The Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) has awarded a league license to Whitecaps London beginning in the 2018 season. A new high-performance club in Southern Ontario, Whitecaps London will now be part of the high-performance player pathway providing opportunities for talented youth in Southern Ontario, and connecting to Major League Soccer (MLS) club Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
The club will operate independently from its community affiliate, the London Youth Whitecaps. In addition, the club announced that Sarnia FC has also become a community affiliate, and that the club will be providing additional affiliate opportunities to interested clubs in Southern Ontario as part of its player pathway in the Ontario Soccer and OPDL structure.
The club will start by operating an U13 boys and U13 girls team for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, which will be under the technical direction of Mike Ayyash, the head coach of the Whitecaps FC Southern Ontario Academy Centre.
Whitecaps London will also be running U12 Boys Pre-OPDL and U12 Girls Pre-OPDL teams, with the focus on preparing players for OPDL in 2019.
For tryouts and information, visit whitecapslondon.com or contact head coach Mike Ayyash at mayyash@whitecapsfc.com or 519-281-7131.
Launched in 2014, the OPDL is the highest level of youth competition in Ontario, starting at the U13 level. Last season, the OPDL consisted of 18 license holders, including fellow MLS club Toronto FC and Whitecaps FC Academy Centre partners Ottawa South United SC. For more information, visit theopdl.com.
Submitted by Whitecaps London and photos by Cam Vassallo
