Top Ontario soccer league well-represented at FIFA World Cup
Canada may be out of contention for the FIFA World Cup, but the team’s appearance at the tournament is already having an impact on soccer players here at home.
Several former athletes from League1 Ontario, the province's top semi-professional soccer league, were sporting the red and white in Qatar.
“You have eight graduates from League1 who are now representing the Canadian national team," says Amardo Oakley, who plays as a right back with Guelph United.
He adds that seeing those athletes compete at the highest level is important.
“It’s really going to inspire the next generation, inspire players like myself, and other players in that league to continue going and pushing to get to that next level.”
League1 only formed in 2014 and Guelph United's general manager Keith Mason says it was the missing puzzle piece to developing athletes in not only the province, but also the entire country.
"There's a pathway to the top and I think some of the things about League1 that I'm proud of is exactly that -- the missing link between amateur and professional," says Mason.
He points to players on the national team who now play for some of the biggest clubs in the world. Having a program like League1 allows players to develop in their own country. For Oakley, that wasn't an option. He first went to Portugal.
"At the time, there weren't a lot of opportunities to stay here and say: 'You know, it's worth it.' It was more worth it to go overseas and get experience," says Oakley.
While the ball is rolling on Canadian player development, there is still work to be done.
"I think we maybe need to find a system that is not just half the year, something that is more full-time and something that's more intriguing for guys who want to be professional football players," Oakley says. "Because working and playing football is not easy."
Still, there is confidence that Canada is heading in the right direction.
"From the cradle to the grave, people have dreams and when they see other players leading the path before them and setting the footprints in the sand, then they know 'this is a path that can lead me to my goal,'" says Mason. "And who knows, maybe World Cup 2026."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.