Toronto, ON – (September 22, 2022) – The Canadian Premier League will hand out Defender of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year honours for the first time in 2022, expanding its annual end of season awards from five to seven categories.
Voting for all seven of the CPL’s annual awards will this year be based on performances during the regular season, not including Canadian Championship, Concacaf or playoff action. Nominees will be selected by members of the CPL’s league office. To be nominated, players and coaches must have appeared in or coached at least one game during the 2022 CPL regular season.
“We are delighted to add two new individual awards this season, providing more opportunity to celebrate the successes within our league,” said Commissioner Mark Noonan. “Defender of the Year is a central honour in any sports league, while Players’ Player of the Year will quickly become among our most coveted awards because of the prestige associated with being recognized by peers.
“We are grateful to Ruben Komangapik for the care he took in conceptualizing and crafting the beautiful sculptures that will be handed out to the winners, which will join the CPL’s existing collection of custom awards by celebrated Indigenous artists.”
The Defender of the Year award will recognize the league’s best defender during the 2022 regular season, with the winner selected by a panel of voting media members. Voters will choose the winner from a shortlist of three nominees.
The Players’ Player of the Year award will be the first CPL award to be voted on by players, who will select the peer they believe put in the most valuable performance on the field during the 2022 regular season. Each player will be asked to provide a three-man shortlist to determine the winner. Players cannot vote for themselves or include a teammate on their ballot.
This year, for the first time, the Coach of the Year award will be voted on by the head coaches of each team and one assistant coach per club. Coaches cannot vote for themselves, and assistant coaches cannot vote for their club’s head coach.
Indigenous artist Komangapik worked with the CPL to design its two new awards. Komangapik is a Quebec-based artist originally from Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), Nunavut known for his mixed media sculptures, among other works, that showcase the culture he inherited from his family, in particular his grandfather Joshua Komangapik. He finds inspiration in Inuit legends, myths, traditional hunting scenes and animals. Komangapik works have been displayed across Canada, including at the National Gallery of Canada.
Komangapik carved two unique sculptures out of soapstone to honour the recipients and complement the CPL’s existing prize sculptures. The Walrus represents the Defender of the Year award, because it is considered one of the toughest ocean creatures, feared even by polar bears and killer whales. The Muskox represents the Players’ Player of the Year award winner, a nod to their shared role as leader of the pack.
“I think there is a big connection between making sculptures and soccer,” Komangapik told CanPL.ca. “It takes a lot of practice; it takes a lot of determination and a lot of heart. Sculpture is like sport, very demanding mentally, physically, spiritually … I really hope that in the future that we’ll have an Inuit soccer player maybe even win one of these awards.”
The Defender of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards will be handed out in October, along with the CPL’s Golden Boot award, the Golden Glove award, the Coach of the Year award, the Best Canadian Under-21 award and the Player of the Year award. Nominees for each award will be announced following the end of the regular season on Sunday, Oct. 9.
Voting for the Players’ Player of the year award is now underway, while voting for the six remaining awards will begin following the end of the regular season.
List of 2022 CPL Awards
Players’ Player of the Year
Sculpture: The Walrus
Artist: Ruben Komangapik
Description: Awarded to the player voted most valuable in the league during the 2022 CPL regular season, as chosen by his peers.
Selection process: Voted on by CPL players.
Defender of the Year
Sculpture: The Muskox
Artist: Ruben Komangapik
Description: Awarded to the best defender in the CPL during the 2022 regular season.
Selection Process: Voted on by select media members.
Player of the Year
Sculpture: The Nikisuittug
Artist: Pitseolak Qimirpik
Description: Awarded to the most valuable player in the CPL during the 2022 regular season.
Selection Process: Voted on by select media members.
Best Canadian U21 Player
Sculpture: The Polar Bear
Artist: Taqialuk Nuna
Description: Awarded to the CPL player voted best among under-21 Canadians during the 2022 regular season.
Selection Process: Voted on by select media members.
Coach of the Year
Sculpture: The Owl
Artist: Palaya Qiatsuq
Description: Award to the CPL coach voted most influential within their club during the 2022 regular season.
Selection Process: Voted on by head coaches and one assistant coach from each club.
Golden Glove
Sculpture: The Canadian Inuit Dog
Artist: Kellipalik Etidloie
Description: Awarded to the best goalkeeper in the CPL during the 2022 regular season.
Selection Process: Voted on by select media members.
Golden Boot
Sculpture: The Hunter
Artist: Pitseolak Qimirpik
Description: The Golden Boot award is awarded to the player who scores the most goals during the CPL
regular season.