The Canadian Premier League still plans to have a 2021 season, according to league commissioner David Clanachan. But the initially proposed May 22 start date will be changed.
The league is still considering different formats for the 2021 season, but Clanachan did confirm there will be a formal announcement May 15.
“We are committed to playing our third season of CPL soccer in 2021,” said Clanachan via a league statement Wednesday. “You can count on us delivering a creative and innovative solution for our Players, Partners and Supporters as we did with the Island Games in 2020.”
Loading ...The league had originally hoped to start the 2021 season on May 22. But Clanachan said those plans have changed due to COVID-19 pandemic changes.
“Clearly the country is struggling through a third wave of the pandemic and we need to adjust accordingly. We are going to delay the start of the season, but we are still completely focused and committed to playing our season.”
Island Games a successful model
Last year the CPL played a shortened tournament-style season on Prince Edward Island called the Island Games. And Clanachan said the league will use the lessons learned from that event.
“We have pivoted and we are working on a number of scenarios to adapt to the latest situation,” said Clanachan. “We did it last year, while creating our successful Island Games in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. We know what it takes, we have the playbook, and we know how to execute flawlessly as we did in 2020.”
