Neil Davidson
David Clanachan is shown in a handout photo. The Canadian Premier League is looking to add a team in Saskatchewan, awarding exclusive rights to an expansion club to a company planning to start a franchise in Saskatoon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Canadian Premier League-Darren Goldstein MANDATORY CREDIT March 12, 2021 - 8:00 AM
The Canadian Premier League is looking to add a team in Saskatchewan, awarding exclusive rights to an expansion club to a company planning to start a franchise in Saskatoon.
But there are more hoops to jump through before the fledgling soccer league, which grew to eight teams with Atletico Ottawa coming on board last year, expands again.
The agreement in principle with Living Sky Sports and Entertainment Inc. (LSSE) is contingent on the Saskatchewan-based company providing a soccer-specific stadium to league standards.
LSSE is looking at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon as the preferred site for a stadium on the site currently occupied by the Marquis Downs racetrack. The key thing now is to get everybody behind it the community, the soccer public in Saskatchewan and get that machine running the way they do. Because they re great sports fans, said CPL commissioner David Clanachan. I think soccer will fit perfectly in that province.
Should everything fall into place, 2023 would likely be the earliest for the Saskatchewan team to kick off.
Living Sky Sports and Entertainment Inc. awarded exclusive rights to launch a CPL expansion team
Toronto, ON / Saskatoon, SK (March 12, 2021) – The Canadian Premier League (CPL) is pleased to announce they have awarded the exclusive rights to a CPL expansion club to Living Sky Sports and Entertainment Inc. (LSSE), a Saskatchewan based company. The launch of an expansion club is contingent upon LSSE delivering a soccer-specific stadium to League standards, and to that end, LSSE has identified Prairieland Park in Saskatoon as a preferred site for a stadium.
“On behalf of the Board of Governors, we are pleased to make this announcement today as we know we have a very supportive and engaged community of soccer fans in Saskatchewan and have since we launched the League,” said David Clanachan, Commissioner, Canadian Premier League. “We are extremely hopeful that LSSE will be able to meet the League soccer-specific stadium requirements so that we can begin celebrating Canadian