It’s not just a soccer thing. It is endemic to most youth sports where high fees help pay for coaches and profit to the organizations. The more skilled a young player is the more expensive to play at the next level.

The bottom line is many talented players are priced right out of high-performance sports.

“In Canada, we penalize talent,” said Fonseca. “The better you are the more you pay. This is more of a European approach.

“We think we can come up with a system to reward talent. I think we have to find ways to provide those services.”

The program is slated to launch May 24, initially for players ranging in age from 14 to 16 years.

“There are many goals we want to accomplish but for now it is to have an excellent, thriving program. The only way soccer can be successful is if we bring it to affordability. Otherwise, I think, is the completely wrong way to go.”

*York9 kickoff

It is the official launch for York9 FC May 10 at Vaughan’s City Hall.

In the most local of cross-country unveilings, the Vaughan-based team in the Canadian Premier League is to be revealed at a 5 p.m. launch.

The CPL is pushing out the identity of franchises for the men’s domestic league across the country on a one-by-one basis. The league has been in the works for more than a year.

In the case of York9 FC, the team is slated to play out of York University for at least the first two seasons until a stadium is built in Vaughan.

The league is expected to begin play in 2019 with eight to 10 teams.

Just Jawin’ … Newmarket Baseball Association is scheduled to launch its 2018 season with its annual parade and opening pitch ceremonies May 12 at McKnight Field at Newmarket Fairgrounds … Golfers looking for the popular Maples of Ballantrae Golf Club will find it listed under Royal Stouffville Golf Club following an off-season transaction. Former Nobleton Lakes assistant golf pro Stefan Kerr moves over to become the head pro at the Robert F. Moote design which opened in 1982.

— John Cudmore is a longtime, award-winning sports reporter. His Cuddy Shark column appears weekly.