April 17, 2023 – Canadian Premier League (CPL) News Release
Toronto, ON – More than 20,000 Canadian soccer fans packed Canadian Premier League (CPL) stadiums over opening weekend of the League’s milestone fifth season, a 67 per cent increase in attendance compared to 2022.
A total of 20,366 CPL fans attended the weekend’s four matches between Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16, which were held at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ont. Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., York Lions Stadium in York Region, Ont. and Starlight Stadium in Langford, B.C. TD Place Stadium, York Lions Stadium and Starlight Stadium also played host on opening weekend in 2022, when 12,210 fans attended the League’s first four matches.
The action this year began with new-look Halifax Wanderers FC holding 2022 regular season champion Atlético Ottawa to a 1-1 draw in front of 7,042 boisterous fans in the nation’s capital. A portion of each ticket sold for that game, as well as a portion of the collection from the match’s 50-50 draw, is earmarked for donation to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
It was then over to Hamilton for the latest chapter in a longstanding rivalry between 2022 playoff champion Forge FC and Cavalry FC. The 6,892 fans in attendance in Hamilton were not disappointed, as both Forge’s Noah Jensen and Cavalry’s Miki Cantave scored early contenders for goal of the season with a pair of sublime strikes in the 2-2 draw.
Fans on the west coast showed similar enthusiasm, not only for the return of the CPL season but for the launch of the League’s new B.C. derby, as Pacific FC hosted expansion side Vancouver FC at Starlight Stadium in front of a sellout crowd. VFC pushed its local rival in the club’s inaugural match, but it was Pacific midfielder Manny Aparicio who got most of the game’s 4,825 attendees out of their seats in the 81st minute, when he scored a long-range effort for the home team that secured a late 1-0 victory.
The weekend’s schedule wrapped up on Sunday, when a loud and engaged crowd of 1,607 watch Valour FC earn its first road win of the season at York Lions Stadium with a 2-0 victory over York United FC.
The memorable opening weekend is just the start of an exciting first week of play for CPL teams, with all eight clubs competing in the first round of Canadian Championship action this week.
On Tuesday, April 18, Forge hosts FC Laval of Première Ligue de Soccer du Québec (7 p.m. ET, Tim Hortons Field). Wednesday, April 19 will see Halifax…
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