Canada Soccer National Development Centres

The Canada Soccer National Development Centre and Canada Soccer EXCEL programs are full-time women's soccer development programs run by the Canadian Soccer Association in partnership with the various provincial associations to develop Canadian women's soccer players as part of the Canadian women's soccer pathway.[1][2] There are three National Development Centres in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia and Regional EXCEL programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.[3]

Canada Soccer National Development Centre
LeagueLeague1 Ontario
League1 British Columbia
Première ligue de soccer du Québec
WebsiteClub website

The three National Development Centres enter teams in Canada's tier 3 women's leagues: League1 Ontario, League1 British Columbia, and the Première ligue de soccer du Québec.

NDC Ontario
NDC Ontario
Full nameNational Development Centre Ontario
GroundOntario Soccer Centre
Vaughan, Ontario
Capacity2,000
Head coachJoey Lombardi
LeagueLeague1 Ontario
2022League, 2nd
Playoffs, Champions

The Canadian Soccer Association partnered with the Ontario Soccer Association, Own the Podium, Sport Canada, the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, and Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham Ontario, to launch its Regional EXCEL (REX) program in January 2018. The REX Super Centres provide top youth female players with a centralized, daily training program to develop their skills for players from U14 to U18 as part of Canada Soccer's Long-Term Player Development (LTPD) program.[4]

In 2022, it was announced that the NDC Ontario program would join and enter a team in the League1 Ontario women's division.[5] Their debut match occurred on May 22, finishing in a 1–1 draw against the Woodbridge Strikers.[6][7] After finishing in second place in the regular season standings,[8] NDC were crowned champions after defeating Alliance United FC in the playoff final in their debut season.[9][10]

Seasons
Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs Ref
2022 League1 Ontario 20 14–4–1 2nd Champions

NDC British Columbia (Whitecaps Academy REX)
Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy
Full nameVancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy
GroundKen Woods Field
Vancouver, British Columbia
Head coachKatie Collar
LeagueLeague1 British Columbia
2022League, 2nd
Playoffs, Champions

In 2015, the Canadian Soccer Association partnered with the BC Soccer Association and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC to launch its regional EXCEL program which will be run as part of the Whitecaps FC Academy.[11]

In 2021, it was announced that the program would join the semi-professional League1 British Columbia as a founding franchise for the 2022 season.[3][12] Their home games will take place at Ken Woods Field at the National Soccer Development Centre.[13] They played their debut match on May 22, defeating the Victoria Highlanders 5-1.[14] During the regular season, the Whitecaps managed to finish second in the regular season standings and qualified for the Championship final, despite many of their university age players having to depart the team before the end of the season, leaving them with a roster composed of 14-17 year old players.[15][16] In the Championship Final, the Whitecaps Girls defeated Varsity FC to win the inaugural women's League1 British Columbia title.[17]

Seasons
Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs Ref
2022 League1 British Columbia 7 8–1–3 2nd Champions




PEF Quebec
PEF Quebec
Full nameProgramme Excel Féminin de Soccer Québec
GroundCentre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne
Laval, Québec
LeagueLigue1 Québec
2022PLSQ-F, 7th

In 2021, the Canadian Soccer Association in partnership with Soccer Quebec set up the Programme EXCEL féminin in Quebec.[18]

In 2022, it was announced that they would field a team in the Première ligue de soccer du Québec women's division beginning in the 2022 season.[19]

Seasons
Season League Teams Record Rank League Cup Ref
2022 Première ligue de soccer du Québec 12 4–2–5 7th did not qualify

References
  1. "Canada Soccer Women's EXCEL Program: Technical Overview" (PDF). Canadian Soccer Association.
  2. "Women's EXCEL Program: A Guide for Players and their Parents" (PDF). Canadian Soccer Association.
  3. "Canada Soccer Announces 2022 Club Competitions for National Development Centres". Canadian Soccer Association.
  4. "Ontario Regional Excel Super Centre". Ontario Soccer Association.
  5. "Canada Soccer's National Development Centre-Ontario To Join L1O Women's Premier Division for 2022 Season". League1 Ontario. March 4, 2022.
  6. Bates, Matt (May 22, 2022). "L1O Weekend Preview". League1 Ontario.
  7. Bates, Matt (May 26, 2022). "The Weekly Rewind". League1 Ontario.
  8. "Women's Premier Division Playoffs: Final Preview". League1 Ontario. August 4, 2022.
  9. Cheng, Jonathan (August 7, 2022). "NDC Ontario cap off dream season with victory in Women's Premier Division Final". League1 Ontario.
  10. "A Bluffer's Guide on NDC Ontario". League1 Ontario. December 1, 2022.
  11. "Girls' Elite Academy". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
  12. "League1BC welcomes the Vancouver Whitecaps as a founding License Holder". League1 British Columbia. October 22, 2021.
  13. McColl, Michael (May 10, 2022). "The Grounds of League1 BC: Ken Woods Field, UBC, Vancouver – Home of Vancouver Whitecaps U19 and Girls Elite". Away from the Numbers.
  14. Fossey, Maxim (May 22, 2022). "League1 BC: Women get the win, men earn a draw". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
  15. Fossey, Maxim (July 22, 2022). "League1 BC: 'Caps clinch a spot in the final!". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
  16. "'Caps excited for League1 BC final: "We saw what the young players were capable of"". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. July 29, 2022.
  17. Fossey, Maxim (August 1, 2022). "Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite crowned League1 BC Finals champions!". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
  18. Dugas, Michel (October 5, 2021). "Début du nouveau programme EXCEL féminin (PEF) de Soccer Québec" [Start of Soccer Québec's New Women's EXCEL Program (PEF)]. Soccer Quebec (in French). Archived from the original on January 18, 2022.
  19. "Le PEF intègre la PLSQ Féminine" [The PEF Integrates into the Feminine PLSQ]. PLSQ (in French). February 11, 2022.
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