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The Simcoe County Rovers supporters shone in the Canadian Championship with 2,000 people rocking the away end.

Simcoe County Rovers flooded the visitors’ end at BMO Field with more than 2,000 fans coming to support the boys in blue during their TELUS Canadian Championship clash against Toronto FC.

Although new signing Alexander Zis hit the post for Rovers early on, John Herdman’s TFC put Simcoe to the sword and were 4-0 up at the half, eventually winning 5-0 and progressing through to the next round.

But it was the Barrie faithful who stole the headlines postgame, and the hearts of Canadian soccer fans across the country.

“The biggest takeaway from the night is that a League1 team from Barrie, Ontario, of 150,000 people, brought 2,000 fans to BMO Field,” said OneSoccer presenter Gareth Wheeler in the postgame broadcast.

“Growing up in Greater Toronto Area, I never looked at Barrie as a hotbed for football. The fact that they have that sort of community outreach – it was Rover’s Day in the city of Barrie, the Mayor, the MP, their all on board with this project – that is a huge takeaway about how this model can be replicated across this country.

“Believe, this is a good story, a great story in Canadian football. And if more communities think they can replicate what they put together, get on this. We need good people doing good things and that’s what’s being brought forward here.”

Martin Bazyl was let loose in BMO Field to photograph the action; please click below to view his gallery of a day that made Canadian Championship history.