Simcoe County Rovers FC

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.

Simcoe County Rovers
Full nameSimcoe County Rovers Football Club
Nickname(s)Rovers
Founded2021
StadiumJ.C. Massie Field at Georgian College
Capacity474 seated. 1,200 including standing room
OwnerRovers Sports and Entertainment Group
Head coachJason Beckford (men)
Dave Kelly (women)
LeagueLeague1 Ontario
2023League, 2nd; Playoffs, Champions (men)
League, 7th; Playoffs, DNQ (women)
WebsiteClub website

History

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]

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 1200 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 traveling supporters attended the League1 Ontario final, marking a League1 Canada traveling supporters record.

Players, staff, and ownership

Men's roster
As of 16 April 2023[22]

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

Owners

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.[24]

Executives
Name Position Tenure
Julian de Guzman President 2020–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

Seasons

Men
Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs Ref
2022 League1 Ontario 22 13–5–3 5th Semi-finals
2023 21 15–1–4 2nd Champions

Women
Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs Ref
2022 League1 Ontario 20 12–5–2 5th Quarter-Finals
2023 19 8–4–6 7th did not qualify

Honours

First Teams

Reserves Teams

Notable players

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

Men

Women

References
  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. 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. "Simcoe County Rovers FC". League 1 Ontario.
  23. "Technical Staff". Simcoe County Rovers FC.
  24. "Management & Leadership". Simcoe County Rovers FC.


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