The Borough Football Club is a Canadian soccer club based in Scarborough, Ontario that competes in the men's division of League2 Ontario. The club was founded by youth club Dutch Connections FC.
 | |
| Full name | The Borough Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011/2023 |
| Stadium | Birchmount Stadium |
| Capacity | 2,000 |
| Owner | Dutch Connections FC |
| Head coach | Andrew Ornoch |
| League | League2 Ontario |
| 2024 | L2O, 6th |
| Website | https://www.theboroughfc.com/ |
History
edit
In 2011, Dutch Connections FC was founded as a youth soccer club by former Canadian national team player Andrew Ornoch and former Dutch player Jörg van Nieuwenhuijzen, who were previously teammates at Dutch club Heracles Almelo.[1][2] The club has been successful at youth level, winning the 2021 U13 and 2023 U15 Ontario Cup titles.[3][4] The club has organized several camps with Dutch club Feyenoord's academy.[5][6]
In October 2023, it was announced that they would field a senior men's team in League2 Ontario as an expansion side, as well as fielding a team in the reserve division, with the longer-term ambition of creating an L1O women's team.[7][8] Rob Jenkins, who was previously the Manager of Football Operations for Cavalry FC in the Canadian Premier League between 2018 and 2020 and President of L1O's Electric City FC in the following two years, joined the club as a partner ahead of their League1 Ontario expansion bid.[7] The club wants the team to be more of a community team, rather than just an extension of the youth club team, and decided that they would unveil a new name that the team would operate under rather than the Dutch Connections name.[9] In February 2024, they announced the club would be known as The Borough FC.[10][11] The club also unveiled their crest which honours its local roots through the inclusion of elements evoking the iconic Scarborough Bluffs, the waters of Lake Ontario, and the Scarborough coat of arms.[12] The club's inaugural match occurred on April 20, 2024, where they defeated League1 Ontario Championship side Pickering FC in a league cup match.[13]
Seasons
edit| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | League2 Ontario Central Conference |
8 | 4–3–7 | 6th | – | Round of 16 |
References
edit- ^ "Our Story". Dutch Connections FC.
- ^ "Andrew Ornoch brings Dutch style soccer home to Scarborough". Scarborough Mirror. June 29, 2012.
- ^ "Dutch Connections Toronto win U-13 Boys Ontario Cup in high-scoring affair". Ontario Soccer Association. September 14, 2021.
- ^ "Dutch Connections Win Tight MilkUP Ontario Cup Final in Penalty Shootout". Ontario Soccer Association. September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Sharing the Feyenoord methodology with over 250 players in Canada". Feyenoord. July 25, 2022.
- ^ "Inspiring trip for Dutch Connections FC to the Feyenoord Academy". Feyenoord. June 9, 2023.
- ^ a b "Dutch Connections acquire League2 license". League1 Ontario. October 10, 2023.
- ^ Mahmoudi, Nelson (October 11, 2023). "League2 Ontario Gets Dutch Touch With New Club". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Davies, Mike (January 11, 2024). "Peterborough could still be a good professional soccer community says former Electric City FC pres". The Peterborough Examiner.
- ^ "Dutch Connections announce The Borough Football Club". League1 Ontario. February 5, 2024.
- ^ Mahmoudi, Nelson (February 5, 2024). "Dutch Connections Rebrands As 'The Borough FC' For 2024". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Nightingale, Tom (February 5, 2024). "Toronto talent hotbed Scarborough gets League1 Ontario club for 2024". Canadian Soccer Daily.
- ^ "Weekly rewind: L1 Cup". League1 Ontario. April 23, 2024.