WHAT IS OPDL

The Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) is the highest level of competition in Ontario for  players U13 and up.  Visit Ontario Soccer's OPDL pages for stats, standings, and more!

OPDL isn’t just a league. In fact, competition is a relatively small part of it. The league moves the focus  from solely trying to win a trophy or avoid relegation, to developing players through a structured blend of high performance training and age appropriate play. In the OPDL, you’ll see mandatory heightened training with sport science and sport medicine components, complimenting regular weekly game play against other top players, from May to November.

The OPDL is not for everyone. As the Elite Pathway for players in Ontario, it requires a high level of commitment.

For Players:

• A full time commitment to training and games.
• A commitment to excellence and growth

For Parents:

• Financial and time investment

WHY SHOULD MY CHILD PLAY OPDL?

Why should your child consider the OPDL rather than other alternative development programs in Ontario?

• Highest level and best competition league in Ontario for U13 and up
• A professional approach to soccer development based on specific standards
• Highly qualified coaches accountable to coaching development standards and regular assessments by the league
• Training based on a specific development curriculum set by the Canada Soccer and Ontario Soccer technical departments
• Medical and Fitness support staff
•  Indoor and outdoor turf facilities
• Player’s development is monitored and evaluated through the year, based on specific Provincial and National standards
• OPDL players are scouted regularly and provided with the opportunity to be selected for Provincial and National programs

TRAINING

• From January to April players train indoor at the Novelletto Rosati Soccer Centre
• Each age group has a specific curriculum for coaches to follow
• Strikers, Defenders, Midfielders school is a component in the winter
• Player’s assessment (done 3 times per year)
• The Head Coach of each team must have a National B as their minimum accreditation
• Each team has a designated Fitness Trainer and Sport Medicine provider

TRAVEL

• As a provincial league, there is an expectation of travel
• Teams will play the ‘home and away’ format with much less travel, more local play.

COSTS / PAYMENT PLAN

Like other high quality development programs, there are costs associated with the delivery of the program.  Costs are only slightly higher than a regular competitive program given all the components:

• 20 league games
• Professional coaches
• 3-4 weekly training sessions
• Quality facilities, sport medicine, fitness trainers

The average TSC cost per player, from January to November, is is around $ 3100 + team expenses ** for the year, plus travel expenses.

** Can vary by team/age and is subject to change

The OPDL is the pinnacle of development for youth in Ontario. Twenty-one license holders deliver the program, providing players within the Talented Pathway with the best possible training environment.

• An open trial is open to players who desire an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to participate within an OPDL License Holder and is of the appropriate age for registration and gender for the team’s designation. 
• OPDL Players are eligible to participate on Open Trials during “Phase II” and “Phase III”.
• No more than 35 players should be allowed at each open trial to provide for a more responsible evaluation process.
• A player must have the opportunity to attend a minimum of three of these events before a final decision is made on that player.
• License Holders are permitted to charge a reasonable fee for a player to participate in an open trial. Fee should be designated to cover operational costs to run trials.
• Players may attend more than one open trial simultaneously with different OPDL License Holders