansion team to Ottawa

By Staff, 01/30/20, 9:00AM EST

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Ottawa will become the third Ontario city to have a CPL team

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CSB CEO Scott Mitchell, left, CPL Commissioner David Clanachan, Club Atlético de Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, Ottawa strategic partner Jeff Hunt, and CFO of CSB Doug Rye.

The Canadian Premier League officially announced today that Ottawa, Ontario has been awarded a CPL expansion team – the League’s first.

Set to begin play in April 2020 at renowned TD Place in Ottawa – which sits on the Unesco World Heritage Site, the Rideau Canal – the expansion bid was led by Club Atlético de Madrid. One of the most prominent brands in the global soccer market, Atletico is one of the giants of Europe while competing in one of the game’s best competitions, La Liga.

Canada’s capital is the latest city to join the Canadian Premier Leagues vision of being a truly coast-to-coast League. The city’s inclusion in the second season of the CPL brings with it regional rivalries, greater diversity, and representation as the League continues on its mission to bring football to all Canadian fans and supporters across the country.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ottawa as the Canadian Premier League’s 8th Club and Club Atlético de Madrid as our newest owners of the Ottawa club,” said Commissioner David Clanachan. “We are very excited to launch the club with one of the world’s most iconic and successful soccer brands and look forward to them taking to the pitch for the 2020 CPL season.”

Club Atlético de Madrid’s leadership includes President Enrique Cerezo and CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín. Coach Diego Pablo Simeone leads a team of world stars that includes Jan Oblak, Koke, João Félix, Diego Costa and Saúl.

“We are delighted to be part of such an exciting project in an amazing country. We would like to bring our expertise to a very strong and structured league and will work together with the CPL and the rest of the clubs to contribute to the growth of Canadian soccer. We want Ottawa soccer fans to be able to feel proud of belonging to the Atlético de Madrid family so we can start sharing our values with them,” said Atlético de Madrid´s CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín.

Club Atlético de Madrid’s ownership is pleased to announce Ottawa businessman, Jeff Hunt as a strategical partner. Familiar to Ottawa sports ownership, as part owner of the Ottawa Redblacks football club of the Canadian Football League and the Ottawa 67’s hockey club of the Ontario Hockey League, Hunt brings proven success from both local teams and will be a key asset to the Ottawa team as they prepare to launch.

Hunt along with Club Atlético de Madrid’s ownership and CPL Commissioner, David Clanachan will be in Ottawa at a public unveiling event to be held at TD Place on February 12.