Coach's Guide to Ontario Soccer U13-U17 Soccer 2026

• Format: U14 to U17 play 11-a-side. U13 plays 9-a-side, on a purpose-built 9-a-side field or a full-size 11-a-side field in a box-to-box format. U13 goals are a minimum of 6 ft x 18 ft (1.83 m x 5.49 m) and a maximum of 7 ft x 21.5 ft (2.13 m x 6.55 m).
• Ball and laws: a size 5 ball, FIFA field and goal dimensions, and the IFAB Laws of the Game except where the OPDL rules, Game Day Regulations or Technical Manual say otherwise.
• Season: generally May to October, with scheduled breaks and a two-week mid-season rest break. Games in May, October and November are on artificial surfaces unless the OPDL approves otherwise; June 1 to October 1 games can be on grass.
• Weekend days: U13, U15 and U17 play on Saturdays, U14 and U16 on Sundays. Standard weekend kick-offs are 9:00, 11:15, 13:30, 15:45, 18:00 and 20:15, and weekday kick-offs are 19:00 and 21:00.
• Schedule size: U13 and U14 up to 6 ID weekends and up to 14 home or away games; U15 and U16 up to 4 ID weekends and up to 16 games; U17 up to 2 ID weekends or similar and up to 18 games.
• Hosting: the host Licence Holder records the match and shares the video within 72 hours.

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (sections 8 to 14).

• Forfeit threshold: a team must field at least 7 players. Failing to do so is a forfeit with a fine, plus the opponent's and the league's costs if the no-show has under 7 days' notice.
• OPDL standard: teams must field at least 14 active players in a scheduled match. Injured players can sit on the bench if listed on the Game Day Roster with their Player ID, but they do not count as active.
• Bench officials: at least 2 qualified team officials and no more than 5. A replacement coach must be an Ontario Soccer registrant and an active coach in the club who meets the minimum qualifications, and team officials must follow the OPDL dress code and be on the Game Day Roster.
• Arrival: the Player IDs, published Game Day Roster and line-ups on the MySoccer App must reach the OPDL Venue Coordinator at least 25 minutes before kick-off. Late arrival delaying kick-off is a fine.
• Substitution forms: teams provide the forms, generated through theopdl.com. Using a player beyond the allowed substitutions counts as a misused player and means forfeiting the match.
• Rescheduling: requests go to the OPDL in writing at least 14 days before the game (less than 14 days can mean extra fines; under 7 days is not accepted except for force majeure such as bad weather or field conditions).

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (section 11 and Appendix B).

U14-U17 full-time (FT) players: a Licence Holder submits a list of a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 20 registered players per team. FT players are committed to the Licence Holder until the end of the OPDL season. Any player not submitted to theopdl.com is ineligible to play in OPDL matches.

U13: there are no full-time players, only a team placement. The Licence Holder keeps a player pool of at least 24 players, and the whole pool trains together under OPDL standards whatever game day destination (OPDL, IModel or District) each player has. The U13 OPDL game day roster is a maximum of 18 and a minimum of 12 players (14 recommended), picked from the pool. A U12 player needs fast tracking to take part in U13 OPDL.

Developmental Players (DP): they train regularly with the OPDL team but play regularly with a regional team. For 2026 they are players born 2012 (U14), 2011 (U15), 2010 (U16) and 2009 (U17) registered with a regional team of that age group.

• A DP can play at most 6 OPDL games per season.
• No more than 4 DPs can be on a game day roster, and there is no limit on how many a team carries.
• DPs cannot play in the OPDL Cup, playoffs, Trillium Cup or Gary Miller Charity Shield.
• A DP can change to full-time once a season and cannot go back.
• DPs sign an OPDL Commitment Letter and may be charged team or assessment fees.

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (sections 12, 22 and 23).

Playing Up Permits (PuP): up to four can be issued for an OPDL game through the OPDL League Management System. Eligible players are:

• U17: full-time players from the U16 OPDL team
• U16: full-time players from the U15 OPDL team
• U15: full-time players from the U14 OPDL team
• U14: players from the entire U13 player pool

The Licence Holder's Technical Director issues permits according to the player's developmental stage. A player on a permit is bound by all OPDL policies for games, training and associated activities. Developmental players cannot play under a PuP. For U13, a maximum of 3 permits per season per player applies.

Full-time play up or down: the decision must come from a technical assessment by both the Head Coach and the Technical Director, using the OPDL Player Evaluation Form, and be approved by the OPDL through the online request form. A team cannot have more than 3 full-time play-up or play-down players on its roster for the season. A player without an approved Player Movement Evaluation is ineligible for OPDL matches.

Playing time limit over any 48 hours:

• U17 and U16: 135 minutes
• U15: 120 minutes
• U14 and U13: 115 minutes

Going over can be treated as non-compliance code 2.3 at the OPDL's sole discretion. For U13 there is also a minimum playing time of 20 minutes per game.

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (sections 12, 22 and 36).

• No moves in season: OPDL players cannot move between Licence Holders during the OPDL season (training or competition) without the OPDL's written permission. Transfers are only considered in exceptional circumstances that are in the player's best interest for ongoing development.
• Paperwork: every release or transfer goes through the OPDL Player Release/Transfer Form, signed off by all parties. Ontario Soccer publishes the mid-season transfer deadline each year.
• Released players: a released player cannot rejoin the Talented Pathway (OPDL or Ontario Premier League programs), as a full-time or development player, for the rest of the season.
• One transfer only: no player may be transferred more than once in a season.
• Fees: if a mid-season transfer is approved, fees the player paid are refundable pro rata by weeks completed in the season (January 1 to December 31), and no further levy or penalty can be charged to the departing player. Fees charged by the new club must match those of other players on the team.
• Commitment: once the season starts a Licence Holder cannot release full-time players from their commitment letter except as the rules allow, or after the season ends. Full-time players cannot be asked to miss an OPDL game.
• New to Canada: a player who arrives in Canada at age 10 or older needs an international transfer certificate (ITC) before being eligible. A player who registers without a required ITC is ineligible, games they played are forfeited, and the player and club face discipline.

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (sections 22, 25 and 26).

No. Active recruitment or solicitation of existing OPDL players is prohibited at any time, and so is any attempt to contact, entice or recruit players, coaches or staff from another OPDL Licence Holder. Licence Holders are responsible for the conduct of their staff, players and parents, and fee discounting as a way of indirect recruitment is also prohibited.

• Current OPDL players: talk about a transfer or trial is only allowed if the first contact comes from the player's parents or guardians.
• Players outside the OPDL: they can be scouted in their current environment and contacted through their parents or guardians, or their coach or official. The Technical Director or Head Coach of the player's existing organization must be told you are approaching the player to invite them to join your OPDL program.
• Residency: no Licence Holder has exclusive residency or access rights to players in any area. Rosters should be picked on playing ability ahead of residency or length of tenure, and fee loading by residence is not allowed.

Improper recruitment leads to disciplinary action and a fine (Type 1 non-compliance).

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (sections 27 to 29 and Appendix B).

Minimum qualifications by role (OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026):

• The head coach must be a paid (full or part-time) coach with the Licence Holder.
• Goalkeeper coach: an Ontario Soccer Goalkeeper Coach Diploma or foreign equivalent, or an Ontario Soccer Goalkeeper Coach Certificate plus a valid National C Diploma/Licence.
• Athletic therapist: the Licence Holder must have a paid individual or organization, qualified and licensed (for example a physician, chiropractor, registered physiotherapist or certified athletic therapist), responsible for injury prevention and treatment.
• If a requirement is not met: a Coach Development Plan must be submitted to Ontario Soccer for approval. A coach on a plan in the previous season is not automatically renewed and must re-apply. Anyone without the required certification cannot be assigned without written approval and an Action Plan from Ontario Soccer.
• Bench cover: a team must have at least 2 qualified team officials on the bench. An assistant who does not meet the head coach standard for the age group cannot act as head coach for a match.

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (sections 30 and Appendix B).

Anyone who wants to be on an official OPDL team roster and in the technical area during match play must be on the club's Team Official Vetting List. That covers the head coach, assistant coaches, goalkeeper coach, athletic therapist and team manager.

Every rostered team official must have completed the Safe Sport Roster:

1. Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders (Soccer)
2. NCCP Make Ethical Decisions
3. NCCP Emergency Action Plan
4. NCCP Understanding the Rule of Two
5. NCCP Making Headway in Sport
6. Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening

Other points:

• Team officials must be identified in the OPDL League Management System by the deadline Ontario Soccer publishes each year, and all players and team officials must be registered in PowerUP and theopdl.com by the posted deadline.
• A team manager who is not rostered can still do other managerial work, but all pre-match duties on the technical side of the field must be done by a rostered team official.
• Unless the OPDL approves, a current OPDL team official cannot register with another OPDL Licence Holder in the same season, or the following season, for the same gender and age group or the same gender and the immediately older age group.
• A team can have no more than five team officials on the bench.

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (sections 21, 31 and Appendix B).

Training volume (excluding matches and sport science training), over a calendar year based on a 44-week periodized program:

• Minimum: 198 hours (4.5 hours a week).
• Maximum: 264 hours (6 hours a week) for U13 and U14; 330 hours (7.5 hours a week) for U15 and older.

Other programming: OPDL players cannot take part in other soccer programming, except Ontario Soccer Talent Development Centres, Provincial Xcel programming, National Team programs or official trial or development opportunities approved by the OPDL.

• They cannot play in the Soccer for Life stream or its competitions, including the Ontario Cup and Ontario Indoor Cup. Playing in the Ontario Futsal Cup is permitted and encouraged.
• They must forego school soccer activities.
• Playing other sports is permitted.

Season breaks: teams must have a four-week recovery break straight after the last activity of the annual calendar (taking December off is recommended), and the season has a two-week mid-season rest break.

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (sections 9, 37 and 38).

Rowan's Law is Ontario's concussion safety law. Under it:

• Annual review: coaches, team trainers and officials must confirm each year that they have reviewed Ontario's Concussion Awareness Resources. Athletes under 26 and parents of athletes under 18 must do the same. This took effect on July 1, 2019.
• Concussion Code of Conduct: the sport organization must establish one, with rules of behaviour that support concussion prevention.
• Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocol: the sport organization must establish one. This took effect on January 1, 2022.
• Medical clearance: only physicians and nurse practitioners can medically assess athletes and confirm they are cleared to return to amateur competitive sport.
• Coaches may also serve as a designated person with specific responsibilities under the law.

For OPDL, the Safe Sport Roster that every rostered team official must complete includes NCCP Making Headway in Sport and NCCP Emergency Action Plan.

Sources: Ontario government, Rowan's Law concussion safety (https://www.ontario.ca/page/rowans-law-concussion-safety); OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026.

OPDL discipline follows the Ontario Soccer Judicial Matters Policies and Guides (Discipline Policy and Appeals Policy), and the OPDL Discipline Panel is appointed by Ontario Soccer.

• Reports: within 48 hours of the match the match official submits the results, a misconduct report for each incident and any special incident reports.
• Hearings: they take place on the next available date, at least one week after the misconduct is reported. An accused player, coach or team official can request a hearing (except for misconducts listed in section 5.2.6.1 of the Discipline Policy). The request must be emailed to opdlcasemanager@ontariosoccer.net within 72 hours of the match, with a $250 fee.
• Appeals: email appealcasemanager@ontariosoccer.net within 14 days of receiving the decision and the Rights to Appeal information.
• Match suspensions: a player serves a suspension in OPDL matches. Any games left when the team's season ends carry into the next OPDL season, or into the player's new team's league, league cup and playoff games if the player is not in the OPDL.
• Playing up: a player suspended in league play cannot play up for a higher-level team in the same club, or on a Temporary Eligibility Permit for another club, until the last game of the suspension has passed.
• Suspended team officials cannot take part in any sanctioned OPDL match until the suspension is fully served.
• Card fees per team: yellow cards cost $50 at 12 cards, $100 at 20 and $200 at 30. Red cards cost $100 at 5, $200 at 8 and $500 at 10.
• Caution counts: cautions in OPDL Exhibition Series matches or matches against clubs such as TFC, NDC and CPL do not count toward OPDL caution accumulation, but red cards carry over.

Source: OPDL Operational Rules, March 2026 (Section I, discipline and appeals).