Regional League - Player Pathway
Entry into the West Regional Soccer League will still be an option for Clubs that wish to achieve this level of play for it's players through the playoffs in the U12 to U13 & U13 to U14 age groups and then promotion from the U14 to U17 EMDSL Tier 1. Moving forward the Regional League will develop standards for team officials and clubs.
Currently within the District we have two organizations that already exceed the standards that will be required due to their successful 1st year in the Ontario Player Development League. These are London FC in the Academy stream and Whitecaps London in the Club stream. Both organizations had boys & girls teams entered into the U13 division in 2018 and will grow to having U13 and U14 in both genders for 2019. Organizations in the Academy stream register directly with Ontario Soccer and take part in the Ontario Academy Soccer League. Organizations in the Club stream register with Ontario Soccer through the District and take part in the Regional League and the District Leagues.
Players and parents have a choice of which route they wish to take if they feel they are capable of participating at these levels. It is a player pathway and sometimes to move along and up the pathway a player will have to decide what will provide them the best opportunity for their future development.
Those players who have decided to play in the Club stream, the Elgin Middlesex Soccer Association has provided Whitecaps London with Regional positions in the U13 to 18 divisions and has also left it open for other Clubs to gain Regional positions through the playoffs or through promotion from EMDSL Tier 1.
The Elgin Middlesex Soccer Association acknowledges that the Regional positions in the 2018 U14 to U17 age groups that were under the name of London Youth Whitecaps will be entered as Whitecaps London in the 2019 U15 to U18 age groups. In the event there is not sufficient qualified player base to enter a team in any of the regional positions the position will not be filled in 2019.
CLICK HERE for the 2019 Inter District and Regional Team