THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
June 5, 2026
When Dino Rossi volunteered to coach his son’s under-6 soccer team, he had no idea the journey he was embarking upon.
It was 2006, and the Canadian soccer landscape looked much different than it does today. Soccer was a popular recreational sport for kids. But there were no top-flight professional teams, no clear player development path, and no alignment in the grassroots game.
That was reflected at the national-team level. The men’s team was nowhere near returning to the FIFA World Cup; the women’s team was years away from becoming Olympic medallists.
But Rossi wasn’t thinking about all that as he signed up his son with North Mississauga SC, just west of Toronto. Sure, he was a fan of the national teams, but all he was looking to do was help out locally.
As it turned out, though, stepping into that role lit a fire in him—and he hasn’t looked back.
Over the ensuing two decades, he would become a key player in what’s been a transformational period in Canadian grassroots soccer.
Players of Canada’s celebrate beating Sweden in the women’s soccer match for the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Now, the men’s national team are gearing up for their second consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance. The women won Olympic bronze at London 2012 and Rio 2016, and then stood atop the podium with gold medals at Tokyo 2020.
There are Canadian professional leagues for men (Canadian Premier League) and women (Northern Super League). Below that are domestic leagues such as Premier Soccer Leagues Canada (PSLC), which help develop players for the professional game.
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And below that, the grassroots game is as healthy as ever. Provinces and territories are aligned with the long-term player development plan known as the Canada Soccer Pathway.
So, how did we get here?
Vancouver Rise’s Quinn celebrates their goal against the Calgary Wild during the first half of an NSL match in Vancouver on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
Soccer’s role as a popular, accessible sport
The issue has never been a lack of interest in soccer at the community level. Soccer is Canada’s most popular participation sport, played by 50% of Canadian youth, according to the 2025 State of Youth Sport in Canada report.
That report points to the sport’s moderate cost and broad accessibility as enduring factors in its popularity. Rossi agrees with those points, and adds a few more.
“Immigration patterns clearly played a big role as so many people came to Canada from places where soccer truly is life and they brought that passion here,” says Rossi.
“The game is also incredibly popular among young people thanks to video games that introduced so many people to the world of football. I don’t think that can be underestimated.”
But popularity among kids at the community level hasn’t always translated into success at the highest levels. That’s where the work of people like Rossi, who is currently vice-president of PSLC, has been so important.
Once he’d started coaching his son’s team, he began to see the gaps between the grassroots game and the upper echelons.
Canadian international Alphonso Davies plays soccer with kids as he hosts a soccer camp for kids in Edmonton, Alta., on Tuesday June 6, 2023. Davies plays in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
If you build it, they will come
In 2011, Rossi began working towards the creation of a new semi-professional league in his home province. That came to fruition in 2014, when League1 Ontario played its first season. The need for such a league was clear in Rossi’s mind.
“We have been very good at youth participation for a long time… [but] it was strikingly obvious that we did not provide appropriate pathways to the highest levels of the game for the most talented and most ambitious young people,” he says. “Most especially, we lacked a pathway that prioritized young Canadian talent.”
Other leagues would rise elsewhere in the country, including Première ligue de soccer du Québec (now known as LS Pro) and the BC Premier League.
In 2022, those leagues came together under the umbrella of League1 Canada, with Rossi serving as inaugural president. One of the project’s goals was to further strengthen the alignment of player development across the country.
League1 Canada rebranded to Premier Soccer Leagues Canada earlier this year, having added the Alberta Premier League and Prairies Premier League to the mix.
“L1ON in Ontario and PLSQ in Quebec laid those initial foundations,” says Rossi. “Over the past few years, our priority has been to extend that reach nationwide and we are hoping to be able to have every region covered very soon.”
Local connections, hometown heroes
Most teams playing in these leagues are directly connected to a community club, solidifying that pathway from the recreational game to the professional levels.
For instance, one of the teams on the Ontario Premier League pyramid is North Mississauga SC, the club with which Rossi coached his 6-year-old son.
“As pathways for young people to achieve their dreams in this sport improve annually, this will reinforce the sport’s long-term popularity,” says Rossi.
“Success on the pitch by clubs and our national teams will also be very helpful. Having homegrown heroes creates inspiration that fuels aspiration.”
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Rossi notes that 350 players, male and female, have come through the Ontario league and gone on to sign professional contracts at home or abroad.
One example is Joel Waterman, who is part of Canada’s 26-man roster for this summer’s FIFA World Cup. The 30-year-old currently plays for the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.
Canada’s Joel Waterman participates in a training session in North Carolina in May ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Credit: Audrey Magny/Canada Soccer)
But earlier on, he played for TSS FC Rovers (now part of the BC Premier League), Calgary Foothills (now part of the Alberta Premier League) and Cavalry FC (in the Canadian Premier League).
Without those domestic opportunities, the two-time World Cup veteran just might have slipped through the cracks.
A good start, but the work continues
While the progress has been immense in 20 years, Rossi insists that the work still isn’t done.
“Players, coaches, referees and administrators deserve to have access to standards-based, high-quality competition in or nearby their home community and soccer fans across the country deserve to have a hometown side to cheer on,” he says. “We want to build community while developing athletes.”
To that end, Canada Soccer is actively encouraging Canadians to get involved as players, coaches, referees and volunteers to help support the sport’s continued growth.
“We’re committed to strengthening pathways, expanding access, and ensuring that every young person who wants to participate can do so,” says Dave Nutt, Canada Soccer’s Director of Development. “This isn’t just about the next great soccer player—it’s about building stronger communities.”
That community building takes people willing to put in the time and effort.
“Honestly, get involved however you can,” says Rossi. “Pitch in and help grow the game.”
