Promotion from one league to another is a major goal for lower division teams. The fear of relegation, on the other hand, is something teams strive to avoid. As the Fraser Valley Soccer League, Vancouver Island Soccer League, and Vancouver Metro Soccer League are all nearing the end of their regular season we have a good idea of which teams are up for promotion and which sides will be relegated in these Challenge Trophy leagues.

Additionally, we have some coverage of the Canadian Premier League expansion rumours linking Olympique Lyonnais and AS Roma to the league.

Confirmed 2020 Canadian Soccer Expansion

Click team logos for links to relevant articles.

Canadian Soccer Contraction

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Challenge Trophy Leagues

Leagues with Promotion/Relegation

Promoted: CS Centre-Sud

St. Laurent

CS Trois-Rivieres

St. Lambert Promoted: FC Northwest

CCS Sweatshack Retained: Calgary Villains Elite FC Promoted: Chilliwack FC

TBD Promoted: Comox Valley United

Victoria Highlanders FC Promoted: Richmond FC Hibernian

TBD

Relegated: FS Salaberry

Shamrocks FC

Celtix du Haut-Richelieu

Mont-Royal Outremont Relegated: World Soccer Accademy

Forza-WSP Defeated: Calgary Rangers Sportif FC Relegated: Vancouver United FC

CCB Azad Relegated: Mid-Isle Mariners

TBD Relegated: ICSF Columbus FC

Guildford FC

For 2020 Season For 2020 Season For 2020 Season For 2020-2021 Season For 2020-2021 Season For 2020-2021 Season

Leagues without Promotion/Relegation:

New: TBA Folded: TBA For 2020 Season New: TBA Folded: TBA For 2020 Season New: TBA Folded: TBA For 2020 Season New: TBA Folded: TBA For 2020 Season New: TBA Folded: TBA For 2020 Season

Rumours

👟⚽️ – Selon ce que des gens me disent, l’Atletico Ottawa débuterait son aventure lors de la deuxième portion de la saison 2020. Ils ne joueraient pas le championnat canadien cette année. Par ailleurs, Lyon aurait de l’intérêt pour lancer un projet semblable à Québec. — jeremy Filosa 🎙 (@JeremyFilosa) January 24, 2020

CPL Quebec (Updated 26 Feb) – Last we had heard, a stadium deal in Quebec City had been achieved, but everything had been very quiet in the province. Now, with Atletico Ottawa confirmed, we’re hearing a similar arrangement may be made with Olympique Lyonnais in Quebec City. A later tweet seemed to indicate that Lyon was no longer interested, but that tweet was directly in reference to a different sport: basketball. Regardless of who exactly is behind the team in Quebec, it would not be launching until 2021 at the earliest.

Rumour Strength: Moderate

Fraser Valley (Updated 2 Jan) – Previously considered a lock for 2021, with play to occur at a new field located at the Langley Event Centre, recent rumours are starting to circulate that a team in the Fraser Valley is further off than anticipated, with some “sources” claiming 2022 a more likely target.

Rumour Strength: Moderate

With Atleti in #CanPL and Lyon rumoured to be looking to join I asked if it was a coincidence or if international investment would be the norm.



I was told the league was talking to “several other groups,” and that Roma in particular had shown interest. — Duane Rollins (@24thminute) February 1, 2020 Probably, or KW — Duane Rollins (@24thminute) February 2, 2020 Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge (Updated 26 Feb) – Although rumours surrounding a team had claimed K-W & (somewhere in) Quebec were “ready to announce” for a 2021, more recent rumours suggest this situation is still in flux. Thanks to John Jacques at Northern Tribune, we know for certain that Stuart Neely, the former coach of KW United & current Manager of Coach Education at Canada Soccer, is not connected to any new club in K-W (at the moment). However, the latest rumours suggest AS Roma may be interested in launching a team, with K-W being a potential target. With the (unfortunate) change in the rumours surrounding a team in K-W, we’ve downgraded the rumour strength and are beginning to suspect the team won’t launch until 2021 or later. Rumour Strength: Moderate GTA (Updated 26 Feb) – As noted above, there are some initial rumours surrounding interest from AS Roma. The GTA (as well as Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge) is listed as their likely target. Rumour Strength: Weak CPL Laval (Updated 2 Jan)- Despite surfacing on AFC Curtis, Bunbury remains relatively tight lipped on progress in Laval. Expansion expectations are pushed to 2022. Rumour Stength: Moderate Saskatoon (Updated 8 Nov) – Latest rumours indicate Belan is targeting a 2022 launch. Rumour Strength: Moderate

St John’s, NL (Updated 17 Jan) – A series of tweets suggest that there is a plan on the table to refurbish King George V Park for a 10,000 seat stadium for a future CPL team called NL United to launch in 2021/2022. Aside from the series of tweets from “an unreliable source,” there has been no information.

We suspect this rumour could all be smoke.

Rumour Strength: Very Weak

Updated 2 Jan 2020 Royal Beauport – According to justesoccer, Samir Ghrib, the head coach of Royal Beauport, claims the team is planning a move up to PLSQ in 2021. The move is being timed to, hopefully, coincide with obtaining the club obtaining the Canada Soccer National License. Rumour Strength: Strong Updated 31 Jan 2020 At the beginning of summer, BC provided an update on their plans for L1BC. Many expect there will be a Voyaguer’s Cup spot for the league champion, although there is no public “guarantee” at this time. The Highlanders have officially issued their release, which confirms they plan to participate in L1BC in 2021. Other teams rumoured to be applying include: TSS FC Rovers

Nanaimo United

Okanagan FC

Surrey United According to an interview with Peter Schaad, at least 6 teams need to meet the operational requirements for the league to launch. Rumour Strength: Strong

Canadian Division 2

Updated 2 Jan 2020

Simon Fudge recently had an “exclusive” about the formation of a Canadian Division 2 league. Details are scarce, however, the Canadian USL2 clubs and the SK Soccer Series folks appear to be largely behind the discussion.

The main points: Season running May to August

National league, regionally based

Main interest from: Highlanders FC TSS FC Rovers Calgary Foothills FC Saskatchewan Soccer Series Someone in Edmonton Someone in Kelowna Some groups in “Eastern Canada”

Despite the CPL’s repeated talk of promotion and relegation with a future Division 2 league, this particular league is not a CPL/CSB product. According to Rollins & Salisbury, talks about the Canadian Division 2 league have been happening since mid-summer. Discussions indicate the D2 league is more like a CPL proving-ground building off the Saskatchewan Soccer Series than a proper league of its own. Rumours place the expanded Saskatchewan Soccer Series for 2020, with something more formal for 2021. As Highlanders have discussed plans to participate in the SSS this upcoming summer, this does appear to provide additional strength to (at least this portion) of the rumour. Kevin Laramée, of Soccer Today, interviewed Simon Fudge seeking additional information. It provides a lot of great background, but little new information.

Rumour strength: Moderate

Edit (28-Feb-2020): Article was edited to correct incorrect silverware. The appropriate header now reads “Challenge Trophy Leagues” instead of “Challenge Cup Divisions”.

Edit (4-Mar-2020): Updated LSEQ Pro/Rel with corrected information.

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Shawn Gray Shawn Gray, father of two, has had a varied background, reflecting a life dedicated to learning and exploration. Having spent time living in 7 distinct cities of various sizes and character, Shawn adapts to his location and always aims to make the best of any situation. While in Ottawa, Shawn fell in love with Ottawa Fury FC, which led to him writing soccer-related articles for Northern Starting Eleven. A brief relocation to Victoria, British Columbia, gave him the opportunity to cheer on Victoria Highlanders FC. He stepped in to acquire NSXI in October 2016 and recruited additional authors from across the country to write about the soccer teams they love. Recently, Shawn returned to Greater Sudbury, Ontario. Employed as an Administrative Assistant, he continues to own & edit articles on the NSXI Network while cheering on his favourite teams from afar.

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