FC Supra du Québec adopts Bilbao-style model to retain local soccer talent
FC Supra du Québec, a Canadian Premier League expansion club, is adopting a Bilbao-style approach to recruit and develop Québec-born or -raised soccer players with the goal of keeping local talent within the province.
The club aims to create strong pathways from Ligue1 Québec to MLS and the CPL, addressing issues of talent leakage and providing professional opportunities for homegrown players. It honors Québec's rich soccer culture, including the legacy of the original Supra club (1988–1992 CPSL), and embraces the slogan "un club d’ici, pour ici," blending sport with local identity.
To build its roster, FC Supra has already signed Canadian players including 23-year-old Sean Rea, who developed in CF Montréal’s academy and has played in MLS, CPL, and Europe, along with CPL veterans David Choinière and Loïc Kwemi. The club has a collaborative relationship with FC Montréal and plans to accept players on loan who meet its criteria as part of a larger talent pipeline involving eight clubs across Québec.
In addition, Supra emphasizes providing platforms for players outside the established academy system to showcase their talents, conducting open trials that attracted nearly 400 hopefuls.
Pre-season training is scheduled to begin in January, with expectations for further signings, sponsorship announcements, and kit reveals in the lead-up to the club's inaugural CPL season.
Soccer participation in Québec remains robust, with roughly 170,000 people involved in Soccer Québec programs in 2023. Youth soccer participation (139,000) notably surpasses youth hockey participation (75,840), highlighting strong local demand for professional soccer opportunities.
