Local championship soccer club FC LONDON is well into planning for their 2018 season, which will see the inaugural year of their strong relationship with MLS Champions Toronto FC, as well as a change to a red, grey and white colour scheme and a clothing manufacturer change to the soccer giant Adidas.
Part of this change is the brand for the youth academy to ‘London TFC Academy,’ which is focused on the development and identification of girls and boys aged 8 to 17, all of whom will play in the Ontario Academy Soccer League. This top league in Ontario will grow significantly this season with the addition of 30+ clubs from the SAAC leagues, bringing the total club count to well over 40.
“We’ll have teams in five separate leagues this season and a full elite pathway from age 8 to semi-pro … for both male and female players,” says Ian Campbell, the founder of FC LONDON. “With the addition of OPDL to our league matrix, we’re bringing top coaches (Jon Hasson and Paulo Sousa) together with top players, and we’re building a pyramid of play that will serve the London soccer community well for years to come.”
A key component of OPDL is also affiliations with local organizations operating Youth Amateur Teams in Regional Leagues. With that in mind, OPDL licensee London TFC Academy has signed an affiliation agreement with local youth soccer powerhouse St. Thomas Soccer Club, a club that boasts over 2,000 participants and 140 teams. The affiliation will allow St. Thomas players, specifically those who are born in 2005 and will play in U13 leagues in 2018, to be ‘called up’ to boys and girls London TFC Academy teams throughout the season to play in OPDL games.
“This is a true pathway in alignment with Ontario Soccer’s vision of player development,” said Rob Cameron, President of St. Thomas Soccer Club. “From young players through to young adults, this affiliation creates defined and real opportunities for those that have a vision of playing at a higher level.”
Beyond OASL and OPDL, U21 teams will participate in their respective U21 leagues, and the League1 teams will both work toward league dominance in another run to the championship.
Keep track of all the FC LONDON news at www.FCLONDON.ca.
Submitted by FC LONDON
