U SPORTS Draft FAQ
When will the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft take place?
The 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft will take place on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.
Who is eligible to be drafted?
– Any undergraduate — domestic, or international — who participated in a U SPORTS men’s soccer program in 2024 is eligible to be drafted, provided they are enrolled in and pursuing sufficient credit hours to maintain U SPORTS eligibility for the 2025-26 academic year.
How do I sign up to be drafted?
– Any Draft-eligible student athlete can declare for the draft here. https://canpl.ca/cpl-draft-declaration/
– To declare for the Draft, student athletes must fill out a declaration form and sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Both can be found at the link above.
Can I be drafted as a graduating senior?
– Student athletes who are graduating or have used all their U SPORTS eligibility and will not be returning to their varsity program for the 2025-2026 academic year are not eligible to participate in the Draft.
– Outgoing U SPORTS athletes can sign a Professional Standard Player Contract as a free agent.
How many rounds in the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft?
– The 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft will consist of two (2) rounds, for a total of sixteen (16) selections overall.
– Each CPL Club will make two (2) selections. The order for the 2025 CPL–U SPORTS Draft will be determined and announced following the conclusion of the 2024 CPL League Season on Saturday, Nov. 9.
What happens if I get drafted?
– Players selected in the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft may be invited to a preseason trial with their prospective Club in 2025
– Player and Club will work together to determine a suitable time for frame for a preseason trial in 2025.
– Clubs have until twenty (20) days before kickoff of the CPL League Season to offer the drafted player a U SPORTS Contract or a CPL Standard Player Contract.
What happens if I am not selected in the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft?
– Each CPL Club may invite one (1) undrafted player to a preseason trial in 2025, provided the player identified and declared for the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft.
– Player and Club will work together to determine a suitable time for frame for a preseason trial in 2025.
– Clubs have until twenty (20) days before kickoff of the CPL League Season to offer the undrafted player a U SPORTS Contract or a CPL Standard Player Contract.
What happens if I am not offered a U SPORTS Contract by my prospective Club?
– If a player, drafted or undrafted, on preseason trial with a prospective Club in 2025 is not offered a U SPORTS Contract by twenty (20) days before kickoff of the CPL League Season, the player is eligible to go on trial with another CPL Club and potentially sign a U SPORTS Contract elsewhere in the league.
What happens if I decline a U SPORTS Contract offer?
– If a player, drafted or undrafted, declines a U SPORTS Contract offer following a preseason trial in 2025, that player cannot sign another U SPORTS Contract until they re-enter the 2026 CPL-U SPORTS Draft.
What happens if I am offered a Standard Player Contract by my prospective Club but would like to retain my U SPORTS eligibility?
– If a player offered a Standard Player Contract by a CPL Club but wishes to retain their U SPORTS eligibility, the player is free to trial, and potentially sign with, any other CPL Club, upon invitation, after twenty (20) days before kickoff of the 2025 CPL League Season.
What is the difference between signing a CPL Standard Professional Contract and a U SPORTS Contract?
– Signing a CPL Standard Player Contract means the Player will be charged with one year of U SPORTS eligibility and is prohibited from U SPORTS participation for 365 days from their last appearance on a CPL game sheet due to their new status as a professional in an identified North American professional league.
– Signing a U SPORTS Contract permits a Player to compete in the CPL without compromising their eligibility to compete in subsequent U SPORTS competitions, provided the U SPORTS Contract has been complied with and provided the Player has otherwise complied with the rules, regulations, and policies of U SPORTS.
If I sign a U SPORTS Contract, how much can I earn?
– An academic educational grant for a U SPORTS-eligible student athlete who signs a U SPORTS Contract cannot exceed $10,000.
– Additional housing and food allowance for the Player can be provided beyond the grant.
How can my U SPORTS Contract become a Standard Player Contract?
– A U SPORTS Contract can be converted into a Standard Player Contract at any point during the season and up to one (1) month after a team’s last match, if agreed between both the Club and the Player,
What options does the Player have upon expiration of their U SPORTS Contract on August 15th, 2025?
– The CPL Head Coach, Player and their U SPORTS Program must come to an agreement on the Player’s future with the Club by Aug. 1, 2025.
o Decision #1 – Retained or Released by CPL Club
– The Player may be either retained or released for the following season. Both Club and the Player must agree to the retainment, whereas only one party must request the right to be released.
– The Player will return to the Club the following season if the Player is still eligible for a U SPORTS Contract and if there is a mutual agreement to be retained.
– CPL Clubs can retain a maximum of three (3) U SPORTS contracted players for the following season after Aug. 1, 2025.
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– Any released Player resulting from “Decision #1” must return to their e U SPORTS program and may not stay with the CPL Club until the end of the season.
o Decision #2 – Return to U SPORTS Program
– The Club and Player will mutually agree whether it is in the best interest of the Player to return to their U SPORTS Program as of
Aug. 15, 2025 or stay with the CPL Club until the end of the season.
– Only one (1) of the retained player(s) can stay with the CPL Club after Aug. 15, 2025.
– If the retained Player and the Club mutually agree the Player should stay with the CPL Club until the end of the CPL League
Season, the Player will lose their ability to play in U SPORTS for the fall season of that year. Concurrent participation in U
SPORTS and the CPL is NOT permitted.
– So long as the Player still has remaining eligibility for the following U SPORTS season, he is still considered eligible to play in U SPORTS for subsequent seasons moving forward.
If you have any more questions, please contact the Canadian Premier League’s Compliance & Operations Officer, Alex Saunders by email at: