Alberta Premier League
Canadian soccer league founded in 2023
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Alberta Premier League (formerly League1 Alberta) is a semi-professional men's and women's soccer league in Alberta, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Alberta Soccer Association as a third division pro–am league in the Canadian soccer league system.
| |
| Organising body | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| First season | 2024 |
| Country | Canada |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of clubs |
|
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Domestic cups |
|
| Current champions |
(2026) |
| Most championships |
|
| Broadcaster(s) | Alberta's Own |
| Website | aplsoccer |
| Current: 2026 Alberta Premier League season | |
In the Canadian soccer league system, the men's division is below the Canadian Premier League (CPL). It is part of Premier Soccer Leagues Canada, the national third tier with regional divisions, with Alberta Premier League equivalent to LS Pro (Quebec), Ontario Premier League, and British Columbia Premier League. The men's league champion qualifies for the Canadian Championship, the domestic cup championship, while the women's league champion qualifies for the Premier Soccer Leagues Canada Women's Inter-Provincial Championship.[1]
History
In 2021, a group of clubs from British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba organized the 2021 Summer Series, a series of friendly soccer matches played between Western Canadian soccer clubs to showcase a potential national second division.[2] In 2022, another exhibition showcase was organized by four clubs – three from Alberta (Calgary Foothills FC, Edmonton Scottish, BTB Soccer Academy) and one from Manitoba (FC Manitoba) – as an entity known as Central League1.[3]
In March 2023, League1 Alberta was announced with an exhibition series being organized, with six clubs participating (five in each gendered division) – the Calgary Foothills, Edmonton Scottish, St. Albert Impact, and BTB Soccer Academy fielded teams of both genders, while Cavalry FC fielded a team in the men's series and the Calgary Blizzard in the women's division.[4][5] The first matches were played on May 12, 2023,[6] with an official league season planned to be launch for the following season.[7][8]
In December 2023, it was announced that the league would officially be sanctioned for official competition under the League1 Canada umbrella for the 2024 season, with seven clubs participating in each division.[9][10]
In January 2026, the league re-branded as the Alberta Premier League, in line with a move across all the leagues in Canada.[11]
Clubs
Eight men's teams and eight women's teams are participating in the 2026 season, of which six are based in Greater Calgary and two are based in Greater Edmonton.
|
|
Alberta Premier League
- As of May 8, 2026
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Debut | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callies United | Calgary | Shane Homes West Soccer Dome | 300 | 2024 | 2024 | Yes | Yes |
| Calgary Blizzard SC | Calgary | Broadview Park | 1000 | 1967 | 2024 | Yes | Yes |
| Calgary Foothills FC | Calgary | Macron Performance Centre | 2000 | 1972 | 2023 | Yes | Yes |
| Calgary Rangers SC | Springbank | Webber Athletic Park | 320 | 2001 | 2025 | Yes | Yes |
| Calgary Wild FC U23 | Calgary | Macron Performance Centre | 2000 | 2024 | 2024 | No | Yes |
| Calgary Villains FC | Calgary | Villains Dome | 1981 | 2025 | Yes | Yes | |
| Cavalry FC II | Calgary | Shouldice Athletic Park | 2000 | 2023 | 2023 | Yes | No |
| Edmonton BTB SC | Edmonton | Clarke Stadium | 5130 | 2013 | 2023 | Yes | Yes |
| St. Albert Impact | St. Albert | Riel Recreation Park | 1999 | 2023 | Yes | Yes | |
Former clubs
| Former clubs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | City | Stadium | First season | Last season |
| Edmonton Scottish | Edmonton | Hamish Black Field | 2023 | 2025[12] |
Seasons
| Season | Men's champion | Women's champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2023[a] | Calgary Foothills FC | Calgary Blizzard SC |
| 2024 | Edmonton Scottish (1) | Calgary Blizzard SC (1) |
| 2025 | Calgary Blizzard SC (1) | Calgary Blizzard SC (2) |
| 2026 | Edmonton BTB SC (1) | Calgary Wild FC U23 (1) |
- Exhibition series
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