Submitted by FC London and photos by Cam Vassallo
Preparations are already underway for FC LONDON’s sixth season in the PDL (Premier Development League), the top amateur soccer league in North America. As champions in the league and also winners of their division and conference in 2013, both the executive and coaching staff know that the bar has been set high from previous years.
“We’ve had tremendous success as a club, both on and off the field,” said Ian Campbell, President of FC LONDON. “Our goal in the coming season is to change things up a bit and continue to create a sports entertainment environment that people see as a great way to spend a Friday night. With changes in the league and playoff structure, as well as new ticket pricing, which will be announced in the new year, and our new youth component, we’re once again raising the bar for London soccer.”
Martin Painter will return to the squad as the head coach hoping to include another strong season to his resume after posting a winning record in both PDL play and as the head coach of the Western Mustangs women’s team, who topped their CIS division and had an undefeated season in the 2013 regular season.
Painter and Campbell recently returned from Tampa, Florida where they attended the Annual General Meeting of the league. The 2014 season will boast 65 teams spread across North America, including new entries from MLS’s Montreal Impact, Las Vegas and Pittsburgh. FC LONDON will again play in the highly-contested Great Lakes Division along with strong rivals Michigan Bucks, KW United, Toronto Lynx and the Chicago Fire PDL squad. Moving to other divisions this year in the league re-alignment are River City Rovers (Louisville) and Cincinnati. Newcomers to the Great Lakes Division will be the Pittsburgh Riverhounds PDL, who will act as reserves for the professional Riverhounds team who play in the USL Pro League, a league just below MLS.
With the schedule now set (but remaining confidential until March 2014), FC LONDON can disclose that fans will be treated to two games against the Chicago Fire at home here in London. Games with the Fire typically include some of their top draft prospects and are always exciting games to watch. Fans will also be treated to the return of the UMBRO CUP (won by FC LONDON in 2013), which will again include a two-game total goals contest with 401 rivals KW United. The majority of games will once again be played at the German Canadian Club on Cove Rd, with home games set for Friday nights at 7:30pm.
Coach Painter says he expects some returning players mixed with some new talent.
“Every year we have the luxury of combing North America for some of the top amateur players and bringing them to London to experience the summer with the club,” Painter said. “We’ve been inundated with resumes from around the world, and although official tryouts are still months away, we’re confident that we’ll once again be showing a quality product on the field.”
FC LONDON’s youth program for both boys and girls is also ramping up in 2014 under the direction of Youth Technical Director and National B Certified coach Chris Loucks.
“Our U13 boys and girls teams will have a 30-plus game schedule against top players from across the province in the OPDL (Ontario Player Development League),” said Loucks. “We’re also starting up our GRASSROOTS program for advanced players aged 8-12. It’s a program structured using LTPD, the Ontario Soccer Association’s highly-structured training guidelines for development of young athletes for the OPDL as well as Provincial and National Team programs.”
From youth to PDL, May to August, on and off the field FC LONDON looks to continue to deliver a soccer experience that keeps fans coming back for more. With a North American Championship already on the books, the organization looks to once again make strides toward putting more hardware in the trophy case.
www.fclondon.ca
