Guelph United F.C. is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Guelph, Ontario. The club includes men's and women's teams that play in League1 Ontario. Both teams initially played at the University of Guelph's Alumni Stadium,[1] but moved to Centennial Bowl in 2023.[2] The women's team was originally named Guelph Union before changing to match the men's team's name for the 2024 season, following their merger in January 2023.
Both the men's (Guelph United) and women's (then known as Guelph Union) teams were formed in 2020, joining League1 Ontario in 2021, initially under separate ownership groups, with both being affiliated with the Guelph Soccer Club. In January 2023, the club's merged under the same ownership group with Guelph United acquiring the Union, in a move to optimize operations and strengthen ties with the community.[3][4] After continuing to play under the Union name for the 2023 season, the women's team rebranded to Guelph United ahead of 2024.[5]
Menedit
University of Guelph Gryphons and Guelph SC
Guelph United F.C. was founded in 2020 by Keith Mason, Benny Mezezi, and Ami Mezezi,[6] in partnership with the University of GuelphGryphons, the Guelph Soccer Club, and the City of Guelph[7] with the goal of bringing semi-professional soccer to the community.[8] Guelph Gryphons head and assistant coaches Keith Mason and Justin Springer were announced as the team's associate coaches.[9] The team is expected to be primarily composed of University of Guelph players, supplemented by local players.[10]
The club joined League1 Ontario for the 2021 season and will also field a team in the reserve division.[10] Ahead of their debut, they made headlines signing former Canadian Premier League player Jace Kotsopoulos as the team's first ever player.[11][12] They made their debut on July 30, 2021 defeating FC London by a score of 6-0.[13][14] In their first season, they came in first place in the West Division, advancing to the playoffs, with their team featuring three of the top four regular season goal scoring leaders.[15][16] In the playoffs, they won the League1 Ontario title, after defeating Blue Devils FC 3-1 in the finals, qualifying them for the 2022 Canadian Championship.[17] They were defeated in the first round of the Canadian Championship by professional club HFX Wanderers FC of the Canadian Premier League 2-0.[18][19][20]
Womenedit
Guelph Union logo
Guelph Union was founded by the Guelph Soccer Club[21] to join the League1 Ontario women's division for the 2021 season.[22][23] They became the city's first ever women's semi-professional sports team.[24] The women's team initially existed as a separate entity from the men's team,[25] although they merged into one entity (while retaining the Union name for the women's team for 2023, before switching to United in 2024) in January 2023,[26] as the women's team was potentially going to leave the city, as they would not be returning under the Guelph SC banner.[27] Prior to this the Guelph Soccer Club had fielded four teams in the Ontario Women's Soccer League.[28] They made their debut in the 2021 Summer Championship season on July 22, 2021, defeating Darby FC 1-0.[29] The club partnered with the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington as their charitable partner, donating fifty percent of the revenue from their ticket sales to the organization.[30][31] In their debut season, they participated in the short-season Summer Championship division, finishing with a perfect 6-0 record to win the division.[32] In 2022, they began playing in the main division (after opting to play in the short-season division in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), winning their debut match 1-0 over Darby FC.[33] They finished their inaugural season in the main division in 13th place.[34]
^"New, Semi-Pro Soccer Franchises Coming to Guelph in 2021". University of Guelph. February 4, 2021.
^@guelphunitedfc (March 18, 2023). "Welcome Home! Guelph United is excited to announce the new home of the club. After two years at Alumni Stadium, the club has decided to change the venue to Centennial Bowl found in Centennial park!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^"Guelph United complete takeover of Guelph Union". League1 Ontario. January 10, 2023.
^Jacques, John (January 10, 2023). "Guelph's League1 Ontario Clubs Have Merged". Northern Tribune.
^"Guelph Union officially rebrands as Guelph United FC". Guelph United F.C. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
^Jacques, John (January 28, 2021). "League1 Ontario Adds Four New Teams". Northern Tribune.
^ abMassey, Rob (January 29, 2021). "Top level men's soccer returns to town in the form of Guelph United FC". Guelph Today.
^@guelphunitedfc (March 13, 2021). "(1/2) We are excited to announce a big moment in the history of our club: our inaugural signing! We are proud and honoured to welcome Jace Kotsopoulos! Jace's goal scoring record is well documented but his leadership qualities will also be a huge asset in the dressing room and..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^Reid, Brady (April 19, 2021). "'A family club': Strong sense of community spelling early success for Guelph United". League1 Ontario.
^"Game on! Guelph United, Union kick off inaugural soccer seasons". Guelph Mercury. August 7, 2021.
^"A Bluffer's Guide to Guelph United". League1 Ontario. November 24, 2022.
^"Guelph United wraps up first place". Guelph Today. October 25, 2021.
^Hodges, Mike (October 29, 2021). "Guelph United F.C. hosts first playoff game this weekend". Global News.
^Cheng, Jonathan (November 7, 2021). "Guelph United downs Blue Devils 3-1 to win 2021 L1O Men's title, qualify for CanChamp". League1 Ontario.
^O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (May 9, 2022). "'A Hollywood script': Guelph United's meteoric rise in L1O ahead of CanChamp clash vs. HFX Wanderers". Canadian Premier League.
^Massey, Rob (May 9, 2022). "David meets Goliath Tuesday as Guelph United FC plays its biggest game ever". Guelph Today.
^Massey, Rob (May 11, 2022). "Underdog Guelph United gives the effort but can't get the result". Guelph Today.
^Bekavac, Ned (February 5, 2021). "Guelph soccer squad named to elite provincial league". Guelph Mercury Tribune.
^"League1 Ontario adds three women's teams for 2021". League1 Ontario. February 3, 2021.
^"Guelph Union to Join as new team in Women's League1 Ontario". Guelph Soccer Club. February 3, 2021.
^"Guelph Union the city's first semi-pro women's sports team". Guelph Today. May 17, 2021.
^Reid, Brady (May 13, 2021). "Guelph Union bringing new opportunity to the city on and off the pitch". League1 Ontario.
^"Guelph United brings women's Guelph Union into the fold". Guelph Today. January 12, 2023.
^Massey, Rob (February 9, 2023). "Guelph's top soccer squads become United". Guelph Today.
^Massey, Rob (February 3, 2021). "New Guelph Union to provide top-flight women's soccer". Guelph Today.
^Hodges, Mike (August 6, 2021). "Guelph Union looking forward to home opener". Global News.
^"Game on! Guelph United, Union kick off inaugural soccer seasons". Guelph Mercury Tribune. August 7, 2021.
^"Guelph Union hosts first-ever League 1 Ontario Home Game". Guelph Today. August 6, 2021.
^"League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men's Division". Canadian Soccer History Archives.
^"League1 Ontario Historical Standings Women's Division". Canadian Soccer History Archives.
February 16, 2024
guelph, united, canadian, semi, professional, soccer, club, based, guelph, ontario, club, includes, women, teams, that, play, league1, ontario, both, teams, initially, played, university, guelph, alumni, stadium, moved, centennial, bowl, 2023, women, team, ori. Guelph United F C is a Canadian semi professional soccer club based in Guelph Ontario The club includes men s and women s teams that play in League1 Ontario Both teams initially played at the University of Guelph s Alumni Stadium 1 but moved to Centennial Bowl in 2023 2 The women s team was originally named Guelph Union before changing to match the men s team s name for the 2024 season following their merger in January 2023 Guelph United F C Full nameGuelph United Football ClubFounded2020StadiumCentennial BowlCapacity500OwnersKeith Mason Benny Mezezi and Ami MezeziHead CoachJustin Springer men Randy Ribeiro women LeagueLeague1 Ontario2022League1 Ontario 7th men League1 Ontario 13th women WebsiteClub websiteHome coloursAway coloursCurrent season Contents 1 History 1 1 Men 1 2 Women 2 Players and staff 2 1 Coaching staff 2 2 Current squad 3 Seasons 3 1 Men s team 3 2 Women s team 4 Notable former players 4 1 Men 4 2 Women 5 External links 6 ReferencesHistory editBoth the men s Guelph United and women s then known as Guelph Union teams were formed in 2020 joining League1 Ontario in 2021 initially under separate ownership groups with both being affiliated with the Guelph Soccer Club In January 2023 the club s merged under the same ownership group with Guelph United acquiring the Union in a move to optimize operations and strengthen ties with the community 3 4 After continuing to play under the Union name for the 2023 season the women s team rebranded to Guelph United ahead of 2024 5 Men edit nbsp University of Guelph Gryphons and Guelph SCGuelph United F C was founded in 2020 by Keith Mason Benny Mezezi and Ami Mezezi 6 in partnership with the University of Guelph Gryphons the Guelph Soccer Club and the City of Guelph 7 with the goal of bringing semi professional soccer to the community 8 Guelph Gryphons head and assistant coaches Keith Mason and Justin Springer were announced as the team s associate coaches 9 The team is expected to be primarily composed of University of Guelph players supplemented by local players 10 The club joined League1 Ontario for the 2021 season and will also field a team in the reserve division 10 Ahead of their debut they made headlines signing former Canadian Premier League player Jace Kotsopoulos as the team s first ever player 11 12 They made their debut on July 30 2021 defeating FC London by a score of 6 0 13 14 In their first season they came in first place in the West Division advancing to the playoffs with their team featuring three of the top four regular season goal scoring leaders 15 16 In the playoffs they won the League1 Ontario title after defeating Blue Devils FC 3 1 in the finals qualifying them for the 2022 Canadian Championship 17 They were defeated in the first round of the Canadian Championship by professional club HFX Wanderers FC of the Canadian Premier League 2 0 18 19 20 Women edit nbsp Guelph Union logoGuelph Union was founded by the Guelph Soccer Club 21 to join the League1 Ontario women s division for the 2021 season 22 23 They became the city s first ever women s semi professional sports team 24 The women s team initially existed as a separate entity from the men s team 25 although they merged into one entity while retaining the Union name for the women s team for 2023 before switching to United in 2024 in January 2023 26 as the women s team was potentially going to leave the city as they would not be returning under the Guelph SC banner 27 Prior to this the Guelph Soccer Club had fielded four teams in the Ontario Women s Soccer League 28 They made their debut in the 2021 Summer Championship season on July 22 2021 defeating Darby FC 1 0 29 The club partnered with the Children s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington as their charitable partner donating fifty percent of the revenue from their ticket sales to the organization 30 31 In their debut season they participated in the short season Summer Championship division finishing with a perfect 6 0 record to win the division 32 In 2022 they began playing in the main division after opting to play in the short season division in 2021 due to the COVID 19 pandemic winning their debut match 1 0 over Darby FC 33 They finished their inaugural season in the main division in 13th place 34 Players and staff editCoaching staff edit as of March 30 2021 35 Name Position nbsp Keith Mason General Manager nbsp Justin Springer Men s Head coach nbsp Don Ferguson Men s Goalkeeper coachCurrent squad edit As of February 2 2024 36 Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player1 GK nbsp CAN Carter Robart2 MF nbsp CAN Anthony Ostrun3 DF nbsp CAN Colin Gander5 MF nbsp ENG Harvey Marchant6 DF nbsp CAN Marko Maletic7 MF nbsp CAN Parmpreet Johal8 MF nbsp CAN Youssef Zaghloul9 FW nbsp CAN Jared Agyemang10 MF nbsp CAN Jack Sears11 FW nbsp CAN Leo Shrimpton12 FW nbsp CAN Milan Beader No Pos Nation Player13 MF nbsp CAN John Greenhough14 DF nbsp CAN Cole Fernandez15 MF nbsp GRE Dion Stergiotis17 FW nbsp CAN Damian Truong18 MF nbsp CAN Arman Moghadsi19 MF nbsp CAN Cedric Macnay20 GK nbsp CAN Daniel Clarke21 MF nbsp CAN Gray Yates MF nbsp CAN Jacob Cabral MF nbsp CAN Noah MacIntyre DF nbsp CAN Luke GreenSeasons editMen s team edit Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs Ref2021 League1 Ontario 15 10 0 2 1st West 2nd overall Champions 37 2022 22 13 3 5 7th did not qualify2023 21 11 6 3 6th Quarter finalsWomen s team edit Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs Ref2021 League1 Ontario Summer Championship 7 6 0 0 Champions 38 2022 League1 Ontario 20 7 9 3 13th did not qualify2023 19 7 3 8 12th did not qualifyNotable former players editThe following players have either played at the professional or international level either before or after playing for the League1 Ontario team Men edit nbsp Zachary Ellis Hayden nbsp nbsp Nicolas Galvis nbsp Colin Gander nbsp Jace Kotsopoulos nbsp Marko Maletic nbsp Tomasz Skublak nbsp Justin Springer nbsp Camilo Vasconcelos nbsp Marcel Zajac Women edit nbsp Justine Rodrigues nbsp Cloey UddenbergExternal links editGuelph United F C men website Guelph Union women websiteReferences edit New Semi Pro Soccer Franchises Coming to Guelph in 2021 University of Guelph February 4 2021 guelphunitedfc March 18 2023 Welcome Home Guelph United is excited to announce the new home of the club After two years at Alumni Stadium the club has decided to change the venue to Centennial Bowl found in Centennial park Tweet via Twitter Guelph United complete takeover of Guelph Union League1 Ontario January 10 2023 Jacques John January 10 2023 Guelph s League1 Ontario Clubs Have Merged Northern Tribune Guelph Union officially rebrands as Guelph United FC Guelph United F C Retrieved December 22 2023 Our Story Guelph United F C League1 Ontario adds four men s teams for 2021 League1 Ontario January 28 2021 New soccer team revealed for Guelph Guelph Mercury Tribune January 28 2021 Jacques John January 28 2021 League1 Ontario Adds Four New Teams Northern Tribune a b Massey Rob January 29 2021 Top level men s soccer returns to town in the form of Guelph United FC Guelph Today guelphunitedfc March 13 2021 1 2 We are excited to announce a big moment in the history of our club our inaugural signing We are proud and honoured to welcome Jace Kotsopoulos Jace s goal scoring record is well documented but his leadership qualities will also be a huge asset in the dressing room and Tweet via Twitter Reid Brady April 19 2021 A family club Strong sense of community spelling early success for Guelph United League1 Ontario Game on Guelph United Union kick off inaugural soccer seasons Guelph Mercury August 7 2021 A Bluffer s Guide to Guelph United League1 Ontario November 24 2022 Guelph United wraps up first place Guelph Today October 25 2021 Hodges Mike October 29 2021 Guelph United F C hosts first playoff game this weekend Global News Cheng Jonathan November 7 2021 Guelph United downs Blue Devils 3 1 to win 2021 L1O Men s title qualify for CanChamp League1 Ontario O Connor Clarke Charlie May 9 2022 A Hollywood script Guelph United s meteoric rise in L1O ahead of CanChamp clash vs HFX Wanderers Canadian Premier League Massey Rob May 9 2022 David meets Goliath Tuesday as Guelph United FC plays its biggest game ever Guelph Today Massey Rob May 11 2022 Underdog Guelph United gives the effort but can t get the result Guelph Today Bekavac Ned February 5 2021 Guelph soccer squad named to elite provincial league Guelph Mercury Tribune League1 Ontario adds three women s teams for 2021 League1 Ontario February 3 2021 Guelph Union to Join as new team in Women s League1 Ontario Guelph Soccer Club February 3 2021 Guelph Union the city s first semi pro women s sports team Guelph Today May 17 2021 Reid Brady May 13 2021 Guelph Union bringing new opportunity to the city on and off the pitch League1 Ontario Guelph United brings women s Guelph Union into the fold Guelph Today January 12 2023 Massey Rob February 9 2023 Guelph s top soccer squads become United Guelph Today Massey Rob February 3 2021 New Guelph Union to provide top flight women s soccer Guelph Today Hodges Mike August 6 2021 Guelph Union looking forward to home opener Global News Game on Guelph United Union kick off inaugural soccer seasons Guelph Mercury Tribune August 7 2021 Guelph Union hosts first ever League 1 Ontario Home Game Guelph Today August 6 2021 Guelph Union 2021 Season League1 Ontario Massey Rob April 25 2022 Guelph Union looking for big season on provincial women s soccer scene Guelph Today A Bluffer s Guide to Guelph Union League1 Ontario November 10 2022 Our coaches have experience coaching and playing at the highest levels in Canada Guelph United F C Guelph United League 1 Ontario League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men s Division Canadian Soccer History Archives League1 Ontario Historical Standings Women s Division Canadian Soccer History Archives Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Guelph United F C amp oldid 1202428230, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
