The Avondale Islanders are returning to the BMO National Championships Challenge Trophy competition. The team has been selected to represent Prince Edward Island in the annual senior men's competition. This marks the fourth straight year that the island club is heading to the nationals.

"We hope to get back to the medal round," said head coach John Diamond, who has been with the club since 1986. "We should be competitive with the teams in our group."

Last year in Newfoundland Labrador, the Avondale Islanders won a bronze medal after an 3:2 win over Gorge FC in the third-place match. The Islanders finished third behind Corfinium de St-Léonard and back-to-back champion Calgary Callies.

It marked the first time that a Prince Edward Island club won a medal in the senior men's competition.

Most of the Islanders' lineup has returned for the 2009 season, albeit Paul Craig has gone west to Huskie Alumni (his team will represent Saskatchewan in the Challenge Trophy competition). This year's Islanders have added a couple of new players as well as returning striker Michel Daoust.

The Islanders did not have a provincial final in which to compete. Instead, it spent the 2009 season in the interprovincial Maritimes Soccer League with two New Brunswick senior teams and two Canada Games men's teams (Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick). The Islanders finished first in the five-team league.

The Saskatchewan Soccer Association will host the 2009 BMO National Championships this 7-12 October in conjunction with Saskatoon Adult Soccer Inc. Both the Challenge Trophy (senior men) and Jubilee Trophy (senior women) competitions will take place in Saskatoon, SK.

So far in 2009, British Columbia’s West Van FC, Saskatchewan’s Huskie Alumni, Manitoba’s Hellas SC and Prince Edward Island's Avondale Islanders have qualified for the Challenge Trophy competition. British Columbia’s Surrey United, Saskatchewan’s NATA and Manitoba’s South End United have qualified for the Jubilee Trophy competition.

BMO Financial Group is proud to support soccer at all levels across Canada, from grassroots to Canada’s national teams. Starting with sponsorship of more than 400 Canadian youth teams to the title support of elite youth players at the BMO National Championships, through to the professional-team support (Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC) and sponsorship of the Canadian men’s and women’s national soccer teams, BMO Financial Group is serious about Canadian soccer. For more information on BMO’s support of soccer in Canada, visit bmosoccer.com.