League1 Canada representatives had a successful trip to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, presenting information about League1 Atlantic to interested parties and planning for a launch in 12 months’ time.

Dino Rossi, League1 Canada President, and John Gibson, Director of Interprovincial Affairs, Canadian Soccer Business, met with the leadership teams at Soccer Nova Scotia, New Brunswick Soccer Association, PEI Soccer Association, and HFX Wanderers, all of whom expressed support for bringing this level of play for women and men to Atlantic Canada.

At the first information session, seven different Nova Scotia clubs and one local university were in attendance. New HFX Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar and assistant Jorden Feliciano (both former Vaughan Azzurri coaches) spoke about their experiences in League1 Ontario and how the platform improved the club, players, and themselves as coaches, which was very well received.

The second information session took place in Moncton, which saw another seven clubs attend from New Brunswick and PEI and two universities, and once again all shared positive responses and a definite appetite for League1 Atlantic.

There is also sincere interest from organizations in Newfoundland and Labrador, despite logistical challenges. Further communications with interested parties in Newfoundland have been arranged to explore this further.

Rossi said: “During and after the trip, John and I were really pleased by the reaction to the vision for League1 Atlantic and the buzz around the game on the East Coast.

“Thank you to everyone who met with us, attended the information meetings, and reached out to learn more and express their interest. It was also great for us to better understand the soccer landscape in these provinces and the impact League1 Canada can have.

“We are excited to start the process of working with Canada Soccer and the four provincial associations to secure the necessary sanctioning and to open up the application process for those groups who are interested in taking to the pitch in the inaugural League1 Atlantic season.”

For those who were unable to meet in person, League1 Canada will be delivering two video sessions on Tuesday, April 25 and Tuesday, May 2.

There is still time to sign up to our second Zoom call. Interested parties from any of the four Atlantic provinces are asked to register their details via sport.li/nk-L1AT. Session details are as follows: Tuesday, May 2 at 7pm EST (8:00pm Atlantic, 8:30pm in Newfoundland and Labrador).