Soccer in Canada
Soccer in Canada | |
---|---|
Country | Canada |
Governing body | Canadian Soccer Association |
National team(s) | Men's team Women's team |
First played | 1876 |
Registered players | 2,695,712[1] |
Clubs | 1,200 (CSA)[2] 10,000 (FIFA Big Count)[3] |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
List
| |
International competitions | |
List
| |
Audience records | |
Single match | 71,619 (1976) East Germany vs Poland (Olympic Stadium, Montreal) |
In
Terminology
Soccer is played in Canada according to the rules of association football. What is called soccer in Canada today was generally known as football in Canada in the early days of the sport as it is known in much of the rest of the world today.
The British Columbia Football Association was the first provincial football association formed in Canada in 1891.[7] This was followed by the Manitoba Football Association in 1896, the Ontario Football Association in 1901, the Saskatchewan Football Association in 1906, the Alberta Football Association in 1909 and the Province of Quebec Football Association in 1911.
The Dominion of Canada Football Association was formed in 1912. The game's governing body retained that name until it was changed to The Football Association of Canada on June 6, 1952. The Association later changed its name to the Canadian Soccer Football Association in 1958 and then to the Canadian Soccer Association in 1971.
History
Early history
One of the earliest soccer games was played in Toronto in 1859 between the St. George's Society and a team of Irishmen. Games were played in New Westminster in 1862 and in Victoria in 1865. The first game played under modern rules took place in Toronto in 1876, after which the Dominion Football Association, the first recorded football association outside the British Isles,[8] was formed in Toronto in 1877 to foster competition between local sides.[9][10]
In 1880, the
.In 1885 and 1886, the Western Football Association sent teams to New Jersey to play both indoor and outdoor matches against teams representing the American Football Association, then the unofficial governing body of soccer in the United States. In the first unofficial international between the two countries in 1885 Canada defeated the United States 1–0 in East Newark, New Jersey. A year later the American side won 3–2 on the same field. Teams from the two organizations played one another on both sides of the border regularly in the years that followed.
In 1896, the Newfoundland Football League was founded on March 15 in St. John's.[12] The Manitoba Football Association was formed that same year on March 19 in Brandon.
In 1901 the
In 1905, the
The first ever professional game was played in Vancouver between the Callies and Rovers in 1910. The "Dominion of Canada Football Association", today known as the "Canadian Soccer Association was founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba in July 1912. "At the meeting, the Manitoba Football Association joined with the provincial associations of Ontario, New Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta to form the national association."[14][15] The organization became a member of FIFA December 31, 1912. In 1926, the National Soccer League was formed with teams in Ontario and Quebec. On June 21, 1926, the DCFA resigned from FIFA and remained outside the world governing body, following the example of British associations in a dispute over broken time payments to amateurs. Hamilton's Whitey McDonald was signed by Scottish club Rangers in the 1920s, who spotted him while on tour in North America.
The
1945–1979
In July 1946, the Dominion of Canada Football Association held reorganizational meetings in Winnipeg, Manitoba. On July 24, 1948, the Association again became a member of FIFA. On June 6, 1952, the Association officially changed its name to the Football Association of Canada. In 1958, the Association again changed its name, this time to the Canadian Soccer Football Association. It would change its name one more time in 1971, at that time becoming the Canadian Soccer Association.
In 1957, Canada entered qualifying for the
From the 1940s through 1960s, Canada's four major leagues were the
During the 1960s there was a concerted effort to push professional soccer in Canada. The Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League was formed in 1961 and featured teams in Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, and (for one season) Buffalo, New York. One club, Toronto City, even featured some very prominent British soccer stars during its inaugural season, including Northern Ireland international Danny Blanchflower, England internationals Stanley Matthews and Johnny Haynes and Scottish internationals Jackie Mudie and Tommy Younger. This is also notable as the last time that the England, Scotland and Northern Ireland captains all played on the same side together.
Following a rise in the popularity of the game after the global broadcasting of the
The Olympic Summer Games were held in Montreal in 1976, but the soccer tournament featured only 13 teams instead of the normal 16 after the African nations boycotted the games in protest against
1980–1999
In 1983,
The
Also in 1986, four Canadian national team players were guilty of taking bribes in a match-fixing scandal at the Merlion Cup in Singapore. The Canadian Soccer Association suspended Chris Cheuden, Hector Marinaro, David Norman and Igor Vrablic for one year each. Marinaro and Norman were reinstated and resumed play for Canada. In the wake of Canada's World Cup appearance, the Canadian Soccer League began operations in 1987 with teams in eight Canadian cities.[20] In 1989 the Canadian Soccer Referees' Association was founded.[21]
The
After the 1992 season, the CSL was forced to end operations with
The
2000–present
In 2000, Canada's men's team won the
At the next Gold Cup in 2002, Canada reached the semi-final for the second time but lost to the United States, on penalty kicks, who would go on to win the tournament. Despite their success in the Gold Cup, Canada's senior men's side failed to qualify for either the 2002 or 2006 World Cup.[25]
Also in 2002, Canada hosted the first ever
The senior women's side again qualified for the
In 2007, Toronto FC began play in Major League Soccer as its first franchise located outside the United States.[26] Canada's national team reached the semi-final at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, losing again to the U.S. who would again win the tournament as in 2002. Dale Mitchell was named coach of Canada's senior men's team, to begin duties after the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, held in Canada. The host went out without scoring a goal and losing all three matches. The final was held in front of 20,000 people at BMO Field in Toronto, with Argentina beating the Czech Republic 2–1.
In May 2008, the CSA inaugurated the Canadian Championship – a domestic cup competition open to professional clubs in Canada. The Montreal Impact won the inaugural season and qualified for the 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League season.
In women's soccer, Canada qualified for the
On January 31, 2013, the Canadian Soccer Association announced they were withdrawing sanctioning of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) as a division 3 league following the 2013 season as the CSA board of directors adopted a new soccer structure in Canada based on the Easton Report.[28][29] Prior to being de-sanctioned, the CSL had been involved in a match-fixing scandal and a majority of the teams reportedly did not meet CSA requirements in the 2012 season.[30][29] The league was founded in 1998 after a merger between the Canadian National Soccer League with the stillborn Ontario Professional Soccer League and previously featured academy clubs of Toronto FC and Montreal Impact.[31][32] The CSL continued to play following the creation of their own soccer federation in 2014 which was unsanctioned by FIFA.[33][34]
On May 6, 2017, the creation the
On August 6, 2021, the women's side won their first Olympic gold medal, at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[40]
On March 27, 2022, the men's side defeated Jamaica 4–0 on Matchday 13 to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This ended a 36-year drought since the first time Canada played in the FIFA World Cup, in 1986.[41] In the tournament, as part of Group F, Canada suffered three defeats again, being 1–0 for Belgium, 4–1 for Croatia (in which he scored his first goal in the tournament's history, with Alphonso Davies) and 2–1 for Morocco.
Canada will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, along with neighbours the United States and Mexico.
Popularity
As in other
Despite the difference in popularity of their respective professional leagues, soccer overtook ice hockey in the 1980s and 1990s as the sport with the most registered players in the country. In 2008, there were 873,032 soccer players,[43] compared to 584,679 registered hockey players in Canada in 2008–09.[44]
Leagues
The following is a list of fully professional teams in Canada:
Team | League | Division | Location | Stadium | Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlético Ottawa | CPL | 1 | Ottawa | TD Place Stadium | 2020 |
Cavalry FC | CPL | 1 | Foothills County (Greater Calgary) | ATCO Field | 2019 |
Forge FC | CPL | 1 | Hamilton | Tim Hortons Field | 2019 |
HFX Wanderers FC | CPL | 1 | Halifax | Wanderers Grounds | 2019 |
Pacific FC | CPL | 1 | Langford (Greater Victoria) | Starlight Stadium | 2019 |
Valour FC | CPL | 1 | Winnipeg | Princess Auto Stadium | 2019 |
Vancouver FC | CPL | 1 | Langley (Greater Vancouver) | Willoughby Community Park | 2023 |
York United FC | CPL | 1 | Toronto | York Lions Stadium | 2019 |
CF Montréal | MLS | 1 (US) | Montreal | Saputo Stadium | 2012 |
Toronto FC | MLS | 1 (US) | Toronto | BMO Field | 2007 |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC | MLS | 1 (US) | Vancouver | BC Place | 2011 |
Toronto FC II | MLSNP | 3 (US) | Toronto | BMO Training Ground | 2022 |
Whitecaps FC 2 | MLSNP | 3 (US) | Vancouver | Swangard Stadium | 2022 |
Canadian Premier League
The
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is the highest level of professional soccer in the United States. There are three MLS teams located in Canada. Toronto FC became the first Canadian club in 2007. An MLS franchise was awarded to Vancouver in 2009 and began play in the 2011 season. An MLS franchise was awarded to Montreal in 2010 and began play in the 2012 season. Both the Vancouver and Montreal clubs were long-time organizations that had played in USSF-sanctioned Division 2 leagues — North American Soccer League and the USL Championship.
MLS Next Pro
In 2022, Toronto FC II and Whitecaps FC 2 began play in MLS Next Pro, a United States Soccer Federation-sanctioned division 3 league and the reserve league of MLS. Toronto FC II had played in the division 2 USL Championship until 2018 and in the division 3 USL League One from 2019 to 2021.
League1 Canada
Semi-professional leagues have been operated by provincial soccer associations since 2012 and have been designated as pro-am by the Canadian Soccer Association. Currently four such leagues exist: Ligue1 Québec, League1 Ontario, League1 British Columbia, and League1 Alberta[47] — all operating men's and women's competitions. The champions of the four men's leagues are given berths into the Canadian Championship.[48] Starting in 2022, the champions of the three women's leagues, along with a second team from the host league, compete at a single location in an interprovincial championship.[49] In 2022, League1 Canada was launched as an alliance for Ligue1 Québec, League1 Ontario and League1 British Columbia to unify and elevate the sport of soccer at the pro-am level through sharing of resources, best practices, and coordination of national commercial partnerships.[50]
USL League Two
USL League Two is a U.S.-based, men's amateur league. For the 2024 season, Thunder Bay Chill, based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, is the only Canadian team in the league. Four Canadian teams have previously won the league championship:
- 2008 – Thunder Bay Chill
- 2012 – Forest City London, who have since moved to League1 Ontario
- 2015 – K–W United FC, now defunct
- 2018 – Calgary Foothills FC, who have moved to League1 Alberta in 2023
United Women's Soccer
United Women's Soccer is a U.S.-based, women's pro-am league. Calgary Foothills WFC is the only Canadian team in the league.
Canadian soccer cup competitions
- Canadian Championship (fully pro teams from Canadian Premier League and Major League Soccer and league champions from League1 Ontario, League1 British Columbia, and Ligue1 Québec.)
- Challenge Trophy (amateur men's nationals)
- Jubilee Trophy (amateur women's nationals)
Many of the provincially sanctioned amateur leagues have league cup competitions. Some such as the ones in British Columbia have significant history.
- Vancouver Island Soccer League – Sir John Jackson Cup first contested 1914[51]
- Fraser Valley Soccer League – Packenham Cup first contested 1909[52]
- Vancouver Metro Soccer League – Imperial Cup first contested 1913
- British Columbia Provincial Soccer Championship – Province Cup (formerly McBride Shield and BCFA Challenge Cup) first contested 1892[53][54][55]
- Pacific Coast Soccer League – Cambridge Cup
- Pacific Coast Soccer League – John F. Kennedy Cup (between top amateur teams in BC, Washington State, and Oregon)[56]
National teams
The
A
Stadiums
Many Canadian football stadiums and multi-use stadiums are utilized for soccer.
With the growth of
Largest Canadian stadiums used for soccer
Rank | Stadium | City | Capacity | Opened | Surface | Professional teams |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Commonwealth Stadium |
Edmonton, Alberta | 56,302 | 1978 | Turf | Edmonton Elks (CFL) |
2 | Olympic Stadium | Montreal, Quebec | 56,040 | 1976 | Turf | None[a] |
3 | BC Place | Vancouver, British Columbia | 54,500 | 1983 | Turf | BC Lions (CFL) Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS) |
4 | Princess Auto Stadium | Winnipeg, Manitoba | 32,343 | 2013 | Turf | Valour FC (CPL) Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL) |
Notes
- ^ Occasionally hosts CF Montréal games.
See also
- Canadian soccer pyramid
- Canada men's national soccer team
- Canada women's national soccer team
- Canadian Premier League
- Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum
- List of soccer clubs in Canada
- List of soccer stadiums in Canada
- Soccer on Canadian television
- Canada men's national beach soccer team
- Canada men's national futsal team
References
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{{cite news}}
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- ISBN 9780987747815
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External links
- CanadaSoccer.com Official Site of the Canadian Soccer Association
- Canada Soccer Records & Results 2019
- Canada Soccer Hall of Fame
- Regional Canadian Soccer Leagues: An overview of the history of professional soccer leagues and clubs in Canada
- cbc.ca profile of soccer in Canada
- Canadian Soccer Forum: List of Canadian Players Abroad