The Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) - one of the country's first standards-based, youth high-performance programs that combines top-level competition with strict high-performance training standards - will officially enter its ninth season with nearly 70 games scheduled across the province over the weekend.
Returning for a second year, Ontario Soccer is proud to once again welcome Toronto FC and the Canadian Premier League (CPL) as co-presenting partners of the OPDL.
“I would like to once again thank Toronto FC and the CPL for their continued support of soccer through the OPDL and beyond,” said Johnny Misley, Ontario Soccer’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is a critical program for players as well as coaches, officials and administrators so they can develop their skills and confidence to excel at higher levels of the game and for some, to one day represent our country on the international stage.”
Ontario Soccer launched the OPDL in 2014 with a goal to create a holistic training and competition environment that best supports youth player development, and a recent program review found that it was achieving its main program design objectives.
“The OPDL is an integral component of Ontario’s youth player development pathway,” said Matt Ferreira, Ontario Soccer’s Director of Development. “Now entering its ninth year, we are beginning to see more-and-more stories of players who have gone on to higher levels of the game coming through the OPDL, showing the value of the standards-based program within the talented pathway.”
In support of the evolving program, Ontario Soccer is expanding its communications efforts in 2023, to build further awareness of the OPDL and its members through a storytelling approach. Follow Ontario Soccer’s digital channels, including a newly created OPDL specific Instagram account @OPDL_Ontario_Soccer, and use #OPDL on social media to join the story.
With a full slate of competition scheduled for the season, the 2023 OPDL calendar culminates with the OPDL Gary Miller Charity Shield in the fall.
Visit OPDL.ca for schedules, scores and more.