Can I play up or down between my club's OPL teams or call-up from an affiliate?

Question

Accepted Answer

Player movement within a club (licence holder) is allowed only as set out in Section VIII of the 2026 manual. OPL teams have unlimited call-ups per match and per season within those rules, and a called-up player must be registered in Ontario Soccer's system before the roster freeze date and be ready to show government photo ID.

Playing down (regular season only; not allowed in post-season playoffs for M-OPL3, W-OPL3 or the U20 divisions):

From an "A" team in OPL1 or OPL2 to the club's "B" team in OPL3, with no limit on matches.
Players born 2006 to 2010 from an "A" or "B" team to the club's "B" or "C" team in the U20 divisions.
The intent is to recover from injury or regain match fitness, not to give the lower team an advantage.

Playing up:

A player born 2008 or earlier on a "B" or "C" team can be called up to the "A" team with no limit and no permit.
A 2009- or 2010-born player with an Exceptional Player Permit can also be called up. One with a Special Circumstances Permit can only be called up after a 5-match probation with the "B" or "C" team.
A 2009-born player on the club's OPDL U17 team can be called up with no permit. A 2010-born OPDL U16 or U17 player needs an Exceptional Player or Special Circumstances Permit and can go only to a "B" or "C" team.

2009 and 2010-born players: they must not play down to any OPDL team or any other amateur youth or adult team in Ontario.

Adult "Soccer For Life" and affiliate teams:

A club can name up to 10 players per gender to an OPL Supplemental Roster. They must be born 2008 or earlier and registered to the club's amateur adult "Soccer For Life" team, which must play in an Ontario Soccer affiliated competitive adult league such as the OSL or OWSL. Recreational league players are not eligible.
Supplemental Roster players can play regular season matches only, and can play up to an "A" team only after July 27, 2026, with no more than three (2 outfield and 1 goalkeeper) in a match.
Any other player on an affiliate's amateur team is ineligible to play up to an OPL team and must be deregistered by the affiliate and registered to an eligible licence holder team first.

An amateur player called up for an official OPL match is ineligible for that season's Provincial, Regional and National Club Championships, except Canada Soccer's Player Development Program Championship.