The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is already discussing expansion having completed its inaugural season, commissioner David Clanachan has revealed.

Speaking to Reuters, Clanachan said that the professional men’s soccer league, which currently has seven teams, has received expressions of interest from 18 communities, with three of those “very close” to joining the competition.

The commissioner added that the league expects to make an expansion announcement before the end of November, but said it is unlikely any new teams will begin play until the 2021 campaign.

“We’re going to grow the game, we are going to grow it the right way,” Clanachan told Reuters. “This is about doing it properly from a business perspective.

“You see so many leagues start off and then they fail because they have zero fiscal responsibility.

“This isn’t get a billionaire and make him a millionaire, that is not how it works.”

The 2019 CPL season reached its conclusion on Saturday as Forge FC, from Hamilton, defeated Calgary’s Cavalry FC 1-0 to claim a 2-0 aggregate win and be crowned the league’s first ever champions.

Overall, Clanachan rated the season as a “good” rather than great start. The first leg of the final roped in 10,000 fans, with just under 6,000 turning out for the second leg.

“They (fans) are always going to raise the bar for you,” Clanachan added in his interview with Reuters. “That’s why I am saying to all the clubs, all the guys at the office as good as we thought we might have been we’ve got to be better.

“People are going to say, well last year we gave you a pass we were on your side now we are going to be more critical and that’s when you’ve got to step up. We are going to need to be better and that’s everything: scheduling, how we entertain, play on the field that is all part of it.”