York_United

York United FC

York United FC

Canadian professional soccer team


York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario.[1][2] The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium.

Quick Facts Full name, Nickname(s) ...

History

York United players celebrate a goal by Álvaro Rivero against HFX Wanderers during a game in September 2021.

In December 2017, former Canadian international Jimmy Brennan stepped down as executive director of Aurora FC and announced his intentions to take a role within the Canadian Premier League.[3] In March 2018, it was revealed that Brennan had been named executive vice-president of York Sports & Entertainment back in January.[4] The following day, it was revealed that the company's president Preben Ganzhorn named himself as president of an unknown entity called York9 FC, believed to be a Canadian Premier League franchise.[5]

On May 5, 2018, York Region was one of four groups accepted by the Canadian Soccer Association for professional club membership.[6] Greenpark Group, headed by Carlo Baldassarra, was revealed as the owner of York9, with his son Mike as the chairman.[1][7][8] Both Brennan and Ganzhorn were pictured at the Annual Meeting of the Members when the group was announced.[9]

York9 FC was officially unveiled on May 10, 2018, as the first team to join the Canadian Premier League.[10] As well as confirming their place in the league for the 2019 launch season, the club also revealed their crest, colours and branding.[11] The club adopted the name York9 FC to represent the nine municipalities that make up York Region – Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, and Whitchurch-Stouffville.[12] On July 27, 2018, York9 announced executive vice president of soccer operations Jimmy Brennan as the club's first head coach.[13]

In August, York9 fielded a York Region Soccer Association Selects team to compete in the U17 International Soccer Cup held at York Lions Stadium. The team beat Juventus FC before losing to Toronto FC in the final.[14]

York9 era

The team has been called "Y9" and "The Nine Stripes" by the media and the league.[15][16][17] York9's first match was the inaugural CPL match at Forge FC on April 27, 2019,[18] launching the 905 Derby with a 1–1 draw, as Ryan Telfer scored the first goal in Canadian Premier League history.[19]

To determine the Canadian Soccer Association's representative in the CONCACAF Champions League, York9 played in the 2019 Canadian Championship competing for the Voyageurs Cup. The team lost the quarterfinal to Montreal Impact after a 2–2 draw at home and a 1–0 loss at Montreal.[20]

In early 2020 the team announced the departure of Preben Ganzhorn from the club.[21] He was replaced by Angus McNab, initially as a management consultant and later as the team's President, GM, and CEO.[22][23]

York9 was expected to begin their second season in the Canadian Premier League in April 2020 but the season was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] During the postponement, the club sold young midfielder Emilio Estevez to Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag, the first CPL player to be sold to a European top flight.[25]

York United era

On December 11, 2020, the club was rebranded as York United FC, adopting a new crest and colour scheme along with the name change. While the original club name exclusively targeted York Region, the new branding also represents the City of Toronto.[26] In their first season as York United FC, the club finished 4th in the 2021 Canadian Premier League season. They were eliminated from the playoffs after a 3–1 loss to Forge FC. Following the season, head coach Jim Brennan's tenure at the club ended after it was announced November 23, 2021, that his contract would not be extended.[27] He was replaced by Martin Nash on December 21, 2021.[28]

During the 2023 season, it was announced that the club was sold from the Baldassarra family to the Canadian Soccer Business with plans to transfer the club to new ownership.[29] Angus McNab stepped down from his role as president, CEO, and general manager following the season on November 3, 2023.[30] On November 30, 2023, the Canadian Premier League announced that Mexican-based Game Plan Sports Group had purchased York United with immediate effect.[31][32] The ownership group is led by brothers Eduardo, Ricardo and Miguel Pasquel, who each took roles in the day-to-day operations of the club, respectively, as chief executive officer, president and general manager, and chief commercial officer.[31][32][33]

Stadium

York Lions Stadium is a stadium at York University Heights used by York for home matches.

York plays its home matches at York Lions Stadium in York University's Keele Campus in York University Heights, a neighbourhood of North York, Toronto.[34] Initially, the club had planned to use Alumni Field, on the same campus, while York Lions Stadium was being renovated for use at the end of the season.[35] Before the start of the 2021 season, the stadium was renovated with a larger, artificial turf pitch and the removal of the athletic track which surrounded the playing surface.[36]

In 2018, the club announced plans to build a modular, wooden, 15,000-seat stadium within the next three years.[37] As of August 2021, financing and location of the new stadium was yet to be determined.[38]

In March 2022, Woodbine Racetrack announced plans to add an 8,000 seat soccer-specific stadium and adjoining training facilities in the northeast corner of their property in Rexdale, Etobicoke; this would be the presumed new home of York United and possibly house a future professional women's soccer club.[39]

Crest and colours

The club's namesake and crest pays homage to The Queen's York Rangers, as well as Toronto and York Region's predecessors, York, Upper Canada and York County. The crest's shape is derived from that of The Queen's York Rangers, a Canadian Army regiment based in Toronto and York Region. A blue element on top of the shield symbolizes Lake Ontario, a body of water that rivers in York Region and Toronto flow into. The shield features a YU monogram and nine vertical stripes, a nod to the club's nickname "The Nine Stripes". A crown at the top of the shield represents Canada's monarchical history. A trillium and a maple leaf are incorporated into the crown's design, with the former representing Ontario.[40]

Although the club does insinuate the crest used as inspiration is of the original Town of York, that then became the City of Toronto, the club's colours of dark green, dark blue, white, and gold, are taken from the coat of arms of the City of York, a former city that was later amalgamated into the new City of Toronto in 1998. Unlike the majority of clubs in the CPL, York typically uses home kits that are primarily white.[41]

Former crest and colours

The inaugural "York9 FC" logo used during the club's first two seasons

The club used its original branding while it was known as York9 FC, between 2018 and 2020. The main feature of the crest's design was nine beams at the top of the crest, one for each municipality in York Region. The upward angle of the bars is a nod to the region's motto "Ontario's Rising Star". A white trillium at the base of the crest recognized Ontario, the province's floral emblem since 1937.[42]

The official club colours were light green, grey, and black (branded by the club as "electric green", "charcoal grey", and "black on black"). These colours symbolized the region's nature (in tandem with the club's environmental focus) and Black Creek.[11][42]

Club culture

Much more so than other CPL teams, York is a club which relies heavily on data and analytics to make decisions.[43]

Supporters

A supporters' group called Generation IX was present at the club's launch event.[44][45] Prior to the team's second season in 2020, two new supporters' groups formed: a student supporters' group based out of York University called The Green Lions and a female-led supporters' group called Dames of York.[46][47]

Three new supporters' groups, Centre of the Universe, The Northern Corridor, and Eastenders 416, were formed in 2021.[48][49][50]

Rivalries

York United has a geographic rivalry with Forge FC in nearby Hamilton. As both towns use the 905 area code, it was used to name the derby between the league's closest teams. On January 29, 2019, the Canadian Premier League announced that the inaugural match of the league was going to be a 905 Derby on April 27, 2019, in Hamilton.[18] The match ended in a 1–1 draw.[19]

Players and staff

Roster

As of April 21, 2024[51]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Staff

As of April 25, 2024[52][53]
More information Executive, Technical and coaching staff ...

Head coaches

As of April 26, 2024
More information Coach, Nation ...

Statistics include regular season and Canadian Championship matches.


Club captains

More information Years, Name ...

Records

Year-by-year

More information Season, League ...
  1. Average attendance include statistics from league matches only
  2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league season, league playoffs, Canadian Championship, CONCACAF League, and other competitive continental matches
  3. Split season format was used with 10 games in spring season and 18 games in fall season
  4. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the season was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, as a two stage round-robin season with a single match final[58]

All-time top scorers

As of April 26, 2024[59][60]
More information #, Name ...

Note: Bold indicates active player

All-time top assists

As of April 26, 2024[59][60]
More information #, Name ...

Note: Bold indicates active player

All-time most appearances

As of April 26, 2024[59][60]
More information #, Name ...

Note: Bold indicates active player

Single-season records

As of October 12, 2023[59][60]
More information Record, Name ...

Note: Bold indicates active player

Awards

Canadian Premier League Awards

More information Year, Name ...

York United FC Fan Voted Awards

More information Year, Name ...

References

  1. "York 9 Football Club Joins Canadian Premier League". canpl.ca. May 5, 2018.
  2. Bedakian, Armen. "Kyle Porter yearns to 'be remembered' with historic York9 FC signing". York9 FC. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  3. Cudmore, John (December 30, 2017). "Former TFC captain Jimmy Brennan steps down as Aurora FC executive director". YorkRegion.com. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  4. Brennan, Jim. "Jim Brennan on LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  5. "4 clubs get membership from Soccer Canada; expected to join CPL". Sportsnet. May 5, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  6. "Owners profile". york9fc.canpl.ca. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  7. "Front Office Directory". york9fc.canpl.ca. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  8. McIsaac, Greg (May 10, 2018). "York 9 Football Club Joins Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  9. Larson, Kurtis (May 5, 2018). "Canadian Premier League unveils York 9 FC in 'soccer hotbed' York Region". Toronto Sun. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  10. "York Region Cities & Towns". York Link. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  11. Benedetti, Micki (July 27, 2018). "Jimmy Brennan Announced as Head Coach of York 9 FC". york9fc.canpl.ca. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  12. "York Region Selects named runners-up of U17 International Soccer Cup". The CanPL Hub. August 21, 2018. Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  13. "HFX Wanderers, Cavalry FC both victorious in home openers". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 4, 2019.
  14. "HFX edge Vaughan in 1st leg of Canadian championship qualifier". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. May 16, 2019.
  15. "CUP PREVIEW: Nine Stripes off to Quebec". york9fc.canpl.ca. May 15, 2019. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  16. Bedakian, Armen. "CPL inaugural match: Forge FC hosts York9 FC". canpl.ca. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  17. "York9 FC and AS Blainville battle to a scoreless draw". canadasoccer.com. May 16, 2019. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  18. "York9 FC parts ways with club president Preben Ganzhorn". Canadian Premier League. January 20, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  19. "Angus McNab brings 'marked change' to York9 FC as management consultant". Canadian Premier League. February 10, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  20. "'The guy with a plan': York United's Angus McNab Q&A on Martin Nash signing". Canadian Premier League. December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  21. "Canadian Premier League Commissioner Statement: Start of season postponed". Canadian Premier League. March 20, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  22. "York9 FC's Emilio Estevez sold to Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag". Canadian Premier League. May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  23. "York United FC part ways with Head Coach Jimmy Brennan". York United FC. November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  24. "York United FC appoints Martin Nash as new head coach". York United FC. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  25. "York United ownership update announced". Canadian Premier League. April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  26. Jacques, John (November 3, 2023). "Angus McNab Steps Down Amidst Expected York United Sale". Northern Tribune. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  27. "York United FC purchased by world-class ownership group Game Plan Sports Group". Canadian Premier League. November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  28. Jacques, John (November 30, 2023). "Comunicado Oficial: CSB Confirms York United's Sale To GPSG". Northern Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  29. Kloke, Joshua (November 29, 2023). "Mexican ownership group with Liga MX ties takes over Canadian Premier League team York United". The Athletic. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  30. "York 9 FC unveils stadiums plans for 2019 and beyond". canpl.ca. October 25, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  31. "Coming Soon: York University's State-of-the-Art Seasonal Sports Dome, One of the Largest in Ontario". York University Athletics. August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  32. "Stadium Profile". york9fc.canpl.ca. May 10, 2018. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  33. Armstrong, Laura (May 10, 2018). "Soccer's fledgling Canadian Premier League unveils its first team, the York9 Football Club". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  34. Ralph, Dan (March 23, 2022). "Woodbine Entertainment to provide land for soccer stadium, training facility". Global News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  35. Thompson, Marty (December 11, 2020). "York United rebrand Q&A with Angus McNab". York United FC. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  36. Thompson, Marty (December 11, 2020). "4 things you may have missed from York United iconography". York United FC. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  37. "Emblem Inspiration". york9fc.canpl.ca. York 9 FC. May 10, 2018. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  38. "York United Partners With StatsBomb". Northern Tribune. August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  39. "Canadian Premier League officially launches York 9 FC in Vaughan". Waking The Red. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  40. "Canadian Premier League". canpl.ca. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  41. "'Dames of York' help themselves as York9's 1st female supporters group". Canadian Premier League. March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  42. "'A club is not complete without a strong supporter base and we hope to do our part'". York United FC. July 7, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  43. "'My son will grow up watching this club live: he will always have that connection'". York United FC. April 30, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  44. Vujcic, Djuradj (July 13, 2022). "Fan culture flourishes with Canadian Premier League side York United". Urban Book Circle. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  45. "Roster". York United FC. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  46. "Club Directory". York United FC. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  47. "York United FC purchased by world-class ownership group Game Plan Sports Group". CanPL. November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  48. "ALL IN: YORK UNITED FC ANNOUNCE JORGE VILLALPANDO AS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR". York United FC. January 12, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  49. "York9 appoints Aparicio captain, names five vice-captains". Canadian Premier League. April 26, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  50. "Free agent Manny Aparicio departs York9 to sign with Pacific FC". Canadian Premier League. November 6, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  51. "Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  52. "Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  53. "Canadian Championship". Canada Soccer. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  54. "Awards". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  55. "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

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