Ontario Soccer – MLS Pro-Club also becomes presenting partner of the Ontario Player Development League 

April 19, 2017

Vaughan, ON – Toronto FC and Ontario Soccer are continuing to strengthen their ties through a newly enhanced multi-year corporate partnership agreement.

With this agreement, Toronto FC now becomes a Premier Partner of Ontario Soccer, as well as the presenting Partner for the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL), the province’s youth high performance league.

The partnership will include Toronto FC’s investment in Ontario Soccer marketing rights as well as support in amplifying the brand appeal of the OPDL, which includes establishing an improved scouting reach across Ontario and working together to enhance shared events.

Johnny Misley, Executive Director for Ontario Soccer, called this agreement a great step forward for the game in Ontario.

“Toronto FC has stepped up corporately and is investing in Ontario Soccer to help develop all levels of our game in Ontario. While TFC is partnered with us already in the athlete talented pathway, this investment now goes deeper into the grassroots, as they care about the beautiful game as much as we do.”  

Toronto FC and Ontario Soccer already had an established sport partnership, which put TFC at the forefront of the national player development model for soccer in Ontario via the Toronto FC Academy, with its world-class coaching staff and facilities, recognizing them as the top option for male players of distinction in the province.

“This partnership will increase the efforts of Ontario Soccer and TFC to grow the game of soccer in Ontario and highlight the pathway for male elite players to realize their potential, whether that be U-Sports, NCAA or professional soccer at TFC,” said Toronto FC General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “Together through this unique partnership, we can take leadership positions in the technical areas of player development, coaching and match official education and player identification all while connecting on the commercial end with businesses that want to invest in and grow the game.”

The enhanced partnership between Toronto FC and Ontario Soccer will include development programs for players, both at the high performance and grassroots levels.

About Ontario Soccer

Founded in 1901, Ontario Soccer 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. Ontario Soccer 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. Ontario Soccer also operates League1 Ontario, a provincial professional-amateur men’s and women’s league as well as the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL).

About Toronto FC

The first Canadian soccer club to compete in Major League Soccer, Toronto FC began play in 2007. The club is owned and operated by the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and plays its home matches at BMO Field on the Exhibition Place grounds. Toronto FC are five-time winners of the Canadian Championship, were 2011-2012 CONCACAF Champions League semi-finalists and were the 2016 MLS Eastern Conference Champions. The club works out of the state of the art Kia Training Ground, which is also home to the TFC Academy.