Affiliates

ASSOCIATION AFFILIATES

WHAT THEY’VE SAID ABOUT WSA WINNIPEG

On behalf of Winnipeg Youth Soccer, Association, our Clubs and our players, let me congratulate you and WSA on being accepted into the Premier Development League.

This is a huge leap forward for Winnipeg in general and all our soccer community. Not only is this another step toward bringing high calibre soccer to the city, this now creates another potential option for graduating youth players wishing to take their game to the next level. As you are aware, through the inception of the Club system, the opportunity for youth players to advance their skills through our developmental programs, a strong Premier program, and Provincial teams, the future has never been better for advancing youth, with National team aspirations, especially since the inception of the Glenlawn program, adding to potential scholarship opportunities, you have brought another playing level for local talent to strive for as they move into senior play.

I am sure the entire soccer community will do it’s best to support the WSA as it moves forward becoming a sizable force in the PDL.

Very best wishes to you, William and Constantin, as you make this a reality

- Alastair Gillespie - President - Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association

On behalf the Manitoba Soccer Association, I’d like to personally congratulate Eduardo and his group on the announcement today of bringing the United Soccer League’s “Premier Development League” to reality in Manitoba! 

Having the PDL come to Winnipeg is very exciting for our entire soccer community. It will present an opportunity for our graduating youth players to pursue their dreams of becoming a professional soccer player. 75% of the players in the MLS are there because they have been scouted in the PDL.

The MSA will do all they can to support Eduardo and his WSA Winnipeg PDL team on our home turf.

We wish him every success during this very exciting opening season!

- Christine O’Connor - MSA President

As Technical Director for the Manitoba Soccer Association player development is one of my main responsibilities
and today’s announcement of a PDL franchise coming to Winnipeg is a great step forward in breaching a clear gap
we have at the moment, for our elite young players to get a high level of competition in our Province.

The PDL prospect is very good because it is an established league with already established teams and franchises
over a number of years. It is our sincere hope that Winnipeg will maintain a presence in this league for the
foreseeable future until a viable Canadian alternative is established. This development in our game has been long
overdue and many entities have tried to establish such a franchise in the past.

We are pleased now that it is here that the players in our Province aged 23 and under who do not gravitate to the
professional levels of the game or the scholarship opportunities in US colleges will have a team on their doorstep
that will put them into a wider arena of soccer and provide much needed competition for young talented players.
This may well provide the stepping stone, as the PDL does, for players to go on and play at a professional level of
soccer.

Certainly it will provide a platform for the local community to see some of our young developing players test
themselves against players and teams from a far bigger area than just Manitoba and should inspire many to try
out for the team and challenge their own games to improve to be a part of this. The MSA is pleased to offer its
support along with the CSA for MB to have a PDL franchise and we look forward to its opening season in our great
city.

- Rob Gale - MSA Technical Director