Winnipeg Fury Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Anyone have any idea which are the oldest continually running clubs in Canada ? I see United Weston of Winnipeg are celebrating their 100th anniversary: http://www.unitedweston.com/ United Weston F.C. Team History In 1909, two neighbourhood soccer teams, United and Weston, amalgamated to form United Weston Football Club. Ninety-nine years and two World Wars later, the Club is as strong as ever, and believed to be the longest existing amateur soccer team in all of Canada. The biggest accomplishments in United Weston’s history are the two Dominion Cup National Championships in 1924 and 1926, and the domination of the local Cup scene between 1922 and 1940, representing Manitoba on 11 occasions. After the war, the Club played in the Winnipeg and District League with most of the players being from the Weston area. These fellows carried the Weston colours through the late 40’s and early 50’s. Around 1954, the influx of British and European players changed the complexion of the game, with United Weston once again becoming a local power. In the late 50’s, professional clubs from Britain, including Tottenham Hotspur and Scottish Champions Hearts, toured Canada making stops in Winnipeg to play a Manitoba all-star squad. This gave United Weston players a chance to show their stuff against some of the world’s best players. The Club also has the distinction of being the first team to have traveled abroad to play against Bermuda in the post war years. During the 50’s and 60’s, when the Winnipeg soccer scene was at its most competitive, Vince Leah contributed to and supported United Weston through his articles in the Winnipeg Tribune and Winnipeg Free Press. Many of his articles gave notoriety to the Club and let Winnipeggers know about United Weston’s unique history and the fact that this was the oldest club in Canada. United Weston continued through the 70’s as a provincial power, but were unable to capture a title. Later through the 80’s, the team suffered some of their leaner times, dropping down to lower divisions. During this time, the spirit of years gone by was continued by the loyalty of players and executive who always seemed to find a way to keep the team going. In the late 80’s and early 90’s, the team had a long run in the 1st Division. Since then the team has fought its way back to Manitoba’s Premier Division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 I think the Calgary Callies are the oldest, they began in 1904: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/ifraser/ccfc/photos/1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finchster Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Victoria United I believe was founded in 1904 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyr Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Vic West (also of Victoria) was established in 1896. http://www.vicwestsoccer.com/history/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bates Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 St Lawrence laurentians in NL are mainstays at the Cdn Nationals and were formed in 1904. The town has a population of less than 1000 and regularly has 500 fans at home games. Provincial finals have 2000 most years that the Laurentians are playing. In 2002 the Laurentians lost the National Challenge Cup to Manitoba(sorry forget team name) There were about 10,000 at the game in St. John's!!!! http://www.laurentianshomepage.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted August 4, 2009 Author Share Posted August 4, 2009 Fantastic history to all these clubs. There must be some clubs from Ontario and Quebec with some history............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 The Marconi Club in London have been going since about 1900. Not sure if they have always had a soccer team though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibrox Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 fieldians in St. john's I am pretty sure are older than the Laurentians. 1889 or 1899 I think. (and yes, it started out as soccer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted August 4, 2009 Author Share Posted August 4, 2009 quote:Originally posted by ibrox fieldians in St. john's I am pretty sure are older than the Laurentians. 1889 or 1899 I think. (and yes, it started out as soccer) Link ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 quote:Originally posted by finchster Victoria United I believe was founded in 1904 They were founded then, but there are gaps as the club died and was reborn years later. Vic West (see above) is the oldest continuously operated club in this area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibrox Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Winnipeg Fury Link ? Don't have one, but there is a sign outside their ground that shows their centenerary. If ya want I'll take a picture of it and send it to you. Now that I think of it, they were founded in 1899. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Hamilton Thistle might be worth investigating as they go way back pre-WWII in soccer terms but sadly I think they may have ceased to exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 If anybody has conclusive evidence of the oldest and still extant club in Canada Colin Jose will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyr Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Richard If anybody has conclusive evidence of the oldest and still extant club in Canada Colin Jose will. Just received an email from Colin about this topic. He doesn't have a definitive list of oldest current running clubs and has never really had the time to look specifically into that question. The ones he knows about are the same ones already mentioned here... United Weston 1909, St. Lawrence 1902 and Vic West 1896. He mentions that the new chairman of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame, Les Jones, might be investigating this topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyr Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Sigma The people at Darlington Soccer Club (Bowmanville, Ontario) consider their club to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest in Canada (starting in the 1880's). http://newsdurhamregion.com/article/128686 Interesting... I know there was quite a vibrant network of community football clubs throughout Ontario in the late 1800s. It would be nice if the club itself provided some details about their history on their web site - http://www.darlingtonsoccerclub.ca/ ... and it seems they currently only offer youth soccer. If they have been operating for over one hundred years - and their history is consistent with every other club I've seen - they would have done so almost exclusively as a men's team. According to Colin Jose there was a club in the Windsor area trying to confirm whether they were the oldest continually operating club in Ontario... and they were only founded in the 1930s. So it would be good if there was some sort of documentation from Darlington to confirm their claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Windsor Caboto? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted August 7, 2009 Author Share Posted August 7, 2009 A bit off topic, but one of Winnipeg's classic old clubs from the 1950's, Germania, have just reformed after folding a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyr Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 quote:Originally posted by BringBackTheBlizzard Windsor Caboto? Colin said it was the Teutonia Club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trillium Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Clubs in the Glengarry Football Association date from the 1920s.. a lot of the history can be traced .. by the Sports Hall of Fame ... here is link to Kirk Hill Football Club : http://www.glengarrysports.com/cgi-win/sports.exe?LISTING=4095 history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trident Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 quote:Originally posted by ibrox Don't have one, but there is a sign outside their ground that shows their centenerary. If ya want I'll take a picture of it and send it to you. Now that I think of it, they were founded in 1899. Where's their field? Near the Arena? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibrox Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 I think so Trident, it's on Rennie's Mill/Portugal Cove Road, right next to the Riverdale Tennis Courts. Now, I just reaised, apparently fieldians were not in NL challenge cup back in 05 or 06? But they did have intermediate and masters teams in leagues. So does that still count? If not, then Holy Cross of St. John's wold be next up, they were established in 1890. Ibrox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 From a historical point of view it is cool that Canada has so many old clubs. Yet on the other hand it is a bit depressing to know that we had a lot of clubs around the time that many of the world's great clubs were formed yet none of them ever amounted to much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trident Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 quote:Originally posted by ibrox I think so Trident, it's on Rennie's Mill/Portugal Cove Road, right next to the Riverdale Tennis Courts. Now, I just reaised, apparently fieldians were not in NL challenge cup back in 05 or 06? But they did have intermediate and masters teams in leagues. So does that still count? If not, then Holy Cross of St. John's wold be next up, they were established in 1890. Ibrox Wow. I just realised I went stumbling past that. There was a tremendous amount of brush when I went through it last summer, I'm glad I wasnt wearing shorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjpotter Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 The Darlington Soccer Club should be truly considered one of the oldest soccer organizations in Canada. Games between the village teams of the Darlington and Clarke Townships are recorded in the local newspaper " The Canadian Statesman" dating back into the 1880's. The first recorded match occured on July 1, 1881, between the teams from the villages of Solina and Leskard. Teams of that era also included, Newcastle, Orono, Enfield, Tyrone, Enniskillen and Bowmanville. The Darlington Soccer Club promotes the game for children as young as three years of age up to adults in the Over - 40 age group. The Darlington Mens League is now considered the highest level of adult soccer played within Durham Region. I have in my collection a number of photos from the 1800's to the present time. One in particular is of the Tyrone Team dated 1886. On display in the Clarke Twp. Museum is a trophy dated 1901, presented to the Leskard FC, Champions of the Clarke Football Association. At the Bowmanville museum is a trophy awarded to the Bowmanville FC in 1905 for their winning of the Midland League Championship. Also at this location is another trophy with the inscription " Presented by the Mason Clothing Co, for Competition by Darlington Association Football League " 1908. In the Tyrone Community Hall is the photo and the trophy awarded to the Tyrone team, Champions of Darlington, 1915. In 2001, the Municipality of Clarington, officially celebrated 125 years of soccer in our community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjpotter Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Sigma The people at Darlington Soccer Club (Bowmanville, Ontario) consider their club to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest in Canada (starting in the 1880's). http://newsdurhamregion.com/article/128686 Splendid Parochialism: Countryside Soccer in a Time of Crisis in the Rural Ontario Township of Darlington 1862-2001 by William Humber Chair Centre for the Built Environment Seneca College 1750 Finch Ave. East Toronto, Canada M2J 2X5 Google the above to find a history of Soccer in Darlington Township. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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