FC London
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| Founded | 2008 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | German-Canadian Club of London Field London, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Capacity | 1,000 | ||
| Owner | Ian Campbell | ||
| Head Coach | Mario Despotovic | ||
| League | League1 Ontario | ||
| Website | http://www.fclondon.ca | ||
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FC London, is a Canadian soccer team based in London, in the province of Ontario. The club was founded in 2008 and plays in League1 Ontario. The team plays home games at German-Canadian Club of London Field, which seats 900 spectators. Forest City London Soccer Club as they were known was a member of the Premier Development League from 2009-2015, they won the 2012 PDL title, their first championship during this time. They re-branded to FC London following their move to League 1 Ontario in 2016.
History
Forest City London joined the Premier Development League in 2009,[1] and played their first ever game on May 29, 2009, against Cleveland Internationals.[2] London won the game 2–1, with the first goal in franchise history being scored by Kevin Zimmermann.[3] London's debut season was a generally positive one; they remained unbeaten over the course of their first ten games, and enjoyed seven wins, including a 3–1 victory on the road against the Cincinnati Kings, a 5–0 thrashing of Kalamazoo Outrage that featured a brace from midfielder Thomas Beattie, a 3–1 win on the road against traditional powerhouse Michigan Bucks in which Zimmermann added another two goals to his tally, and a comprehensive 4–1 victory in the return fixture against Cleveland at the end of June. London's first loss – their first defeat in franchise history – was a 3–1 drop to the Indiana Invaders at the beginning of July, and it initiated a complete reversal of fortune for the team, who did not win another game all season, and dropped down the divisional standings. They ultimately finished third in the Great Lakes Division, seven points behind divisional champions Kalamazoo, and faced off against Chicago Fire Premier in the first round of the playoffs; unfortunately for London their stay in the playoffs was brief, as they lost 1–0 to the Illinoisans on a goal by Andre Akpan. Kevin Zimmermann and Alan McGreal were London's top scorers in their debut season, with nine and seven goals respectively, while Anthony Di Biase contributed four assists.
The club moved to League 1 Ontario in 2016, they were renamed FC London following the move.
Seasons
| Season | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Great Lakes | Divisional Semifinals |
| 2010 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Great Lakes | Conference Semifinals |
| 2011 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Great Lakes | Conference Quarterfinals |
| 2012 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Great Lakes | Champions |
| 2013 | 4 | USL PDL | 1st, Great Lakes | Conference Final |
| 2014 | 4 | USL PDL | 4th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify |
| 2015 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Great Lakes | Divisional Playoff |
| 2016 | 3 | League1 Ontario | 1st, Western Conference | Losing Finalist |
| 2017 | 3 | League1 Ontario | TBC | TBC |
Honours
- USL PDL Great Lakes Division Champions 2013
- USL PDL Champions 2012
- USL PDL Central Conference Champions 2012
Head coaches
- Martin Painter (2009–2016)
- Mario Despotović (2016–present)
Stadium history
- TD Waterhouse Stadium; London, Ontario (2009–2010)
- London Portuguese Club Field; London, Ontario two games (2009–2010)
- London Marconi Soccer Club Field; London, Ontario four games (2009–2011)
- German-Canadian Club of London Field; London, Ontario (2009–present)
Average attendance
Attendance[4]
- 2009: 1632
- 2010: 1246
- 2011: 841
- 2012: 507
- 2013: 1146
- 2014: 777
- 2015: 944
References
- ^ Press announcement Archived February 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "FC London kicks off with high hopes". Thelondoner.ca. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Uslsoccer.com. May 29, 2009. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20100105175057/http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
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External links
{{Canada Soccer player}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
