Every Canadian Premier League Club Is Now Cleared For Training

All eight Canadian Premier League clubs have now been cleared for a phased resumption of training.

Today’s news that FC Edmonton will resume training at Clarke Stadium tomorrow means that every CPL side will be undergoing voluntary non-contact individual and small group exercises. The Halifax Wanderers were the first club to return to training, with the likes of Pacific FC, York9 FC, and Atletico Ottawa following shortly after. This week, both Cavalry and Forge FC returned to training, with Valour FC following shortly after.

The return of every club in the league took place less than two weeks after Canadian Premier League Commissioner David Clanachan had said he expected them to be back on the pitch in a short manner.

The team is excited to get back on the pitch but my priority still remains to do this as safely as possible for the players, staff, and their families.

FC Edmonton Head Coach and General Manager Jeff Paulus

Each club is still in the first phase of training, with the second phase transitioning into closer small group exercises and the third phase introducing full group training.

The league is currently figuring out how to implement a modified 2020 Canadian Premier League season. The expectation is that it will take place in a single location (likely Charlottetown or Langford), with a compact schedule which may see clubs play as few as eight to twelve games before playoffs determine the second-ever winner of the North Star Shield.

The second-ever CPL season was originally due to kick off in early April, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the CPL – along with every other league in the world – to make some drastic adjustments if it wants to salvage the sporting season. At the moment, it’s looking like the 2020 season may not kick off until August.

Despite the pandemic forcing the league to slash player salaries by 25%, Clanachan states that the league is still in talks with prospective ownership groups regarding expansion, with the executive making specific mention of Quebec, Ontario, BC, and the Atlantic. He also revealed that the league is holding talks with foreign parent clubs interesting in founding a club similar to what Atletico Madrid did with Atletico Ottawa, too.