Professional football in Canada
Only one professional football league has a permanent presence in Canada: the Canadian Football League (CFL), an organization founded in 1958 to accommodate the ongoing trend of professionalism in the Canadian football ranks since the 1940s. The CFL, like most amateur Canadian football leagues, plays on a larger field using a rulebook with several significant rule differences compared to the game as it is played in the United States. The league is composed of two divisions and nine teams in most of the largest Canadian markets, with at least one team in each province between British Columbia (BC Lions) and Quebec (Montreal Alouettes) inclusive. The only presence in Atlantic Canada is a semi-regular series of games in Moncton (Touchdown Atlantic) and a smattering of earlier preseason contests. The CFL operates a two-week preseason beginning in June, an 18-game season from July to October, and a six-team playoff tournament, culminating in the Grey Cup on the fourth weekend of November.
List of Canadian Soccer League clubs
The following is a list of clubs who have played in the Canadian Soccer League since its formation in 1998 to the current season. CSL teams playing in the 2017 season are indicated in bold, while founding members of the Canadian Soccer League are shown in "italics". As of the 2017 season a total of 37 teams have played in the Canadian Soccer League with seven teams (Hamilton Croatia, London City SC, North York Astros, Toronto Supra, Serbian White Eagles, St. Catharines Wolves, and Toronto Croatia) having played in the predecessor league the Canadian National Soccer League. Two of the eight founder members of the Canadian Soccer League are competing in the 2017 season.