The OPDL is the pinnacle of development for youth in Ontario.
The OPDL is an integral development component of the Talented Pathway, the primary avenue to playing opportunities at the provincial, collegiate, national and professional level.
Launched in 2014 with the 2001 age group, the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) is one of the province's first standards-based, youth high performance league that combines top level competition with strict high performance training standards. This innovative exciting youth high performance program is an important component of the overall movement to adopt the core principles of Long Term Player Development (LTPD) across soccer at large in Ontario and Canada. OPDL encompasses the U13 to U17 age categories, for both males and females. OPDL represents young players' early graduation to a genuine high performance training environment, targeting the top athletes in the province from age groups U13 to U17, constituting the highest level of competitive youth soccer in Ontario. OPDL operates more as a high performance training program than merely a league.
Let's take a look at the OPDL statistics.
94%
NATIONAL PROGRAM
In 2019, within the Canada Soccer Regional Excel program, over 94 per cent of participants were made up of OPDL players.
80%
MEN'S PROVINCIAL PROGRAM
In 2019, 80 percent of Ontario's male Provincial Teams were made up of OPDL players.
93%
WOMEN'S PROVINCIAL PROGRAM
In 2019, over 93 percent of female Provincial Players identified were originally from OPDL organizations.
80%
TORONTO FC
In 2019, 80 percent of the new intake to Toronto FC Academy was from the OPDL.
