Première Ligue de soccer du Québec
 | |
| Founded | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of teams | 10 (men's) 10 (women's) |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Canadian Championship |
| League cup(s) | Coupe PLSQ |
| Current champions | AS Blainville (men’s) AS Blainville (women's) (2020) |
| TV partners | RDS.ca (streaming) |
| Website | www |
| Current: 2021 season | |
The Première Ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ) is a semi-professional soccer league created in 2012, organized by the Quebec Soccer Federation, which operates at the third tier of the Canadian soccer pyramid.[1] The Canadian Soccer Association relies on provincial soccer organizations to sanction regional leagues at the tier 3 level. The men's division is below the Canadian Premier League (CPL) (Division I) and equal to League1 Ontario (L1O) (Division III). The PLSQ women's division is behind the U.S.-based National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) (Division I). The league's commissioner is Kambiz Ebadi.[2]
History[]
The history of soccer in Quebec dates back to 1884, with the first league established in 1886. In 1911, the Province of Quebec Football Association, now known as the Quebec Soccer Federation was founded.[3] In 1986, a semi-professional league called the Ligue nationale de soccer du Québec (LNSQ) was created, but it merged with different rival leagues to form the Ligue de soccer élite du Québec in 1992.[4][5] In 1993, five of the former LNSQ clubs Corfinium St-Leonard, Cosmos de LaSalle, Luso Stars Mont-Royal, Montreal Croatia, and Montreal Ramblers joined the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL) to form the league's Eastern Division.[6][7] Following this, the amateur Ligue de soccer élite du Québec served as the top level of soccer in the province, although Quebec clubs did play in the United Soccer League (Montreal Impact) and the semi-professional Canadian Soccer League (Laval Dynamites/Trois-Rivières Attak and Montreal Impact Academy).[8]
In 2011, the PLSQ was established, marking the return of a semi-professional soccer league to the province for the first time in 20 years.[4] The league was sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association as a level 3 league, below Major League Soccer (level 1) and the North American Soccer League and United Soccer League (level 2), which were American-based fully professional leagues featuring some Canadian teams,[4] including CF Montreal of the MLS.
The PLSQ had its debut season in 2012 with a male division featuring 5 teams – AS Blainville, FC Brossard, FC Boisbriand, FC L'Assomption, and FC Saint-Léonard.[9] FC Saint-Léonard won the inaugural season.[10] The following season, the league added a League Cup to its schedule, the Coupe PLSQ, which would take place annually at the conclusion of the season, unrelated to the results of the regular season.[11] In 2014, the province of Ontario created its own semi-professional level 3 league, League1 Ontario,[12] and the Inter-Provincial Cup was established which would be contested between the champions of each league and ran for three years until 2016.[13] In 2015, the league added its first club from outside of the province of Quebec, with the Ottawa Fury FC Academy joining the league.[14] Beginning in 2018, the league champion qualified to participate in the Canadian Championship for the following season.[15] In 2018, a women's division was added, starting with five teams.[16] The start of the 2020 season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, [17] but it ultimately resumed with a shortened season, although some teams did opt out of playing for the season.[18] However, the remainder of the male season was cancelled about three-quarters of the way through the season, due to a resurgence of the pandemic (the female season had already concluded).[19]
Over the course of its history, various clubs have joined and departed the league. AS Blainville is the only club to have participated in every season since the league's inception.[20] Blainville has been the most successful club, winning the league championship 4 times and the league cup twice and CS Mont-Royal Outremont has been second-most successful with three league championships and one league cup title.
| Season | Teams | PLSQ Champions League winners |
Coupe PLSQ Cup winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5 | FC St-Léonard | — |
| 2013 | 7 | CS Mont-Royal Outremont | CS Mont-Royal Outremont |
| 2014 | 6 | CS Longueuil | FC Gatineau |
| 2015 | 7 | CS Mont-Royal Outremont | Lakeshore SC |
| 2016 | 7 | CS Mont-Royal Outremont | AS Blainville |
| 2017 | 7 | AS Blainville | AS Blainville |
| 2018 | 8 | AS Blainville | FC Lanaudière |
| 2019 | 9 | AS Blainville | CS Fabrose |
| 2020[note 1] | 6[note 2] | AS Blainville | — |
Format[]
Depending on the number of teams in the league, teams will play every other team between 2-4 times per season, for a length of usually between 15 and 20 games. The winner gets the regular season championship. At the end of the year, there is a League Cup, called the Coupe PLSQ, which began in 2013. The format varies each season, depending on the number of teams in the league.[21] The most recent Cup competition featured nine teams, where three groups of three teams were formed. The winner of each group along with the best second-place finisher advanced to the semi-finals.
Each team has a minimum of nine paid players and is subject to a salary cap.
Men's Division[]
Current clubs[]
The following ten teams are members of the league for the 2021 season:
| Team | City | Stadium | Joined | Head Coach[22] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current teams | |||||
| A.S. Blainville | Blainville, Laurentides | Parc Blainville | 2012 |  Emmanuel Macagno
| |
| Celtix du Haut-Richelieu | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Montérégie | Stade Alphonse-Desjardins | 2020 |  David Sauvry
| |
| FC Laval[note 3] | Laval, Laval | Parc Cartier | 2018 | Boubacar Coulibaly
| |
| CS Longueuil | Longueuil, Montérégie | Centre Multi-Sport | 2014 | Gilbert Bahiya
| |
| CS Mont-Royal Outremont | Mount Royal, Montréal | Parc Recreatif de TMR | 2013 | Luc Brutus
| |
| CS Monteuil | Laval, Laval | Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne | 2019 | Billy Zagakos
| |
| CS St-Hubert | Saint-Hubert, Montérégie | Centre Sportif Roseanne-Laflamme | 2017 | Gilbert Bahiya
| |
| FC Lanaudière | Terrebonne, Lanaudière | Centre de Soccer Multifonctionnel de Terrebonne | 2016 | Marco Antonio Torrens-Garcia
| |
| Ottawa South United | Ottawa, Ontario | George Nelms Sports Park | 2020 | Chris Roth
| |
| Royal-Sélect de Beauport | Beauport, Quebec City | Centre Sportif Marc-Simoneau | 2021 | Samir Ghrib
| |
Future Teams[]
| Team | City | Joining | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future teams | |||||
| CS Saint-Laurent | Saint-Laurent | 2022 | |||
Former clubs[]
| Club | City | Stadium | Joined | Left | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former teams | |||||
| FC Boisbriand | Boisbriand, Laurentides | Parc Régional 640 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| FC Brossard | Brossard, Montérégie | Parc Illinois | 2012 | 2013 | |
| FC St-Léonard | St Leonard, Montreal | Stade Hébert | 2012 | 2013 | |
| ACP Montréal-Nord | Montréal-Nord, Montreal | Parc Saint-Laurent | 2014 | 2014 | |
| FC L'Assomption-Lanaudière | L'Assomption, Lanaudière | Parc André-Courcelles | 2012 | 2015 | |
| Lakeshore SC | Kirkland, Montréal | John Abbott College | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Ottawa Fury FC Academy | Ottawa, Ontario | Algonquin College | 2015 | 2016 | |
| FC Gatineau | Gatineau, Outaouais | Terrain Mont-Bleu | 2013 | 2019 | |
| Dynamo de Quebec | Quebec City, Capitale-Nationale | Polyvalente L'Ancienne-Lorette | 2017 | 2019 | |
Timeline[]
Women's Division[]
| Season | Teams | PLSQ Champions League winners |
Coupe PLSQ Cup winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 | Dynamo de Québec | — |
| 2019 | 6 | CS Monteuil | — |
| 2020 | 4[note 1] | AS Blainville | — |
| 2021 | 10 | AS Blainville | AS Blainville |
Current clubs[]
The following ten teams are members of the league for the 2021 season:
| Team | City | Stadium | Joined | Head coach[23] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current teams | |||||
| AS Blainville | Blainville, Laurentides | Parc Blainville | 2018 | Jean-Lou Gosselin
| |
| Pierrefonds FC | Lac St-Louis, Montreal | 2020 |  Carlos Carvalho
| ||
| Celtix du Haut-Richelieu | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Montérégie | Stade Alphonse-Desjardins | 2021 | Julian Labalec
| |
| FC Laval[note 2] | Laval, Laval | Parc Cartier | 2019 | Angelo Jean-Baptiste
| |
| CS Longueuil | Longueuil, Montérégie | Parc Laurier | 2020 | Gilbert Bayiha
| |
| CS Mont-Royal Outremont | Mount Royal, Montréal | Parc Recreatif de TMR | 2019 | Kelly Singer
| |
| CS Monteuil | Laval, Laval | Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne | 2018 | Amro Radwan
| |
| CS St-Hubert | Saint-Hubert, Montérégie | Centre Sportif Roseanne-Laflamme | 2020 | Cindy Walsh
| |
| Ottawa South United | Ottawa, Ontario | George Nelms Sports Park | 2020 | Anthony Vassallo
| |
| Royal-Sélect de Beauport | Beauport, Quebec City | Centre Sportif Marc-Simoneau | 2021 | Samir El Akkati
| |
Future clubs[]
The following teams are expected to join the league:
| Team | City | Stadium | Joining | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Future teams | |||||
| AS Chaudière-Ouest | Lévis | 2022 | |||
Former clubs[]
| Club | City | Stadium | Joined | Left | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Former teams | |||||
| Dynamo de Quebec | Quebec City, Capitale-Nationale | ESLE | 2018 | 2019 | |
| FC Sélect Rive-Sud | Longueuil, Montérégie | Centre Multi Sport | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Lakers du Lac Saint-Louis | Lachine, Montréal | Dollard 2 | 2018 | 2018 | |
Timeline[]
See also[]
- Canadian soccer league system
- United Soccer League
- League1 Ontario
- USL League Two
Notes[]
References[]
- ^ "League 1 kicks off Ontario soccer season, offering a chance to rise up the ranks". chatnewstoday.ca. Canadian Press. April 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
League 1 Ontario and the PLSQ league in Quebec are sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association as Division 3 leagues.
- ^ "Personnel" [Staff]. PLSQ (in French).
- ^ Chenoix, Eric. "L'avant 1911" [Before 1911]. Viau Park (in French).
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Retour d'une ligue semi-pro" [Return of a semi-pro league]. Ici Radio-Canada Télé. August 30, 2011.
- ^ Phillips, Randy (May 9, 1992). "New league groups best in Quebec". Newspapers.com. Montreal Gazette. p. 71. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
- ^ "Roundup Overtime". Newspapers.com. The Leader-Post. January 7, 1993. p. 11. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
- ^ "25 Sep 1993, 75 - The Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ "2001 - May 20 - Expanded CPSL set to kickoff". Canadian Professional Soccer League. December 24, 2001. Archived from the original on December 24, 2001. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ^ "La Première ligue voit le jour" [The Premier League is born]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French). April 3, 2012.
- ^ Gauthier, Audrey (October 15, 2012). "FC Saint-Léonard, champions" [Saint-Léonard FC, champions]. Métro (in French).
- ^ "Toute une saison inaugurale!" [A whole inaugural season!]. Métro (in French). November 7, 2013.
- ^ "OSA announces League1 Ontario teams". Ontario Soccer Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
- ^ "OSA and QSF announce Division 3 Inter-Provincial Cup final". Ontario Soccer Association. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ "Fury FC Academy and the Premier League de Soccer du Quebec". Bytown Boys. May 1, 2015.
- ^ Tierney, Mitchell (March 9, 2017). "Report: Provincial Champions to Play in Voyageurs Cup as Early as 2018". Waking the Red. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ O'Neill, Paméla (January 11, 2018). "Une première saison de PLSQ féminine!" [A first season of women's PLSQ!]. Viau Park (in French).
- ^ "COVID-19: Report du Début de la Saison" [COVID-19: Postponement of Early Season]. PLSQ (in French). March 25, 2020.
- ^ "La Première ligue de soccer du Québec lancera bientôt sa saison" [The Premier league of Quebec soccer will launch its season soon]. RDS (in French). July 13, 2020.
- ^ "COVID-19 : Mise à Jour Du 29 Septembre 2020" [COVID-19: Update September 29, 2020]. Quebec Soccer Federation (in French). September 29, 2020.
- ^ Gray, Shawn (January 31, 2017). "Quebec's 3rd Division". Northern Starting XI.
- ^ "À Propos De La Coupe PLSQ" [About the PLSQ Cup]. RDS (in French).
- ^ Tour des clubs de PLSQ masculine 2021 [2021 Men's PLSQ Club Tour]. Just eSoccer (in French). YouTube. February 15, 2021.
- ^ Le tour des clubs de PLSQ féminine 2021. Just eSoccer. YouTube. March 6, 2021.
External links[]
show Sports teams based in Quebec |
|---|
- Première Ligue de soccer du Québec
- Soccer leagues in Canada
- Soccer leagues in Quebec
- Third level association football leagues in North America
- Sports leagues established in 2012
- 2012 establishments in Quebec
- Professional sports leagues in Canada