League1 Ontario

League1 Ontario (L1O or L1ON) is a semi-professional men's soccer league in Ontario, Canada.[1] The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association as a pro-am league in the Canadian soccer league system.[2]

This article is about the men's division. For the women's division, see League1 Ontario (women).

League1 Ontario
Men's Division
Organising bodyOntario Soccer Association
FoundedNovember 15, 2013 (2013-11-15)
First season2014
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
ConfederationCONCACAF
Divisions3 tiers
Number of teams12 (L1O Premier)
9 (L1O Championship)
Level on pyramid3
Domestic cup(s)Canadian Championship
League cup(s)L1 Cup (2024)
Current championsSimcoe County Rovers FC
(2023)
Most championshipsVaughan Azzurri
(3 titles)
Most L1 CupsVaughan Azzurri (3)
TV partnersOneSoccer (future)
Websitewww.league1ontario.com
Current: 2023 League1 Ontario season

League1 Ontario consists of three tiers – League1 Premier, League1 Championship, and League2 Ontario – with promotion and relegation between them.[3] The top-two tiers consist of 12 and 10 teams respectively, while the lowest tier is uncapped in size.

In the Canadian soccer league system, the men's division is behind the Canadian Premier League (CPL). It is part of League1 Canada, the national third tier with regional division, along with Ligue1 Québec and League1 British Columbia. The league champion qualifies for the Canadian Championship, the domestic cup championship, for the following season. Dino Rossi serves as the commissioner of the league.[4][5]

History

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.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8]

Dylan Sacramento of Toronto FC Academy scored the first ever goal in the league with a 10th-minute strike against Vaughan Azzurri.[9] In the same game, Mateo Restrepo received the league's first red card.[9] 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,"[10][11] 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.[12][13] 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.[14][15]

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.[16] 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.[17]

In 2018, the league returned to a single division, introducing playoffs for the top finishers of the league to decide the league champion.[18] The League Cup tournament was eliminated the following season.[19]

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."[20]

Due to restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the league cancelled the 2020 season[21][22] and delayed the start of the 2021 season.[23]

On January 25, 2022, League1 Ontario announced that it would restructure from a single league into a three-tier competition in 2024.[24] Existing teams were divided into the top two tiers (Premier and Championship) and the lowest tier (League2) was created as an entry point for expansion clubs to the L1O system. The competition adopted promotion and relegation for clubs to move between the tiers.[25] Also in 2024 will be the return of the L1 Cup, a league cup knockout tournament which will feature teams from all three tiers in the L1O system.[25]

Competition format

League1 Ontario clubs are grouped into three divisions: League1 Premier, League1 Championship, and League2 Ontario. The regular season runs from April to August in which teams only play against other teams in their division. The top-two tiers use a single table round-robin format while the lowest tier is further subdivided into regional groupings. Following the regular season, the top teams compete in the playoffs to determine the champion of each division.[26]

Since 2017, the winner of the Premier division has qualified for the Canadian Championship. At the end of each season, the winner of the Championship and League2 divisions are promoted to the next tier up while the bottom team in the Premier and Championship divisions are relegated down.[27]

Beginning in 2019, the Supporters Trophy was created by the Rogue Street Elite supporter group of North Mississauga SC to be given to the regular season champions.[28]

L1 Cup

The L1 Cup is a league cup tournament that features all L1O clubs.[29] It runs concurrently with the regular season, with cup games usually taking place mid-week. It is not a form of playoffs and all matches are separate from the regular season and are not reflected in the season standings. The 2014 and 2015 cups included a group stage and a knockout stage but from 2016 to 2018 the format was a single-elimination tournament. Following a hiatus from 2019 to 2023,[19] the L1 Cup will return in 2024 to coincide with the league's restructuring.[25]

Honours

Bold indicates clubs playing in 2023 League1 Ontario season. Since 2016, the winner of the playoffs determines the league champion.

Club Wins Runner-up Winning seasons Runner-up seasons
Vaughan Azzurri 3 0 2016, 2018, 2022 –
Oakville Blue Devils 2 2 2015, 2017 2021, 2022
Toronto FC Academy 1 0 2014 –
Master's FA 1 0 2019 –
Guelph United 1 0 2021 –
Simcoe County Rovers 1 0 2023 –
Woodbridge Strikers 0 4 – 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
FC London 0 2 – 2016, 2019
Scrosoppi FC 0 1 – 2023

Yearly results
L1O Men's trophy winners
Season Teams Regular season Play-offs L1 Cup
2014 9[note 1] Toronto FC Academy — Vaughan Azzurri
2015 12 Oakville Blue Devils — Woodbridge Strikers
2016 16 Vaughan Azzurri (E)
FC London (W)		 Vaughan Azzurri Vaughan Azzurri
2017 16 Woodbridge Strikers (E)
Oakville Blue Devils (W) 		Oakville Blue Devils Woodbridge Strikers
2018 17 FC London Vaughan Azzurri Vaughan Azzurri
2019 16 Oakville Blue Devils Master's Futbol —
2020 17 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 15[note 2] Vaughan Azzurri (E)
Guelph United (W)		 Guelph United —
2022 22 Vaughan Azzurri Vaughan Azzurri —
2023 21 Scrosoppi FC Simcoe County Rovers —
  1. Originally, 10 clubs were in the league, but Internacional de Toronto was removed from the league mid-season.
  2. 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.

Clubs

Current clubs

Beginning in 2024, twelve teams compete in League1 Premier, ten in League1 Championship, and all remaining teams in League2 Ontario. Existing teams were assigned to either the Premier or the Championship division based on results from the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Of the 22 current clubs, 3 are based in Toronto, 10 are based elsewhere in the Greater Toronto Area, 8 are based in other cities in Southern Ontario and there is 1 club based in Northern Ontario.[note 1]

League1 Premier
League1 Premier
Team City Principal stadium First season
Alliance United FC Scarborough (Toronto) Varsity Stadium / Birchmount Stadium 2018
Blue Devils FC[note 2] Oakville Sheridan College Trafalgar 2015
Burlington SC Burlington Corpus Christi CSS 2022
Electric City FC Peterborough Fleming College Stadium 2022
Guelph United F.C. Guelph Centennial Bowl 2021
Hamilton United Hamilton Ron Joyce Stadium, McMaster University 2020 [note 3]
North Toronto Nitros North York (Toronto) Downsview Turf 2016 [note 4]
ProStars FC Brampton Victoria Park Stadium 2015
Scrosoppi FC Milton / Vaughan Ontario Soccer Centre (Vaughan) 2021
Sigma FC Mississauga Paramount Fine Foods Centre / Tim Hortons Field 2014
Simcoe County Rovers FC Barrie J.C Massie Field, Georgian College 2022
Vaughan Azzurri Vaughan North Maple Regional Park 2014
  1. Thunder Bay Chill, Northern Ontario's only other club at a comparable level to L1O, plays in USL League Two.
  2. Blue Devils FC was known as Oakville Blue Devils FC until the 2021 season
  3. The 2020 season was cancelled delaying their debut to the following year
  4. North Toronto Nitros was on hiatus in 2018 & 2019, and returned in 2020[30]

League1 Championship
League1 Championship
Team City Principal stadium First season
BVB IA Waterloo[note 1] Waterloo RIM Park 2021
Darby FC Whitby Whitby Soccer Centre 2018
FC London London Tricar Field 2016
Master's Futbol Scarborough (Toronto) L'Amoreaux Park 2014
North Mississauga SC Mississauga Churchill Meadows (Mattamy Sports Park) 2016
St. Catharines Roma Wolves St. Catharines Roma Park – Under Armour Field 2021
Unionville Milliken SC Unionville (Markham) Ontario Soccer Centre 2018
Windsor City FC[note 2] Windsor St. Clair College 2014
Woodbridge Strikers Woodbridge (Vaughan) Vaughan Grove 2014
  1. BVB IA Waterloo was known as Waterloo United in 2021
  2. Windsor City FC was known as Windsor Stars from 2014 to 2016 and known as Windsor TFC from 2017 to 2022

League2 Ontario

In 2024, a third tier will be introduced featuring new clubs as well as reserve teams. Teams will be eligible to earn promotion to the higher tiers.

League2 Ontario
Team City Principal stadium First season
Dutch Connections FC Scarborough (Toronto) 2024
Rush Canada Oakville River Oaks Park 2024
Sudbury Cyclones Sudbury James Jerome Sports Complex 2024
League1 Ontario is located in Ontario
League1 Ontario
Sudbury
Sudbury
Location of Men's Division teams for the 2024 League1 Ontario season.
League1 Premier
League1 Championship
League2
See Southern Ontario inset
League1 Ontario is located in Southern Ontario
League1 Ontario
St. Catharines
St. Catharines
Guelph
Guelph
Waterloo
Waterloo
Darby
Darby
Burlington
Burlington
Simcoe
Simcoe
London
London
Hamilton
Hamilton
Blue Devils
Blue Devils
Rush
Rush
ProStars
ProStars
Windsor
Windsor
Electric City
Electric City
Location of Men's Division teams for the 2024 League1 Ontario season.
League1 Premier
League1 Championship
League2
See Toronto inset
League1 Ontario is located in Toronto
Alliance
Alliance
North Toronto
North Toronto
Master's
Master's
North Miss.
North Miss.
Sigma
Sigma
Unionville
Unionville
Vaughan
Vaughan
Woodbridge
Woodbridge
Scrosoppi
Scrosoppi
Dutch Connections
Dutch Connections
Location of Men's Division teams in or near Toronto for the 2022 League1 Ontario season.
League1 Premier
League1 Championship
League2

    Timeline

    Former clubs
    Former clubs
    Team City Stadium First season Final season
    1812 FC Barrie Brampton[note 1] Terry Fox Stadium 2021
    ANB Futbol King The Country Day School 2014 2015
    Aurora FC[note 2] Aurora Stewart Burnett Park 2016 2020
    Internacional de Toronto Toronto Lamport Stadium 2014
    Kingston Clippers[note 3] Kingston Tindall Field, Queen's University 2014 2016
    Ottawa South United[note 4] Manotick (Ottawa) Quinn's Pointe 2017 2019
    Pickering FC[note 5] Pickering Pickering Soccer Centre/Kinsmen Park 2014 [note 6] 2023
    Sanjaxx Lions Toronto Monarch Park Stadium 2015 2018
    Toronto FC III[note 7] Toronto BMO Training Ground 2014 2018
    Toronto Skillz FC Toronto Birchmount Stadium 2016 2021
    1. 1812 FC Barrie was originally set to play in Barrie; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they spent their only season in Brampton
    2. Aurora FC was known as Aurora United during the 2016 season
    3. Kingston Clippers was known as Cataraqui Clippers during 2014 season
    4. Moved to PLSQ from the 2020 season
    5. Pickering FC was known as Durham United FC/FA until the end of 2019
    6. Durham United was on hiatus in 2018 & returned in 2019[31] Pickeing FC went on hiatus for 2023.[32]
    7. Toronto FC III was known as Toronto FC Academy from 2014 until 2016

    Organization

    Regulations

    League1 Ontario was founded with a series of values, objectives and standards all aimed at furthering the league's stated objective of improving player development in Ontario and Canada. Some of these regulations include:[33]

    • Standards-based club licensing, renewed annually (not a franchise/ownership model). Standards include technical, organizational, facility and financial criteria.
    • Maximum of 3 non-Canadian players per club.
    • 18-man game day rosters must include a minimum of 8 U-23 players.
    • Starting 11 must include a minimum of 4 U-23 players.
    • Maximum of 5 substitutions per match.

    Reserve division

    In 2019, L1O launched a men's U21 Reserve Division open to existing League1 Ontario or Ontario Player Development League license holders. The inaugural year will consist of a 12-game summer season and a separate 10-game fall season. Nine teams will participate in the 2019 summer season with a possibility of more teams joining for the fall.[34]

    Players who earned national team caps while in L1O

    The following players have earned a senior national team cap while playing in League1 Ontario (the year of their first cap while playing in the league is listed). Players who earned caps before or after playing in League1 Ontario are not included, unless they also earned caps while in the league. This section also does not include youth caps (U23 or below).

    Player Country Year Ref
    Shaquille Agard  Guyana 2014 [35]
    Adrian Butters  Guyana 2015 [36]
    Kilian Elkinson  Bermuda 2016 [37]
    Anthony Whyte  Guyana 2016 [38]
    Daniel Whyte  Guyana 2016 [38]
    Daniel Jodah  Guyana 2017 [39]
    Jelani Smith  Guyana 2017 [39]
    Navid Rahman  Pakistan 2018 [40]
    Alain Sargeant  Saint Kitts and Nevis 2018 [41]
    Justin Springer  Saint Kitts and Nevis 2018 [41]
    Kaeson Trench  Barbados 2018 [42]
    Tristan Marshall  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2019 [43]
    Tyrell Rayne  Antigua and Barbuda 2019 [44]
    Rahbar Wahed Khan  Bangladesh 2021 [45]
    Quillan Roberts  Guyana 2022 [46]
    Zachary Ellis-Hayden  Barbados 2023 [47]
    Emery Welshman  Guyana 2023

    See also

    References
    1. "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
    2. 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.
    3. Jacques, John (January 25, 2022). "Promotion And Relegation Comes To League1 Ontario". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
    4. "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.
    5. 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.
    6. "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.
    7. "OSA announces League1 Ontario teams". Ontario Soccer Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
    8. "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.
    9. "Toronto FC Academy 1 – Vaughan Azzurri 1". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
    10. "Notification". League1 Ontario. July 22, 2014. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
    11. "OSA statement on Internacional de Toronto". Ontario Soccer Association. July 22, 2014. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
    12. 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.
    13. "TFC Academy Triumphs". Toronto FC. October 4, 2014. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
    14. 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.
    15. 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.
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    22. 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.
    23. "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.
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    25. Jacques, John (January 25, 2022). "Seven Things To Know About The League1 Ontario Restructure". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
    26. "2018 League1 Ontario Season To Feature New Format, Divisional Configuration And Several Exciting New Additions". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
    27. Jacques, John (January 25, 2022). "Promotion And Relegation Comes To League1 Ontario". Northern Tribune.
    28. "Supporters Like No Others". League1 Ontario. September 13, 2019. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
    29. Krueger, Adam (July 31, 2018). "Toronto FC III battles Vaughan for L1 Cup". Toronto FC. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
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    32. "Pickering FC Can't Field League1 Ontario Premier Division Teams This Year". Northern Tribune. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
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    34. "League1 Ontario Announces Men's U21 Reserve Division". League1 Ontario. April 2, 2019. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
    35. Saul, Duncan (September 15, 2014). "Agard always wanted to be a Golden Jaguar". Stabroek News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
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    37. Gallo, Anthony (August 2, 2016). "Men's 2016 East Division All-Stars Roster: A Closer Look". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
    38. @sigmafc (June 2, 2015). "Congrats to Emery Welshman, Daniel Whyte & Anthony Whyte on their call ups to the Guyanese MNT" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    39. Toney, Rawle (November 8, 2017). "Three debutants in Golden Jaguars squad for Soca Warriors friendly". Guyana Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
    40. "Canada-based Midfielders to attend PAK Football team camp". Football Pakistan. November 5, 2018. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
    41. "Canadian defender Justin Springer proud to wear the colours of St. Kitts & Nevis". The Sports Network. November 18, 2018. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
    42. Reid, Brady (January 7, 2020). "Canada vs. Barbados — Match Preview". Waking the Red. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
    43. @torontoskillz (March 9, 2019). "Congratulations to Toronto Skillz's player Tristan Marshall" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    44. Baptiste, Neto (September 5, 2019). "Benna Boys in Jamaica for Nation's League opener". Antigua Observer. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
    45. "Two NRBs in 23-man squad for Kyrgyzstan series". The Daily Star. August 24, 2021. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
    46. "Golden Jaguars roar to victory in CONCACAF Nations League opener". Stabroek News. June 5, 2022. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
    47. Jacques, John (May 12, 2022). "Electric City FC's Ellis-Hayden Gets Barbados Nod". Northern Tribune.
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