Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and Major League Soccer (MLS) unveiled Toronto FC as the city's newest professional sports team on Thursday. Toronto becomes the 13th Major League Soccer team and the first outside of the United States. During the ceremony, Toronto FC's emblem was also unveiled.
Major League Soccer granted Toronto a team in October 2005 after an agreement was reached to build a permanent soccer stadium at Exhibition Place in the city.
"This is an exciting day for soccer fans in Toronto who can now enjoy great quality soccer and have a team they can call their own," said Tom Anselmi, executive vice-president and chief operating officer at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. "Toronto provides the perfect backdrop for the world's number one sport given our city's diversity and affinity for soccer. We're committed to making Toronto FC and Major League Soccer a success."
The strength of Toronto FC's name is its simplicity. The emblem integrates a traditional shield with contemporary imagery. The acronym FC is synonymous with soccer and great soccer clubs around the world choose to emphasize their cities' names.
"The absence of a conventional sports nickname is deliberate," Anselmi added. "We wanted the whole city to feel ownership and we want to provide the opportunity for a meaningful nickname to emerge over time."</p>
Toronto's first professional soccer team will take to the pitch next spring wearing red and white colours that reflect a strong Canadian identity.
"We're thrilled to have Toronto FC as the 13th team in Major League Soccer and our first international club," said Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber. "The combination of a new stadium, a diverse sports market and one of the elite sports and entertainment organizations in the world provides an exciting future for Major League Soccer in Canada."
Toronto FC will play an instrumental role in growing soccer and has formed pivotal relationships with the Canadian Soccer Association and Ontario Soccer Association to further develop the sport. The National Soccer Stadium at Exhibition Place, presently under construction, will serve as a permanent home for Toronto FC and the Canadian National team. It will also be accessible to community youth and adult soccer leagues.
Construction for the 20,000-seat stadium remains on schedule and on-budget with excavation completed by May, while seat and turf installation will be completed by year's end.
The stadium will open in time for the 2007 Major League Soccer season. Discussions are presently taking place with several organizations for the stadium naming rights. The facility will also play host to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup Championship in July 2007, an event that will garner an audience of more than 600 million worldwide.
"Toronto's soccer stadium represents a significant investment and commitment to city and community building by all levels of government, the Canadian Soccer Association and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment," Anselmi commented. "We're excited that Toronto will finally have a dedicated soccer facility. Our new team and sports facility will play pivotal roles in developing the sport at all levels in Canada."
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a premier professional soccer league founded in 1996 after the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Now in its 11th season, MLS is experiencing a period of growth highlighted by expansion, the construction of soccer-specific stadiums and new investors. The League aims to have 16 teams by 2010.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) is a privately held corporation that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Toronto Marlies Hockey Club of the American Hockey League (AHL), Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, Air Canada Centre and two digital channels - Leafs TV and Raptors NBA TV.
Soccer fans can visit www.torontofc.ca for the latest information on club memberships, season tickets and team updates.
