Pro-am soccer expansion builds a bridge to the Canadian Premier and Northern Super leagues

The Manitoba and Saskatchewan soccer associations will launch the Prairies Premier League this spring as a new pro‑am competition; the inaugural season will include seven clubs and run from early May through mid‑July.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan have agreed to launch the Prairies Premier League (PPL) this spring to create a higher level of pro‑am competition for men and women. The league is intended to fill a gap between provincial amateur play and the country’s top leagues, the Canadian Premier League for men and the Northern Super League for women. The Manitoba Soccer Association’s executive director Héctor Vergara said the PPL adds a step to the player pathway and will initially feature a small number of men’s and women’s sides. Talks about forming a prairie regional league had been underway for more than two years. Key details: - The Prairies Premier League will represent the highest level of pro‑am play in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and will include both men's and women's competition. - The PPL will operate under the Premier Soccer Leagues Canada umbrella, alongside other regional leagues such as Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Ligue1 Québec. - The inaugural season will feature seven clubs: FC Manitoba, the Bonivital Flames, Lucania FC (women's only), Saskatchewan's EXCEL Program, Forza Soccer Academy, QC United and the Thunder Bay Chill. - The season is planned to run from early May through mid‑July, with a full competition schedule to be announced in the coming months. - FC Manitoba has not participated in USL League Two since 2023, and the Thunder Bay Chill left that league after the 2024 season; Saskatchewan previously did not have a USL League Two club. - The PPL is expected to produce a representative for the Canadian Championship in future years, but it will not have a spot in the 2026 edition. Summary: The new Prairies Premier League aims to provide more consistent, higher‑level matches for players in the region and to bridge the gap between provincial amateur play and national professional competitions. A full schedule will be released in the coming months, and organizers say the league hopes to gain a pathway into national competition in future seasons, though that representation will not start in 2026.