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League1 Ontario Announces Eight New Teams For Upcoming Season

By lo admin, 12/17/15, 10:15AM EST

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League1 Ontario is thrilled to announce the addition of eight new teams in 2016 – four to its Men's and Women's divisions.

Joining the League1 Ontario Men's division will be: North Toronto Nitros (operated by North Toronto SC), Toronto Skillz FC, Aurora United FC (operated by Aurora Youth SC) and FC London.

Joining the League1 Ontario Women’s division will be: Aurora United FC, FC London, Darby FC (operated by Whitby Iroquois SC and Darlington SC) and Kingston Clippers.

"It is a pleasure to welcome these new teams into League1 Ontario," said League1 Ontario Commissioner, Dino Rossi. "This continued growth speaks to the strong reputation the league has built over the past two years, and its importance as a part of this province's High Performance player pathway."

These new additions will build on the high performance coverage League1 Ontario aims to deliver in Ontario.

"The welcome addition of teams from London, Aurora, Kingston and the eastern end of Durham Region with Darby FC will create important outlets in these regions for elite players to develop in Ontario and realize their full potential," said Ontario Soccer Association Executive Director, Johnny Misley.

"Further, the wealth of talent in the GTA area will only benefit from the inclusion of the North Toronto Soccer Club and the Scarborough-based Toronto Skillz FC."

Operating as a pro-am standards based league, League1 Ontario is an important final step in the province's high performance player pathway.

"From a technical perspective, it is crucial that the province's best players have accessible, domestically-based opportunities to properly finish their development years," said Ontario Soccer Association Technical Director, Gary Miller.

"The standards-based approach of League1 Ontario ensures players will have the appropriate 'finishing-school' environment, giving them the best preparation possible to take further steps in the game."

About League1 Ontario:

League1 Ontario is the only semi-professional, standards-based, league in Ontario. Founded in 2014, the league began with a 10 team Men's division, which has now grown to 12 teams and includes a separate seven-team women's division. League1 Ontario serves as a stepping stone between the youth, amateur ranks, and the full-on professional sides. Sanctioned by the Ontario Soccer Association, the league's focus, first and foremost, is the development of Canada's future stars.

About the Ontario Soccer Association:

Founded in 1901, The Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) is the largest provincial sports organization in Canada. Its members include more than 650 Clubs servicing over 24,000 teams with 380,000 registered players, 70,000 coaches and managers, and 10,000 match officials. The OSA develops and delivers exceptional and sustainable programs and services throughout Ontario with the mission of providing leadership and support for the advancement of soccer in collaboration and cooperation with our membership, partners and other stakeholders. The OSA also operates League1 Ontario, a provincial pro-am men’s and women’s league, as well as the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL).

Ontario Soccer Association Media Contact:

Cormac Rea | League1 Ontario Communications Coordinator | 613-299-0374 | crea@soccer.on.ca