League1 Ontario Welcomes Electric City Football Club to Men’s Premier Divisions for 2022

Peterborough officially has a professional soccer team as the Electric City Football Club (ECFC) has been welcomed in the League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division for the 2022 season, the ninth campaign for the Provincial Division III league announced on Wednesday.

The team was announced on Aug. 9 at the Silver Bean Café. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

ECFC joins League1 Ontario by virtue of acquiring the license previously held by Toronto Skillz FC, who joined L1O in 2016.

“Welcoming an organization like Electric City FC, that is laser-focused on bringing both elite amateur and professional football to their community, is an exciting addition to our league,” said Dino Rossi, League1 Ontario executive chairman. “We are so pleased to see the support that the community of Peterborough has shown already for this club and we look forward to supporting ECFC's efforts to create a pathway to professional soccer for aspiring players in the Kawartha region.”

Driven by local passion and strong community support, this group has been focused on bringing a soccer team to Peterborough over the past number of years.

During this time, ECFC was able to build a strong foundation for the club and put together an amazing local ownership group and management team that is committed to working with the community to build a world-class professional soccer club that the people of Peterborough can be proud of. This hard work finally came to fruition on Aug. 9 when Electric City Football Club was formally announced.

Supported by the Club’s local ownership group, consisting of Neil Morton, Kyle McDonald, Burton Lee, Mo Von Roeder, Beth McClelland, Jon Gillan, Richard Wood, Alex Bridal, Siam Grobler, Alvaro de la Guardia, Paul Bennett, Keaton Robbins, Rob Jenkins and Gregory Couch,

ECFC President Rob Jenkins brings a wealth of experience to the organization, having played a critical role in the launching of two of the most successful soccer clubs in Canada, Cavalry FC (CPL) and Foothills FC (USL2).

“We are extremely excited to officially be part of League1 Ontario and to begin on-field preparations for the 2022 season,” said Jenkins. “This League has seen many players go on to professional careers at the next level and represent their country with the Canadian Men’s and Women’s National teams, and we hope to continue that tradition in Peterborough.”

The ECFC logo launch party was on Aug. 13 at the Spa Euphoria rooftop. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The name Electric City is a reference to the region’s beginnings dating back to the late 1800s when the rivers provided the electric energy, sparking an industrial revolution and attracted companies like General Electric and Quaker to the city, forming the foundation of what Peterborough is today. The team colours of yellow and black represent the hard-working people of the community while also inspiring growth and ambition for future generations.

“This city is primed for something like this and the support we have received from all corners of the community has been overwhelming,” Jenkins continued. “This region and its people deserve the opportunity to showcase itself to not only the rest of Ontario, but to the rest of Canada and the World, and what better way to do so than through the beautiful game.”

The club is working in partnership with Hybrid Sports on a 74 Acre Sports Complex on the edge of Peterborough where they are building a world-class multi-sport training facility including a full-size indoor pitch and an exclusive ECFC soccer stadium, with brand new grass pitch, that the Club will call home.

The full stadium is being built in stages over the next 3 years, with the grass pitch being ready for the team in the spring along with temporary seating and structures for 2022.

“We are building a professional club in Peterborough with the intention of competing at the highest level of the game in Canada in both the Men’s and Women’s game and everything we do is with that in mind,” said Jenkins. “We may be a small market but we have big ambitions.”

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