Canadian footballer Jevontae Layne is still adjusting to Limerick.Having inked a deal with Treaty United, a club in the League of Ireland’s First Division, only this season, it takes the 24-year-old Brampton-born attacker a moment to reflect on the differences between his Canadian roots and his sojourn to the Emerald Isle.Playing outdoor football during pre-season, he said, was certainly a change compared to his days in the Canadian Premier League in Winnipeg, where freezing temperatures forced training sessions indoors throughout the winter months.But that’s where the differences end.Layne still trains and jokes around with teammates. There’s preparation for the next fixture, the following challenge. And, like strikers around the world, he looks to impose himself on matchday and score as many goals as possible. Life as a professional footballer in Ireland isn’t that much different from Layne’s life in Canada.So, why did Layne — the 2025 No. 1 selection in the CPL-U Sports draft — pack his bags and leave friends and family?“Playing in Ireland kind of gives me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and test myself against European opponents and players that have been playing in Europe their whole lives,” he told The Athletic. “It’s a good opportunity to get out here, it’s a good league.”Layne isn’t the only Canadian seizing that opportunity: A dozen former CPL players, including Canadians from MLS academies, have made the leap across the pond to Ireland’s top divisions in the past two years. Galway United, which plays in Ireland’s top flight, boasts three Canadians on its roster. Layne himself is following in the footsteps of another Canadian, Joe Hanson, who played with Treaty United last season.Josh Carabatsakis, a licensed FIFA agent and owner of Eikon Sports Group, a Canadian agency, has had a half dozen clients play in Ireland. He says Irish clubs have a growing interest in signing Canadian and American players.“There are teams who definitely have an interest in Canadian players and are starting to grow a better understanding of the CPL. I’d say they already had a good concept of the USL Championship, but they’re kind of realizing, OK, the CPL is different and maybe not on par with the USL, but there are good players that come from it,” he told The Athletic.Carabatsakis added there’s several things about Ireland’s leagues that are attractive to players. For North Americans, there’s less of a cultural shock going to Ireland versus some other European countries. Canadians, he said, are already familiar with Ireland’s cool climate. And the governments of Canada and Ireland have an agreement through the working holiday program, which allows people under 35 to apply for an open holiday work visa, which eases the paperwork in bringing players over.