MONTREAL - CF Montréal announced on Tuesday a change to the age categories of the teams that make up its Academy.
In 2024-25, the U15 and U17 teams competing in MLS NEXT will now become U16 and U18 teams.
U18 teams will have the ability to roster a select number of overage players and more information will be shared by MLS NEXT prior to the 2024-25 season. The reserve team will end its activities this fall at the end of the season in Ligue1 Québec.
The Club has also announced that it will field a third team in MLS NEXT as of the 2024-2025 season, in the U15 category.
“We want to have a younger development structure with three teams under the age of 18 that will play in MLS NEXT and benefit from our professional environment,” said CF Montréal President and CEO Gabriel Gervais. “With this new strategic direction, we are investing in the future by focusing on our young local talent. At the same time, we are continuing to support the development of young players with our Women's Program, launched just over a year ago, thanks to the support of our major partner BMO.”
“These changes help align our strategy with modern soccer, where athletes are turning professional at younger and younger ages,” said CF Montréal Academy Director Marinos Papageorgopoulos. “We want to continue to provide opportunities for young people within our Club, particularly by continuing to grow in the first team environment. In addition, our excellent relationships with the Canadian Premier League and the USL Championship offer, via loans, other interesting avenues for youth development. This change is very positive for our development system, and we will continue to invest in adding a third team. Moving forward, all Academy teams will follow the same schedule and benefit from MLS infrastructures. The dissolution of our reserve team at the end of the season in Ligue1 Québec will mean some player departures. I would like to thank all the players for their contribution and wish them the best of luck in the future."
These changes will lead to some adjustments within the Academy's coaching staff. Additionally, the structure of the Academy Women's Program will remain unchanged.
CF Montréal U15 and U17 teams recently concluded their fourth MLS NEXT season. Launched in 2020, MLS NEXT is the most elite platform for youth player development in North America, which is run by MLS. Membership for the 2023-24 season included 29 MLS academies, 114 Elite Academies (143 total clubs), 677 teams and over 15,000 players across the U.S. and Canada.
CF Montréal youth teams regularly take part in the four tentpole competitions of the MLS NEXT season: MLS NEXT Fest, Generation adidas Cup, MLS NEXT Flex and MLS NEXT Cup. In 2022-2023, the U15 team was finalist in the MLS NEXT Cup held in Dallas, Texas.
In 2010, CF Montréal launched its Academy, a soccer training center with over 100 players. CF Montréal was the first professional club in North America to offer a sports-study program. The Club's development structure also includes U13 and U14 Pre-Academy teams. The Club's network of Partner Clubs (CIP) and regional programs also enable the Club to reach nearly 1,000 additional U8 to U12 players. The women's program, co-founded by BMO, was introduced on May 31, 2023.
