February 1, 2016 League 1 Ontario--League 1 Ontario Growing Again in 2016 (from League 1 Ontario website)

  
League1 Ontario Growing Again In 2016
02/01/2016, 2:30pm EST
By League1 Ontario staff

League1 Ontario Growing Again In 2016

North Mississauga Panthers the latest team to be approved for play in Ontario’s Pro-Am league

Ontario Soccer Association - Vaughan, Ontario, February 1, 2016: 

Late last year, League1 Ontario announced the addition of eight new teams to its Men and 
Women’s divisions. Today, League1 Ontario is adding one more team to the Men’s division 
and announcing a new conference structure for that  division in 2016. 

North Mississauga Panthers becomes the 16th Men’s team to earn membership into League1 
Ontario and will play in the Western Conference in 2016. They join the North Mississauga 
Panthers Women’s team, who won the L1 Cup in 2015.

League1 Ontario commissioner Dino Rossi spoke about what North Mississauga Panthers brings 
to the league. 

“We’re thrilled to be able to add North Mississauga to our league,” Rossi said. “They have 
a proven track record of developing elite level players in our province, which makes them 
a natural fit for League1.”

OSA President Ron Smale described how this club is investing in both ends of the Ontario 
development pyramid. 

“It’s great to see clubs like North Mississauga and others in League1 and the Ontario 
Player Development League now filling the development needs at both ends of our high 
performance player development system,” Smale said. 

“We have clubs that are looking at this as a top-to-bottom investment – from starting 
them in recreational soccer and developing them on the right path through our OPDL youth 
structure, to finishing their development in League1.” 

North Mississauga President Trevor Bertrand expressed his excitement for their club.

“This is a big year for us at North Mississauga,” Bertrand said. “First we gained entrance 
into OPDL and now we’ve been accepted into League1 Ontario Men’s division. We’re offering 
a full spectrum of development opportunities.”

The Men’s division grows to 16 teams and will now be divided into two conferences for 2016.

Eastern Conference...................Western Conference 
Woodbridge Strikers..................Oakville Blue Devils 
Vaughan Azzurri......................Sigma FC 
Durham United FC.....................TFC Academy 
Kingston Clippers....................Windsor Stars 
Master's FA Saints...................Pro Stars FC  
North Toronto Nitros (New for 2016)..Sanjaxx Lions 
Toronto Skillz FC (New for 2016).....FC London (New for 2016) 
Aurora United FC (New for 2016)......North Mississauga (New for 2016) 

Men’s teams will play 14 games, home and away, within their own conference and a further 
eight games against teams in the other conference. The top team from each conference will 
play off against one another in the league final. The Women’s division remains 
as a single table alignment. 

Additionally, teams in both the Men’s and Women’s division will compete 
in a single-elimination cup tournament throughout the year. 

As part of the league re-structuring this season, ANB Futbol has not renewed their 
League1 Ontario license. As well, Pro Stars FC will not return a team to the League1 
Ontario women’s division for 2016. 

About League1 Ontario:

League1 Ontario is the only pro-am, standards-based, senior league in Ontario. Founded 
in 2014, the league began with a 10-team Men’s division, which has now grown to 16 teams 
and includes a separate 10-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

back to 2016 League 1 Ontario Men's index

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