CPL buys Ontario’s League 1

TORONTO — The Canadian Premier League added depth and a place to percolate talent on Wednesday by purchasing Ontario’s League 1.

The new pro circuit says League 1 will become “an integral part of the CPL,” providing future opportunities for players “who are not quite ready to further develop their skills and find success in the professional game.”

The Canadian Premier League is slated to kick off next spring with seven teams.

Founded in 2014, League 1 started with a 10-team men’s division. It has grown to 17 men’s and 13 women’s teams.

League 1 is designated as a third-division men’s league. CPL will be considered Canada’s top-flight, a top-tier league as Major League Soccer is in the U.S.

“A win-win for soccer in Ontario and, really, soccer in our country,” Johnny Misley, Ontario Soccer’s chief executive officer, said of the CPL deal.

“This truly provides a real solid pathway for players, even coaches and referees, for that matter, to support and be one level below what is professional soccer now and a domestic league program,” he added. “So it’s fantastic.”

League 1 is deemed a pro-am league. Most players are amateur but some teams offer a few players “modest compensation,” according to Misley.

League 1 says more than 100 of its men and women have graduated to pro soccer.

CPL commissioner David Clanachan says having the League 1 women’s teams provides the CPL with an entree into the women’s game.

Clanachan says the addition of the League 1 will at the least allow the CPL to be part of the development of the women’s game. That could expand down the line.