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By Dan Plouffe
An elite-level women’s soccer team will return to the nation’s capital alongside a men’s team that offers a new avenue to the game’s higher levels as a pair of local clubs have secured licences to compete in League1 Ontario for the 2017 season.
There are no age restrictions on League1 participants, though the target group is roughly 17 to 23 years old, intended as a venue for players seeking to move on to the professional level, or a place for university-level players to prepare for their collegiate seasons.
The West Ottawa Soccer Club will debut a women’s team in the growing loop, while Ottawa South United will lead a men’s entry.
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity to create another pathway for the kids,” says OSU club general manager Jim Lianos. “We’re graduating kids every year going to university. For us, we look at it as a continuation of their development and preparing for university. When they come back, they have somewhere to play to keep their standards up.”
West Ottawa technical director Kristina Kiss is especially pleased to be bringing a high-level women’s team back to the nation’s capital, which the city hasn’t had since the Ottawa Fury W-League team folded after its 2014 season.
“It’s so exciting for me, I can’t say it enough,” highlights the former Canadian women’s national team player. “I think women’s soccer in Canada needs to keep growing and I think this is a step in the right direction for our area.
“I think in the past there’s been a hole in the pathway for women in Ottawa. This hopefully bridges that gap and fills the hole a little bit.”
The League1 women’s team could make life easier for the likes of the next Alexis Martel-Lamothe. Recognized as the city’s top soccer player in 2016 by the Ottawa Sports Awards, Martel-Lamothe travelled relentlessly down to Toronto to be part of the provincial program, and then to Laval, Que. to chase down elite competition before she eventually landed a spot on the Canadian under-20 women’s team.
“That sounds so familiar,” Kiss signals. “It was hard for our players who are kind of isolated (from high-level opportunities).”
West Ottawa has an ever-growing list of interested players and has already begun casual sessions with a local crew. The club expects to hold formal tryouts in March to establish a small core, and then another set in April when players return home from university. The reception from prospective players has been exceptional, Kiss underlines.
“We will definitely be competitive in the league. We wouldn’t join otherwise,” signals Kiss, one of the team’s coaches alongside Kwame Telemaque and Andrei Badescu and team manager Tom Dickson. “It’s not a pay-to-play environment anymore, so the players are rewarded for all their hard work and dedication over their youth careers.”
With the league allowing only a single men’s or women’s team to begin operations in a club’s first season, OSU pledges to add a women’s team as well next year, while West Ottawa will evaluate a possible future men’s entry after their women’s program takes root.
The enthusiasm for OSU’s League1 entry is also very high. A preliminary event attracted 48 players, and the club typically receives 5-10 inquiries per day, from as far as Mexico and B.C. – the club’s new partnership with the Vancouver Whitecaps serving as a draw for players looking to League1 as a developmental opportunity in hopes of getting a shot with the Major League Soccer side.
OSU will field a team made up of the best players possible, regardless of past club association, Lianos indicates.
“It has to be a competitive team to play against the best clubs in Ontario,” he adds. “We know traditionally soccer in Toronto is very, very strong, as we’ve seen in the OYSL and OPDL. Having said that, we’ve always been able to compete and win at that level, so I don’t see this being any different for us.”
The team could be especially strong out of the gate should some members of the Ontario gold and national bronze medal-winning Gloucester Celtic men’s team join on.
“For us, we’re happy that our alliance with the Gloucester Hornets continues to grow, and this is another way,” Lianos notes.
Aside from Gloucester, several other local clubs have inquired about how they can link up with the local League1 entry. Though it is officially OSU’s franchise and they will operate the team, the squad will be rebranded with a new name and logo to represent all of Ottawa, not just OSU, Lianos explains.
“We want to launch it well and we’ve already got a partner with Gloucester, but there is nothing wrong with taking three or four other clubs on board as well (in the future) and truly make it Ottawa’s team,” he says.
The 2017 League1 season will kickoff on the first weekend of May.