March 14 – The Canadian Premier League (CPL), which kicks off in April, has boosted its club salary cap and made changes to both international and U21 player rules.
Club’s can now send up to $1,212,500 on their 23 player squads with a minimum salary for players in those squads set at $30,000. Clubs must spend a minimum $750,000 on player wages.
The increase is an 8% uplift with spending at the top level contingent on clubs implementing the league’s under-21 players incentive. Under-21 players signed to the primary 23-player roster are accounted for in the player compensation budget at 50% of their total compensation, up to a maximum benefit of $100,000 per CPL club per year.
The league said the incentive “was designed specifically to encourage CPL clubs to sign promising young talent.”
Canadian clubs have a limit on seven international players within squads, but the league has now dropped the requirement that a club must have at least 50% of its international players in the under-23 age bracket.
However, the league has clarified rules on extending squads to 32 with developing players. Players on the development roster will not count towards the club’s overall salary cap.
The CPL has three development categories: Exceptional Young Talent (EYT), 2 slots; Development Players (4 slots); and CPL-U Sports (university players – 3 slots).
Under the EYT rule a club can sign two additional under-18 domestic players to Standard Player Contracts outside of its 23-man primary roster.
Players signed to developmental contracts must be under 18 and can be included on a club’s master roster but still train and play with the amateur team who holds his registration.
CPL-U SPORTS Contracted players, can maintain their university eligibility while earning professional experience in the CPL.
The eight-team CPL kicks off April 13 with Hamilton-based champions Forge at home to Cavalry from Alberta.
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