The Canadian Premier League soccer league logo is shown in a handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Canadian Premier League MANDATORY CREDIT
TORONTO – The Canadian Premier League says it has voluntarily recognized that the Professional Footballers Association of Canada will represent professional soccer players under contract to CPL teams.
An online, secret ballot was held among players between Dec. 15 and 19 with the majority of votes in favour of PFA Canada representing the players as their bargaining agent.
All players under contract to CPL clubs were given the opportunity to cast a vote.
CPL commissioner Mark Noonan and PFA Canada president Marco Carducci agreed to give players a process to freely express their wishes as to representation in collective bargaining.
The vote was conducted by an arm’s-length, third-party provider specializing in online voting.
CPL players’ move to unionization comes four months after Canada’s men’s and women’s soccer teams formed players’ associations of their own to negotiate with Canada Soccer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2022.
