The ink is barely dry on a 2016 season to remember for London soccer and sports fans, and FC LONDON is already well into planning for an amazing 2017 season ahead. After walking away from the League1 awards banquet with a truckload of hardware, including MVP and Golden Boot awards for both Jade Kovacevic and Elvir Gigolaj, the club’s executives are already looking for ways to take it to the next level in 2017.
“What an amazing year for London,” said Ian Campbell, President of FC LONDON. “With the launch of FC LONDON into League1, we were able to showcase London talent at the Provincial and National level. Between our success and the success of our partner club, Toronto FC, I think we’ve raised the bar. Now it’s time to raise it again.”
In the fall of 2016, FC LONDON signed a partnership agreement with Toronto FC, giving the club and its youth affiliate clubs access to coaching and curriculum form the MLS team. When Toronto FC made their way to the MLS final in spectacular fashion, the brand equity of the TFC name now carries even more weight, having shown that their style of coaching, recruiting and club management is truly making a positive difference in the sport. More than 3.5 million viewers in the United States and Canada watched 2016 MLS Cup, an increase of 177 percent over 2015 MLS Cup, according to Nielsen research. An audience of 1,411,000 watched the league’s 21st championship match on FOX, while 601,000 viewed in Spanish on UniMás. The sport has truly arrived.
FC LONDON capped off the summer with the launch of an affiliated FC LONDON Academy program, focused on building a high-performance, self-sustaining soccer education environment for male and female players and coaches to help them maximize their personal and professional potential. The Academy will focus on elite player development, and is open for U8-U18 boys and girls to apply for a trial. Academy player Dante D’Oria, 11, has already been scouted by Toronto FC and is training in their professional KTC in Toronto.
“That’s why we do what we do” says Campbell. “It’s exciting stuff indeed.”
Story by FC LONDON
