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Date For OPDL U-14 Charity Shield Revealed

By OSA News, 10/03/16, 4:45PM EDT

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With the end of the OPDL season approaching, the Ontario Soccer Association is happy to announce that the 2nd annual U-14 Charity Shield will be taking place on Nov. 5 at the Ontario Soccer Centre.

The matches will showcase the top license holder in the Western division against the top license holder in the Eastern division, in both genders. Participants will be determined at season’s end.

Designed to highlight the achievements of the best OPDL U-14 teams and the future of Ontario soccer, the U-14 Charity Shield is a must-see event.

Similar to last year, admission to the event is $5, with all proceeds going to Ontario charities of choice by the winning License Holders. Kick-off times will be announced in the near future. 

In its inaugural year, the U14 Girls match was played between the Burlington Bayhawks and the Whitby Iroquois SC. The Whitby Iroquois were victorious, winning the U14 Charity Shield Title 4-0. The U14 Boys’ game was played between the Ottawa South United and Richmond Hill SC, with Richmond Hill SC winning U14 Charity Shield Title 2-0. 

These matches raised over $1,500 in 2015, with the Whitby Iroquois splitting their donation between the Charles H. Best Diabetes Foundation in Whitby and the Sick Kids Foundation, and Richmond Hill donating their portion to the Sick Kids Foundation. 

Join us in supporting an Ontario charities and to witness some of the finest talent in the U14 age group in our province. 

Please note, the U14 Charity Shield matches will also be livestreamed. Subscribe to the OSA Livestream channel to be updated when games kick-off

U-15 OPDL Showcase

After consulting with OPDL License Holders and considering conflicting dates with other events, holding an OPDL specific tournament has become impractical for the 2016 season. Alternatively, the OPDL has incorporated a list of “Target Showcase Tournaments” to maximize exposure of Ontario’s most talented players while targeting events that will contribute to participation at future events. 

The OPDL is continuing to recognize opportunities for players in environments that complement the broader development of OPDL players, Target Showcase Tournaments have been identified for the U-15 and U-16 OPDL teams. 

The “OPDL Target Showcase Tournaments” were selected based on criteria such as: history of the event, attractiveness to American and Canadian university coaches, event ranking (on gotsoccer.com), date of the event, and location of the event. 

The list “OPDL Target Showcase Tournaments” will be frequently reviewed and will be modified accordingly based on experiences from License Holders, as well as by independent consultation. OPDL License Holders are encouraged to recommend additional events that might fit the criteria. 

The OPDL resting period of six weeks remains in effect. The resting period must be taken after the last event of the season and before team activities are resumed for the forthcoming season.

The list of “OPDL Target Showcase Tournaments” is published on theopdl.com under the “About” section. 

For further questions, please contact Gabriel Assis.