OFFICIAL: League1 Alberta Exhibition Series Confirmed
By Play to start May 12
One of the hot topics in Canadian football is now official: there is now a League1 Alberta Exhibition Series that will take place this summer. This comes after Northern Tribune had released exclusive information about the league’s plans back in January.
The exhibition series is expected get underway on May 12th, with five teams playing in both the men’s league and five in the women’s. Calgary Foothills, Edmonton Scottish, St. Albert Impact, and BTB Club will field a team in both divisions, while Cavalry FC will have a men’s team. Finally, Calgary Blizzard will take part in the women’s league.
The league was also brought up in an earlier interview with League1 Canada commissioner Dino Rossi.
More information will come in due course, but Northern Tribune reached out to a source shortly after the release.
As expected, the exhibition series is being used as a litmus test to see the feasibility of a League1 Alberta. While plans are to officially start the league in 2024, that will all depend on how this summer goes. There will be a heavy reliance on the data obtained which includes attendance, general operation, and the creation of a business plan.
It was also confirmed by the source that other teams were interested in joining this summer’s exhibition series. No clubs were specifically named, but this was made known. Should League1 Alberta come fully into play next year, there will be an application process for more teams to potentially join the league. That would start after the Soccer Series.
Previously, it was said the the format would see each team face each other home and away. This is not set in stone, with an official schedule to be released in the near future. There may be some changes to the initial format mentioned.
Although it was not mentioned in the press release, the aim would be for the league to wrap up during the final weekend of July (28th/29th).
Games will be available to be streamed on watch.albertasoccer.com.