Earn Your Place — Calgary Blizzard SC APDL Open Trials 2026
If you have a player with elite ambitions, this is the moment to act.
Calgary Blizzard SC is hosting open trials for our U14 to U17 Alberta Player Development League teams — eight teams across four age groups, supporting both boys and girls. Any player born between 2010 and 2013 is eligible to attend. No invitation required. Just show up, compete, and show us what you've got. (and fill in the interest form!)
APDL 2010B during their 2025 APDL Cup run.
Why This Matters
The APDL is the highest level of youth performance soccer in Alberta — governed by the Alberta Soccer Association, restricted to clubs holding Canada Soccer's National Youth Club Licence, and regularly scouted by Canada Soccer's Regional Excel Directors and U15/U17 National Team Head Coaches.
For players with national ambitions, this is the environment where those doors open.
At Blizzard, our APDL program sits at the top of a development pathway that has been producing results at every level of the game. This past season alone our club has seen 10 players active in the Calgary Wild FC Academy, 12 players in the Vancouver Whitecaps Prospects and Caps to College programs across boys and girls, 7 homegrown female youth playing in the APL, 14 homegrown female youth competing in the AMSL, and 9 homegrown male youth in the AMSL.
That isn't luck. That's what a pathway looks like when it's built with intention.
Sporting Director Diogo Raposo puts it simply: "Having exposure to our APL teams playing at the highest level is inspiring for the whole club, especially those in the APDL performance stream. It gives every boy and girl something to aspire to."
And right now, that inspiration is well-founded. Our APL Women's team has won the League1 (now APL) Alberta Championship three consecutive years — 2023, 2024, and 2025. Our APL Men's team captured the 2025 League1 (now APL) Alberta Championship in just their second season and represented Calgary on the national stage at the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship in Montreal, making history as the first APL side to face MLS opposition in the competition. The Orange Way runs all the way to the top.
APDL 2010G during the 2026 FTF Family Day Showdown (which they won!)
What the Program Offers
APDL at Blizzard is a complete, 12-month performance environment — not a single-focus training program. Every team operates on a periodized training model delivered by licensed coaches, with access to strength and conditioning, mental performance training, nutrition guidance, and video analysis.
The best players are built across all three dimensions — technically, physically, and mentally — and this program is designed accordingly.
Full program details can be found on our APDL page.
Exposure That Goes Beyond Alberta
APDL players at Blizzard don't just compete provincially — they compete nationally and internationally. Our 2025/26 tournament and showcase calendar included some of North America's most respected exposure events:
FTF Fall Showdown — Toronto
FTF Family Day Showdown — Vancouver
FTF Crown Showdown — Calgary
Top Rated Series Umbro Showcase
Find Me Showcase — Montreal
Canada Youth Cup Showcase — Halifax
Surf Cup College Showcase — San Diego
For players with post-secondary or professional ambitions, this level of exposure is invaluable.
The Coaching Staff
Behind every great program are great coaches — and Blizzard's APDL staff is as strong as any in the province.
Diogo Raposo, Sporting and High Performance Director, is a national championship-winning coach, three-time League1 Alberta Women's Champion, and Head Coach of the University of Calgary Dinos Women's Soccer Team. His oversight of the APDL program sets the standard for everything our teams do.
Ramon Mifflin, Boys Reach Phase Technical Director, brings NCAA Division I playing experience, a professional career across the United States and Peru, and a 2025 League1 Alberta Men's Championship to his role. As Head Coach of the University of Calgary Dinos Men's Soccer Team and a staff coach with the Whitecaps FC Alberta Academy, Ramon's connections across Canada and the United States create a genuine collegiate and professional pathway for the players he develops.
Cedric Bovon, Girls Reach Phase Technical Director, is Head Coach of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Women's Soccer Team and League1 Alberta Women's co-head coach, bringing a deep commitment to U14–U17 female athlete development and a strong connection to the Blizzard technical framework.
Alongside them, our APDL coaching group brings some of the deepest credentials and most diverse experience of any club in the province:
Ruth Adekugbe — Coaching background spanning the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, Cavalry FC, and Calgary Rangers PDP and APDL programs, with a focus on technical excellence and female athlete mentorship.
Moe El-Gandour — Former Cavalry FC draft pick, CanadaWest Player of the Year, and Lebanon U23 international, bringing elite playing experience directly into the development environment.
Josh Pickering — UEFA B Licence holder with over a decade of coaching experience across the UK, USA, and internationally, including a background with Leicester City.
Tayla Cowan — Canada Soccer B Licence holder, Foundation Phase Technical Director, and a passionate advocate for female athletes at every stage of their development journey.
Martino Bertolesi — Canada Soccer B Licence holder and Performance Analyst delivering video analysis and tactical insight at the high-performance level.
Maggie Zacsko — University of Alberta and semi-professional alumna with a Kinesiology background, bringing a uniquely holistic perspective to player development across the girls program.
Stu Baker — Canada Soccer National B Licence holder and Coach Development Technical Director, bringing a playing background across Australia and Canada and a deep commitment to developing the coaches who develop our players.
APDL 2009G player during a recent match.
Trial Details
Open Trials take place at Springbank Lions Soccer Park. All players attending must complete the Player Interest Form in advance.
August 24 — Girls APDL Trials
5:30–7:00 PM | U14G & U15G
7:00–8:30 PM | U16G & U17G
August 25 — Boys APDL Trials
5:30–7:00 PM | U14B & U15B
7:00–8:30 PM | U16B & U17B
August 30 — Girls & Boys APDL Trials
12:00–1:30 PM | U14G & U15G
1:30–3:00 PM | U16G & U17G
3:00–4:30 PM | U14B & U15B
4:30–6:00 PM | U16B & U17B
Ready to Compete?
Spots across all eight teams are competitive and limited. If your player has the drive and the ambition, we want to see them on the pitch.
Complete the Player Interest Form and learn more about the program at calgaryblizzard.com/apdl, or reach out directly at info@calgaryblizzard.com.
This is The Orange Way. Come and earn your place in it.
