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The Canadian Premier League announced today that Vancouver has been awarded an expansion franchise to begin play in the 2023 season.
#CanPL ➡️ Vancouver
— CanPL (@CPLsoccer) November 10, 2021
The Canadian Premier League is pleased to announce that @SixfiveSports have been awarded an expansion club in Vancouver, British Columbia. The CPL's ninth club is set to join the league for the 2023 season.
Canadian Premier League commissioner David Clanachan announced on Wednesday that the league has officially awarded an expansion club to be owned and operated by SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP. SixFive, a Canadian-based investment fund, is run by managing partner Dean Shillington (also the founder of Knightsbridge Capital in Vancouver) and former Canadian men’s national team players and SixFive investors Rob Friend and Josh Simpson, as well as Toronto-based commercial real estate and asset management company Starlight Investments. SixFive already owns and operates Pacific FC, with Shillington serving as chairman, Friend as CEO and Simpson as president.
The move would see Vancouver leapfrog Saskatoon to become the newest team in the league, as the release stated “the rights to negotiate for another future expansion team in Saskatchewan were also awarded to Living Sky Sports & Entertainment in March 2021, although Clanachan confirmed there are still several conditions for that group to clear before officially joining the league as a 10th club.”
Clanachan also mentioned that talks are underway with a possible further four to six clubs that could join the league down the road.
It’s an exciting day (especially so for West Coasters like yours truly) for the CanPL community, and Canadian soccer fans at large, as the league wraps up its third season.
Full announcement here: