Kitchener Spirit

The Kitchener Spirit were a professional soccer team in Kitchener, Ontario that played in the Canadian Soccer League. The team debuted in the 1990 season as the Kitchener Spirit and were renamed the Kitchener Kickers in 1991. The club folded following the 1991 season.

Kitchener Spirit (1990)
Kitchener Kickers (1991)
Full nameKitchener Kickers
Nickname(s)Spirit, Kickers
Founded1990 (as Kitchener Spirit)
Dissolved1991
LeagueCanadian Soccer League
19917th

History

In 1990, the team joined the semi-professional Canadian Soccer League as the Kitchener Spirit.[1][2] During their debut season, they set a league record for goals scored in a game with an 8–1 victory over the London Lasers.[3] They finished fourth in their division, advancing to the playoffs, where they defeated the Toronto Blizzard in the first round in penalty kicks before falling in the semi-finals against the Hamilton Steelers.[4] They were coached by John McGrane in 1990, but he departed after the season.[5]

After the 1990 season, the team changed owners and became known as the Kitchener Kickers with player Drew Ferguson becoming the team's head coach.[6] The club failed to make the playoffs, winning only four matches amid rumours of financial instability.[4] Just three weeks before the start of the 1992 league season, the club folded.[4]

The Kitchener–Waterloo region was without a professional team since the Kickers departed in 1991,[7] until SC Waterloo Region joined the later Canadian Soccer League in 2011, while K–W United FC played in the pre-professional Premier Development League from 2013 until 2017.[8]

Seasons
NameSeasonTierLeagueRecordRankPlayoffsRef
Kitchener Spirit 1990 1 Canadian Soccer League 8–7–11 4th, East Semifinals [9]
Kitchener Kickers 1991 1 Canadian Soccer League 4–7–17 7th Did not qualify [9]

Coaches

Notable players

References
  1. Litterer, Dave. "Canadian Soccer League I". Soccer History USA.
  2. Kloster, Darron (May 27, 1990). "A rundown of teams that are off and running". Times Colonist. p. 10.
  3. Conaway, Tom. "Spirit's 8 goals sets league record". CSL Memories. Waterloo Region Record.
  4. "Kitchener Spirit/Kickers (1990-91)". CSL Memories.
  5. Cannon, Steve. "McGrane Resigns from Spirit". CSL Memories. Waterloo Region Record.
  6. "Team-by-team preview of Canadian Soccer League". Vancouver Sun. May 24, 1991. p. 40.
  7. Bryson, Mark (February 15, 2011). "Kitchener-Waterloo United fails to meet deadline". Waterloo Region Record.
  8. "Region scores two new professional soccer teams". Waterloo Region Record. February 7, 2013.
  9. "Canadian Soccer League Standings Archive". Canada Soccer History Archives.
  10. "OSATv TouchLine With John McGrane". Archived from the original on February 2, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  11. Cannon, Steve (September 25, 1991). "Kickers, coach play waiting game". Waterloo Region Record. pp. C1. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
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