Draft:League1 Ontario Premier
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Comment: #Reorganization -Lemonaka 03:46, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
| Founded | November 15, 2013 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2014 Men's (as League1 Ontario) 2015 Women's (as League1 Ontario) 2024 (as League1 Premier) |
| Country | Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North American Football Union) |
| Number of teams | 12 Men 10 Women |
| Level on pyramid | 3 |
| Relegation to | League1 Ontario Championship |
| Domestic cup(s) | Canadian Championship |
| League cup(s) | L1 Cup |
| Current champions | Scrosoppi FC Men NDC Ontario Women |
| Current L1 Cup | Vaughan Azzurri Men FC London Women |
| Most championships | Vaughan Azzurri Men (3 titles) FC London Women (4 titles) |
| Most L1 Cups | Vaughan Azzurri Men (4 titles) FC London Women (2 titles) |
| Top goalscorer | Reshaun Walkes Men (18) Samantha Murphy Women (18)[note 1] |
| Website | www.league1ontario.com |
| Current: League 1 Men's 2024 Season League 1 Women's 2024 Season | |
League1 Ontario Premier Division is the top semi-professional soccer league in Ontario, Canada.[1] The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association.[2]
In the Canadian soccer league system, the division is behind the fully-professional Canadian Premier League. It is part of League1 Canada, the national third tier with regional division, along with three other provincial leagues. League1 Alberta, Ligue1 Quebec and League1 BC. When the season concludes, the top team who won the title qualifies for the Canadian Championship for the next season. Dino Rossi serves as the commissioner of the league.[3][4]
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]League1 Ontario was founded on November 15, 2013, in an announcement by the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) that it would pilot the semi-professional league in 2014 and 2015 as a key pillar of long-term player development in Canada. The league would be administered by DG Sports, who also operate the province's amateur Ontario Soccer League, with Dino Rossi serving as commissioner. OSA President Ron Smale stated that the league's core group of players are to consist of U-23s, with League1 complementing the newly formed Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) elite youth league as a pathway for professional player development.[5]
On April 8, 2014, the OSA revealed its plans for the inaugural season of League1 which would begin during the final weekend in May 2014. The season featured 10 teams, chosen through a standards-based application process, which were: ANB Futbol, Durham Power FC, Internacional de Toronto, Kingston Cataraqui Clippers, Master's FA, Sigma FC, Toronto FC Academy, Vaughan Azzurri, Windsor Stars and Woodbridge Strikers.[6] The league champion would face the champion of the Première ligue de soccer du Québec in the Inter-Provincial Cup to determine the national Division III champion.[7]
Dylan Sacramento of Toronto FC Academy scored the first ever goal in the league with a 10th-minute strike against Vaughan Azzurri.[8] In the same game, Mateo Restrepo received the league's first red card.[8] On July 22, 2014, the league and the Ontario Soccer Association announced the termination of Internacional de Toronto's license agreement due to "failure to comply with agreed-upon league standards",[9][10] with league matches rescheduled for the season to accommodate the change. Toronto FC Academy were crowned the inaugural league champions on October 4, 2014, after defeating the Cataraqui Clippers 3–1 to secure the top place in the regular season standings.[11][12] Vaughan Azzurri and Sigma FC contested the inaugural League1 Cup on October 19, 2014, at BMO Field, with the Azzurri winning the single-game cup final 2–1 to be crowned champions.[13][14]
As the number of teams in the league continued to grow through expansion, the league introduced a two-conference format with the winner of each conference facing off in a championship match.[15] After the 2016 season, the Inter-Provincial Cup was cancelled, with the winners of League1 Ontario and the PLSQ instead advancing to the national Canadian Championship the following season, beginning in 2018.[16]
In 2018, the league returned to a single division, introducing playoffs for the top finishers of the league to decide the league champion.[17] The League Cup tournament was eliminated the following season.[18]
On November 14, 2018, the Canadian Premier League announced its purchase of League1 Ontario. According to L1O commissioner Dino Rossi, L1O would serve as "CPL's official development league."[19]
Due to restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the league cancelled the 2020 season[20][21] and delayed the start of the 2021 season.[22] In 2022, L1O joined League1 Canada as a founding member. League1 Canada is an alliance of soccer leagues that operate at the pro-am level.[23]
Source: League1 Ontario Wiki
Reorganization
[edit]On the 13th of February 2024, League1 Ontario announced that the league will undergo a major change in structure and competitive format. [24]
The existing teams of the current league will be split in half, creating a top tier called League1 Ontario Premier Division, which will feature the top 12 teams which factors in points from the last two previous seasons and a league below called League1 Ontario Championship Division which will feature the remaining 10 teams, with expansion to 12 teams in the 2025 season.[25] Along with this, a new additional 3rd division will feature 24 teams that include existing club B teams and new teams joining the league. Furthermore, League1 Ontario announced that the leagues will be combined and that promotion and relegation will be implemented in both men’s and women’s games.[26]
Introducing promotion and relegation will result in the Championship team that is crowned champions will automatically be promoted to the Premier, while the team at the bottom of the Premier standings will be automatically relegated to the Championship. A direct swap between the best and worst sides. The system will be the first of its kind in not just Canada but North America. [27] A playoff will also happen between the Premier and Championship, where the team second from bottom (11th) in the Premier will face the second-placed team in the Championship in an all-or-nothing game for a place in the top tier in 2025.
Each team will play every other team in their respective division both at home and on the road. In the Premier and Championship, the team that is top of their table once all matches have been played will be crowned champions; there will be no playoffs to determine the title winners. The Premier victors will also gain a berth to represent Ontario in the following Canadian Championship. [28]
The 12 inaugural members of the new League1 Ontario Premier Men's Division were:
Source: League1 Men's Premier
The 10 inaugural members of the new League1 Ontario Premier Women's Division were:
Source: League1 Women's Premier
Current Clubs
[edit]Men's Clubs
[edit]The league has 12 teams participating in the 2025 season.
Club Map
[edit]
Club Details
[edit]| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Teams | |||||||
| Alliance United FC | Markham and Scarborough, Ontario | Centennial College | 2200 | 2017 |  Ilya Orlov
| ||
| Burlington SC | Burlington, Ontario | Haber Centre | 1000 | 1962 |  Darren Tilley
| ||
| FC London | London, Ontario | Tricar Field | 900 | 2008 | ? | ||
| North Toronto Nitros | Toronto, Ontario | Downsview Park | 1000 | 1980 |  Marko Milanović
| ||
| Oakville SC | Oakville, Ontario | Sheridan Trafalgar Stadium | 1000 | 2015 | Duncan Wilde
| ||
| ProStars FC | Brampton, Ontario | Victoria Park Stadium | 2000 | 2013 | ? | ||
| Scrosoppi FC | Milton, Ontario | Bishop Reding CSS | 1000 | 2020 | ? | ||
| Sigma FC | Mississauga, Ontario | Paramount Fine Foods Centre | 5400 | 2005 | John Zervos
| ||
| Simcoe County Rovers FC | Barrie, Ontario | J.C. Massie Field | 1200 | 2021 | ? | ||
| St. Catharines Roma Wolves | St. Catharines, Ontario | Club Roma Stadium | 1500 | 1967 |  Federico Turriziani
| ||
| Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan, Ontario | North Maple Regional Park | 500 | 1982 | Carmine Isacco
| ||
| Woodbridge Strikers | Woodbridge, Ontario | Vaughan Grove Park | 1000 | 1976 | Peter Pinizzotto
| ||
Women's Clubs
[edit]The league has 10 teams participating in the 2025 season.
Club Map
[edit]Placeholder
Club Details
[edit]Placeholder
Competition Format
[edit]Competition
[edit]In the Ontario Premier Division, the regular season runs between April to August. The 12 competing teams play against one another twice in a single table, in a double round-robin format. Playing at their home stadium and once at their opponent's stadium. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Total points rank teams, then goal difference, and then goals scored. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. Suppose there is a tie for the league title, for relegation. In that case, the head-to-head record between the tied teams is taken into consideration (points scored in the matches between the teams, followed by away goals in those matches.)
Promotion and Relegation
[edit]A system of promotion and relegation exists between the League1 Ontario Premier Division and the League1 Ontario Championship Division. The lowest-placed team in the Premier Division is relegated to the Championship Division. The top team from the Championship Division is promoted to the Premier Division, with an additional team promoted after a play-off game involving the second-placed team in the Championship Division and the second-to-last-placed team in the Premier Division.
Domestic Cups
[edit]Between the league games, the teams also play in the L1 Cup, which goes on simultaneously. They automatically qualify for it. Certain teams also compete in the Canadian Championship, which they qualified for in the season prior by finishing top of the league.
Source: League1 Ontario: A New Era
Titles
[edit]Men's Titles
[edit]Previous League Formats (2014-2023)
[edit]| Season | Teams | Regular season | Play-offs | L1 Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 9[note 2] | Toronto FC Academy | — | Vaughan Azzurri |
| 2015 | 12 | Oakville SC[note 3] | Oakville SC | Woodbridge Strikers |
| 2016 | 16 | Vaughan Azzurri (E) FC London (W) |
Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan Azzurri |
| 2017 | 16 | Woodbridge Strikers (E) Oakville SC (W) |
Oakville SC | Woodbridge Strikers |
| 2018 | 17 | FC London | Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan Azzurri |
| 2019 | 16 | Oakville SC | Master's Futbol | — |
| 2020 | 17 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | 15[note 4] | Vaughan Azzurri (E) Guelph United (W) |
Guelph United | — |
| 2022 | 22 | Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan Azzurri | — |
| 2023 | 21 | Scrosoppi FC | Simcoe County Rovers | — |
- ^ Starting from the 2024 season when the league was reorganized into the League1 Premier.
- ^ Originally, 10 clubs were in the league, but Internacional de Toronto was removed from the league mid-season.
- ^ Originally, the Blue Devils FC, merged with Oakville SC in the year 2024.
- ^ Originally, 21 clubs were set to participate, but some clubs opted out of the main division due to scheduling impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some clubs participated in a separate short-season division.
Source: League1 Ontario Wiki
Current League Format (2024-Present)
[edit]| Season | Champions | Runners-up | L1 Cup | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Scrosoppi FC | Vaughan Azzurri | Vaughan Azzurri | Simcoe County Rovers FC |
| 2025 | — | — | — | — |
All Championships
[edit]| Clubs | League Titles | Years Won | Runner-up Seasons | L1 Cups | Years Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaughan Azzurri | 3 | 2016, 2018, 2022 | 2024 | 4 | 2014, 2016, 2018, 2024 |
| Oakville SC[note 1] | 2 | 2015, 2017 | 2021, 2022 | 0 | – |
| Woodbridge Strikers | 0 | – | 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 | 2 | 2015, 2017 |
| Scrosoppi FC | 1 | 2024 | 2023 | 0 | – |
| Toronto FC Academy | 1 | 2014 | – | 0 | – |
| Master's FA | 1 | 2019 | – | 0 | – |
| Guelph United | 1 | 2021 | – | 0 | – |
| Simcoe County Rovers | 1 | 2023 | – | 0 | – |
| FC London | 0 | – | 2016, 2019 | 0 | – |
- ^ Includes titles of the Blue Devils FC prior to the merge.
Women's Titles
[edit]Previous League Formats (2015-2023)
[edit]| Season | Teams | Regular season | Play-offs | L1 Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7 | Pickering FC | — | North Mississauga SC |
| 2016 | 9 | FC London | — | Vaughan Azzurri |
| 2017 | 11 | FC London | — | FC London |
| 2018 | 13 | FC London | Pickering FC | Woodbridge Strikers |
| 2019 | 14 | Oakville SC | FC London | — |
| 2020 | 13 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | 7[note 1] | FC London | Woodbridge Strikers | — |
| 2022 | 20 | Vaughan Azzurri | NDC Ontario | — |
| 2023 | 19 | NDC Ontario | Alliance United FC | — |
Current League Format (2024-Present)
[edit]| Season | Champions | Runners-up | L1 Cup | Runners-up | Women's Inter-Provincial Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | NDC Ontario | FC London | FC London | North Toronto Nitros | NDC Ontario (3rd) |
| 2025 | — | — | — | — | — |
All Championships
[edit]| Clubs | League Titles | Years Won | Runner-up Seasons | L1 Cups | Years Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC London | 4 | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021 | — | 2 | 2019, 2024 |
| NDC Ontario | 2 | 2023, 2024 | 2022 | 0 | — |
| Vaughan Azzurri | 1 | 2022 | 2017, 2019, 2023 | 1 | 2016 |
| Pickering FC | 1 | 2015 | — | 0 | — |
| Oakville SC | 1 | 2019 | — | 0 | — |
| Woodbridge Strikers | 0 | — | 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021 | 1 | 2018 |
| North Mississauga SC | 0 | — | — | 1 | 2015 |
- ^ Originally, 15 clubs were set to participate, but some clubs opted out of the main division due to scheduling impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some clubs participated in a separate short-season division.
Statistics
[edit]Top Goalscorers
[edit]as of 11/27/2024
Bold indicates they are currently playing in the League1's Premier.
|
Men's Division
Source: League1 Ontario
|
Women's Division
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: League1 Ontario
Top Assists
[edit]as of 11/27/2024
Bold indicates they are currently playing in the League1's Premier.
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | – | – |
| 2 | – | – | – |
| 3 | – | – | – |
| 4 | – | – | – |
| 5 | – | – | – |
| 6 | – | – | – |
| 7 | – | – | – |
| 8 | – | – | – |
| 9 | – | – | – |
| 10 | – | – | – |
Source: League1 Ontario
Top Appearances
[edit]as of 11/27/2024
Bold indicates they are currently playing in the League1's Premier.
| Rank | Player | Club | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | – | – |
| 2 | – | – | – |
| 3 | – | – | – |
| 4 | – | – | – |
| 5 | – | – | – |
| 6 | – | – | – |
| 7 | – | – | – |
| 8 | – | – | – |
| 9 | – | – | – |
| 10 | – | – | – |
Source: League1 Ontario
Top Clean Sheets
[edit]as of 11/27/2024
Bold indicates they are currently playing in the League1's Premier.
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | – | – |
| 2 | – | – | – |
| 3 | – | – | – |
| 4 | – | – | – |
| 5 | – | – | – |
| 6 | – | – | – |
| 7 | – | – | – |
| 8 | – | – | – |
| 9 | – | – | – |
| 10 | – | – | – |
Source: League1 Ontario
References
[edit]- ^ "Competitive S4L Leagues". Ontario Soccer. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
League1 Ontario sits as the highest level of soccer for Ontario-based players and is defined as a semi-professional league
- ^ Davidson, Neil (April 28, 2017). "League 1 kicks off Ontario soccer season, offering a chance to rise up the ranks". Chat News Today. Canadian Press. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
League 1 Ontario and the PLSQ league in Quebec are sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association as Division 3 leagues.
- ^ "L1O Commissioners address 2020 cancellation, potential Fall return". League1 Ontario. June 6, 2020. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ Thompson, Marty (March 5, 2020). "L1O tweaks make for 'more impactful' 2020 season: commissioners". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ "OSA to pilot semi-pro League1 Ontario in 2014–2015". Ontario Soccer Association. November 15, 2013. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
- ^ "OSA announces League1 Ontario teams". Ontario Soccer Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
- ^ "OSA and QSF announce Division 3 Inter-Provincial Cup final". Ontario Soccer Association. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ a b "Toronto FC Academy 1 – Vaughan Azzurri 1". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ "Notification". League1 Ontario. July 22, 2014. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "OSA statement on Internacional de Toronto". Ontario Soccer Association. July 22, 2014. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Tim Kelly (October 6, 2014). "Toronto FC Academy 3 – Kingston Cataraqui Clippers 1". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ "TFC Academy Triumphs". Toronto FC. October 4, 2014. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ Hylton, Kamal (October 20, 2014). "L1 Cup Final: Vaughan Azzurri 2 – Sigma F.C. 1". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ Kamal Hylton (October 19, 2014). "Vaughan Azzurri crowned 2014 League1 Cup champions". Red Nation Online. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ "League1 Ontario growing again in 2016". League1 Ontario. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- ^ "Canada Soccer Announces Inclusion Of League1 And PLSQ Champions In 2018 Canadian Championship". League1 Ontario. March 9, 2017. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ "2018 League1 Ontario Season To Feature New Format, Divisional Configuration And Several Exciting New Additions". League1 Ontario. March 14, 2018. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ "League1 Ontario Kicks Off A Sixth Season With Early May Openers". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ "Canadian Premier League acquires League1 Ontario". Sportsnet. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ Thompson, Marty (June 6, 2020). "League1 Ontario's 2020 'Summer season' cancelled, officials target Fall start". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ Thompson, Marty (September 4, 2020). "League1 Ontario cancels 'Fall season' plans for 2020". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ "League1 Ontario 2021 season now slated to start July 29th". Canadian Premier League. June 15, 2021. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ "League1 Canada officially launched today". Canadian Premier League. March 31, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ "League1 Canada officially launched today". League1 Ontario. February 13, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ "Seven Things To Know About The League1 Ontario Restructure". Northern Tribune. January 22, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ "League1 Ontario reveals league pyramid, pro/rel system for 2024 season". Canadian Premier League. January 25, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ "League1 Ontario ready to kick off canadas first season with promotion and relegation". Canadian Soccer Daily. January 1, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ "League1 Ontario releases 2024 season formula". Northern Tribune. February 14, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.