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Simcoe County Rovers FC

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Simcoe County Rovers
Full nameSimcoe County Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)Rovers
Founded2021
StadiumJ.C. Massie Field at Georgian College
Capacity675 seated. 1,200 including standing room
OwnerRovers Sports and Entertainment Group
Head coachZack Wilson (men)
Carli Tingstad (women)
LeagueLeague1 Ontario
2024L1O-P, 5th (men)
L1O-P, 7th (women)
Websitehttps://www.roversfc.ca/
Current season

Simcoe County Rovers Football Club is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Barrie, Ontario, that plays in the League1 Ontario Premier men's and women's divisions. The Rovers won the 2023 League1 Ontario championship and qualified for the 2024 Canadian Championship. The Rovers played their first season in League1 Ontario in 2022.

History

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The club was founded in 2021, by former Canadian national team player Julian de Guzman, Peter Raco, and the Barrie Soccer Club under the name FC Barrie, who had initially been part of the group forming 1812 FC Barrie, before departing to form their own team.[1][2]

On July 6, 2021, the club was officially unveiled under the name Simcoe County Rovers FC as a joint partnership between Raco and de Guzman.[3] In August 2021, it was announced that Canadian national team player Cyle Larin was joining the club as a co-owner;[4][5][6] in December 2021, fellow Canadian national team player Doneil Henry was announced as another co-owner.[7] In January 2022, Canadian women's team player Janine Beckie also joined the ownership group.[8][9] In April 2022, Atiba Hutchinson also joined the ownership group.[10] Since its formation, the team has been affiliated with youth clubs Barrie SC and Aurora FC (who previously operated a team in League1 Ontario until 2020), and Orangeville-based school Athlete Institute.[3][11]

On October 21, 2021, it was announced that the club was officially joining both the male and female divisions of League1 Ontario for 2022, acquiring the license of Aurora FC, who did not play in 2021 and joined the Rovers as an affiliate club.[12][13] Both teams played their debut matches on April 24 against Blue Devils FC, with the women winning 3–0 and the men drawing 1–1.[14][15] In 2022, the men's reserve team won the League1 Ontario U21 Reserve Division.[16]

Rovers celebrate 2023 League1 Ontario title

In 2023, the men finished the regular season in second place, earning their first home playoff game,[17] where they defeated Vaughan Azzurri in the semi-finals, in front of over 1,200 fans.[18] In the championship final, they defeated Scrosoppi FC to win the League1 Ontario title, thereby qualifying for the 2024 Canadian Championship.[19][20][21] Over 600 travelling supporters attended the League1 Ontario final, marking a League1 Canada traveling supporters record.

On April 24, 2024, the club made their Canadian Championship debut, where they were defeated 5-0 by Major League Soccer club Toronto FC, with over 2000 estimated Rovers fans having purchased tickets and attending the match.[22][23]

Players, staff, and ownership

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Men's roster

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As of 16 April 2023[24]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Canada CAN Michael Markac
— DF Canada CAN Andre Beecher
— DF Canada CAN Allen Blegay
— DF Canada CAN Cameron DaSilva
— DF Canada CAN Justin Earle
— DF Canada CAN Tajay Reid
— DF Canada CAN Luc Ihama
— MF Guyana GUY Javier George
— MF Cuba CUB Orlendis Benítez
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Cuba CUB Alejandro Portal
— FW Canada CAN Chiemeka Azurunwa
— FW Canada CAN Gabriel Boakye
— FW Jamaica JAM Shawn-Claud Lawson
— FW Canada CAN Ijah Halley
— FW Canada CAN Jevontae Layne
— FW Canada CAN Rahim Thorpe
— FW Canada CAN Justin Yarde

Coaching staff

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Owners

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Rovers Sports and Entertainment Group (RSEG) owns the Simcoe County Rovers Football Club. RSEG is made up of current and former Canadian National team players, as well as others. The ownership group includes Julian de Guzman, Peter Raco, Kosi Stobbs, Will Devellis, Jason Melbourne, David Zbar, Steve Mantzouranis, as well as Canadian national team players Atiba Hutchinson, Janine Beckie, Cyle Larin, and Doneil Henry.[27]

Executives

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Name Position Tenure
Julian de Guzman President (former) 2020–2024
Peter Raco President 2024-present
Peter Raco Chief Executive Officer 2020–present
Will Devellis Chief Operating Officer 2020–present
David Zbar Chief Marketing Officer 2023–present
Jamie Massie Senior Executive Advisor 2021–present
Andy Wilson Director of Game Day Operations 2020-present

Seasons

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Men

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Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs League cup Canadian Championship Ref
2022 League1 Ontario 22 13–5–3 5th Semi-finals not held did not qualify
2023 21 15–1–4 2nd Champions not held did not qualify
2024 League1 Ontario Premier 12 9–7–6 5th – Finalists Preliminary round

Women

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Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs League Cup Ref
2022 League1 Ontario 20 12–5–2 5th Quarter-Finals not held
2023 19 8–4–6 7th did not qualify not held
2024 League1 Ontario Premier 10 5–6–7 7th not held Semi-finals

Honours

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Senior

Reserves

Notable players

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The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the League1 Ontario team:

Men

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Women

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Club records

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Below are current record holders for the club.

Men

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Record Record holder Date Ref
Largest victory 9–1 vs. Unionville Milliken June 17, 2023 [citation needed]
Most appearances[a] Shawn-Claud Lawson (50) 2022–present [citation needed]
Most career goals[a] Jevontae Layne(18) 2023-present [citation needed]
Home attendance 1,180 August 27, 2023 [citation needed]
Away attendance 2,250 (BMO Field) April 24, 2024 [citation needed]

Women

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Record Record holder Date Ref
Largest victory 7–0 vs. ProStars FC July 12, 2023 [citation needed]
Most appearances[a] Cloey Uddenberg (42) 2022–present [citation needed]
Most career goals[a] Brianne Desa & Courtney Chochol (16) 2022–2023 [citation needed]
  1. ^ a b c d Includes all competitions

References

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  1. ^ Jacques, John (January 23, 2021). "1812 FC Barrie Posts Front Office Changes". Northern Tribune.
  2. ^ Gibson, Shawn (February 25, 2021). "League1 Ontario grants soccer franchise to Barrie, but big names missing from original bid". Barrie Today.
  3. ^ a b Jacques, John (July 6, 2021). "BREAKING: Simcoe County Rovers Aim For League1 Ontario In 2022". Northern Tribune.
  4. ^ Kloke, Joshua (August 16, 2021). "Cyle Larin becomes part owner of new Canadian club, hopes to develop pathway for young players to reach highest levels". The Athletic.
  5. ^ "Simcoe County Rovers announce co-owner Cyle Larin". Barrie Advance. August 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Gibson, Shawn (August 19, 2021). "As soccer gains momentum in Canada, local Rovers make big moves". Barrie Today.
  7. ^ "Simcoe County Rovers FC add Canadian international player Doneil Henry as co-owner". Barrie Advance. December 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Armstrong, Laura (January 13, 2022). "Canadian soccer star Janine Beckie buys into semi-pro Simcoe County's game plan". Toronto Star.
  9. ^ Johnson, Meaghen (January 14, 2022). "Beckie sees ownership role as a step towards something bigger". TSN.
  10. ^ "Canada captain Hutchinson joins Simcoe County FC ownership group". TSN. April 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Bates, Matt (April 20, 2022). "A Bluffer's Guide to Simcoe County Rovers". League1 Ontario.
  12. ^ "Simcoe County Rovers FC to join L1O for 2022 season". League1 Ontario. October 21, 2021.
  13. ^ Jacques, John (October 21, 2021). "League1 Ontario Adds Simcoe County Rovers". Northern Tribune.
  14. ^ Gibson, Shawn (April 19, 2022). "Rovers FC hopes to turn Barrie area into 'soccer-mad region' as season kicks off Sunday". Barrie Today.
  15. ^ Gibson, Shawn (April 25, 2022). "Get on board with the beautiful game, Rovers here to stay". Barrie Today.
  16. ^ "Unionville Milliken and Simcoe County Rovers win reserve titles". League1 Ontario. August 8, 2022.
  17. ^ Gibson, Shawn (August 22, 2023). "Rovers hosting playoff game for first time at their 'fortress'". Barrie Today.
  18. ^ Gibson, Shawn (August 28, 2023). "'Job's not done' for Rovers, but it's pretty close". Barrie Today.
  19. ^ "Simcoe County Rovers win their first Men's Premier Division title". League1 Ontario. September 3, 2023.
  20. ^ Parkes, David (September 3, 2023). "Simcoe County Rovers Top Scrosoppi In L1O Men's Final". Northern Tribune.
  21. ^ Hewitt, Thomas (September 3, 2023). "Simcoe County Rovers Win League1 Ontario, Set an Example for Other Clubs". 13th Man Sports.
  22. ^ Robinson, Peter (April 24, 2024). "Toronto FC runs roughshod over upstart Rovers". Barrie Today.
  23. ^ "Toronto FC crushes Simcoe County in Canadian Championship play". Sportsnet. April 24, 2024.
  24. ^ "Simcoe County Rovers FC". League 1 Ontario.
  25. ^ a b "Technical Staff". Simcoe County Rovers FC.
  26. ^ a b "Simcoe County Rovers soccer club welcomes new coaching staff". Barrie Today. January 10, 2024.
  27. ^ "Management & Leadership". Simcoe County Rovers FC.
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