ECFC Announces New Men's Head Coach After First Day of Training Camp

After the Electric City Football Club (ECFC) had its first day of training camp at Fleming College for the men’s team, they introduced Jamie Sherwood as their head coach announced on Monday.

Jamie Sherwood, ECFC men’s head coach (left), Neil Morton, ECFC co-founder/co-owner (middle) and Jordan Brown, ECFC striker sharing a moment after training camp. Sherwood was brought from Wales to Peterborough over the weekend. Photo by Luke Best.

“After an extensive search, we believe that Jamie is the right person to lead this project forward,” said Rob Jenkins, ECFC President, “He has had success in Europe at a very high level in both the men’s and women’s game which was very important to us and he bought into what we are trying to do with this project right away.”

Sherwood holds his UEFA A License and spent six years coaching at Cardiff City FC on two separate occasions from 2003-2005 and 2012-2014.

He was an Academy coach on the Men’s side and head coach of Cardiff City Ladies He led Sherwood led the team to a Welsh Cup Title, English Premier League Runners Up, Premier League Cup Finalists, and a FA Cup Quarter Final.

Following his time with Cardiff City LFC, he joined Yeovil Town LFC as the Head Coach where he stayed from 2014 – 2018. He was recognized as FA Womens Super League 2 Club of the Year award twice for his excellence on and off the pitch.

In 2016 he also led Yeovil Town LFC to the league title which saw them gain promotion to the FA Women’s Super League where they played the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. Sherwood won the 2016 Somerset Sports Coach of the Year award thanks to his achievements with Yeovil Town LFC.

“Not many managers, players or supporters get the chance to build a club from its inception and this project gives that opportunity,” said Sherwood. “To be integral to the shaping of a culture, environment and game model is a huge reason why I have been drawn to Electric City FC. Creating an elite environment that allows players to flourish and to produce performances that will bring the community together is such an exciting proposition.”

Sherwood has also spent time at and had success at a number of other clubs in Europe including Taffs Well FC, Barry Town United AFC, and Bridgewater United. He was also part of the Men’s Technical Staff with the Welsh FA from 2003 - 2010 which has developed global talents like Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. Sherwood was the Head of Football at Cardiff and Vale College as his most recent tenure.

Electric City FC Men’s team officially began training camp today in preparation for their highly anticipated season opener away to reigning champions Guelph United on April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.

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Peterborough Petes Mourn Loss of Captain Shawn Spearing's Father

Shawn Spearing Sr., father of the Peterborough Petes captain Shawn Spearing Jr. has passed away according to a team’s press release issued Saturday.

(from left to right) Mother Helen, sister Amanda, Shawn, sister Jessica, and Shawn Spearing Sr. at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Shawn Sr. passed away at 56 earlier this week. He was the husband of Helen and father of Amanda, Jessica and Shawn.

The Petes have issued the following statement regarding Spearing Sr.’s passing.

“The Peterborough Petes express our sincerest condolences to Shawn and the entire Spearing family. The team will wear commemorative helmet decals in Shawn Spearing Sr.’s honour starting next week.“

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

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Local Third-Generation Lacrosse Player Scores First Career National Lacrosse League Goal

It will be a night that Peterborough’s Mitch Ogilvie will never forget as he scored his first career National Lacrosse League (NLL) goal for the Rochester Knights on Friday night.

Mitch Ogilvie will NEVER forget this one 👏

His first-ever NLL goal is a transition beauty. pic.twitter.com/U7SVm8X1wK

— NLL (@NLL) April 1, 2022

The 22-year old defenseman scored the opening goal of the game against the Halifax Thunderbirds at 10:35 as the only score of the first quarter. The goal was also his first point of the season in his fifth career game.

He received a pass from teammate Dan Coates — with a secondary assist from defenseman Matthew Bennett — in transition to score a breakaway goal against the 2019 President’s Cup MVP goaltender Warren Hill.

Ogilvie was the 54th overall pick for the Rochester Knighthawks in the 2020 NLL Entry Draft.

Andy Ogilvie, his uncle, was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2014. He spent nine seasons in the NLL with the Buffalo Bandits, Vancouver Ravens and Calgary Roughnecks.

His cousin Mack O’Brien played for the now-defunct NLL’s Chicago Shamrox. Another uncle, Bruce Ogilvie played for the junior and senior Peterborough Lakers. His grandfather Bill Ogilvie has been president of the Jr. A Lakers.

The Thunderbirds defeated the Knighthawks 11-7.

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Electric City Football Club Will Play Inaugural Season At Fleming College Sports Complex

Electric City Football Club (ECFC) has formed a partnership with Fleming College to utilize the Fleming College Sports Complex as their home stadium for the 2022 Men’s and Women’s League1 Ontario Season.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

The partnership will see both Fleming College Athletics and ECFC promote Fleming Knights Soccer, Fleming College, and the community of Peterborough as a must-visit destination for Canadian soccer fans from May to August.

“We are excited to play our inaugural season at Fleming College, overlooking the rolling hills of Peterborough County, on the beautiful campus of Fleming and home to the Fleming Knights,” ECFC President Rob Jenkins said. “We are thankful for the staff at Fleming College who have been great to work with and have been very accommodating in meeting our needs. We are excited to have them on board as a long-term partner as they have committed their support for the club for years to come.”

The facility will be transformed for the season and will include local food vendors, music, a kids zone, beer gardens, supporters area, family zone, and a VIP area along with 90 minutes of exciting professional soccer.

The capacity of the stadium is being temporarily increased to 2,000 for the season with the hopes that the community will come out and support Peterborough’s newest sports franchise.

Photo courtesy of ECFC.

“It is an honour for Fleming to be selected as the home stadium for the 2022 Men’s and Women’s League1 Ontario Season,” said Fleming College President Maureen Adamson. “As a community partner and public asset, we look forward to welcoming athletes to our beautiful campus and strengthening our partnership with ECFC.”

ECFC kicks off their League1 Ontario home schedule at Fleming College, May 7 as the Men’s side hosts Windsor TFC. A week later, ECFC Women’s side will host Blue Devils FC on May 14.

Season Tickets are available starting Monday to those who purchased Season Ticket Deposits and March 30 to the public at 11 a.m. Single game tickets will be available to the public starting April 19. ECFC kicks off its inaugural season on April 21 in Guelph versus the defending L1O Champions and on April 23 for the Women when they travel to take on Alliance United.

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Hometown PTBO: Patrick O'Connor On Moving to Peterborough, Boxing Training and the Peterborough Petes

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with Peterborough Petes assistant coach Patrick O'Connor about immigrating to Canada from England, his passion for boxing and his role with the team.

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Trent University Student-Athletes Honoured in Return to Athletics Awards Banquet

Trent University celebrated its return to athletics with the 53rd annual Athletics Awards held at the Trent Athletics Centre on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of Trent University.

“Coming together in-person for the 53rd Trent Excalibur Awards gives us an opportunity to celebrate the return to sport this year, highlight the accomplishments of our varsity student-athletes and coaches and recognize all their hard work in representing the Trent Excalibur,” said Dr. Leo Groarke, Trent president and vice-chancellor.

Varsity student-athletes Victoria Clark (women’s lacrosse) and Alex Zajac (men’s rugby) were awarded the Arthur Cup, the University’s most prestigious award for students who demonstrated outstanding contribution, sportsmanship, participation and leadership in athletics programs according to Trent.

Clark spent four seasons with the Trent Excalibur lacrosse team. The Biomedical Science student was a member of two-time OUA champion women’s lacrosse teams in 2019 and 2021 and earned a bronze medal in 2018. She has been named Rookie of the Year, a recipient of two OUA All-Star awards and served as team captain in her final two seasons.

Zajac was named captain in the final year of his rugby tenure. He was the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2018 and played a key role in the men’s 2019 OUA Bronze medal game.

“This year, Trent Athletics has seen the continued dedication, resilience, and unity of the One Excalibur student-athletes, coaches, and staff,” said Deborah Bright-Brundle, Trent Athletics and Recreation director. “We are celebrating not only the award recipients and achievements from this past season but we also commemorate the perseverance and growth of the One Excalibur family through this past season.”

Brooke Driscoll of varsity women’s volleyball was awarded the Gary Wolff Leadership award, presented each year to a student-athlete who has demonstrated determination and leadership through balancing sport, community involvement and academic performance.

Driscoll was on the women’s volleyball team for the past five seasons, serving as the co-captain during the 2021-22 season. Brooke’s commitment to the sport was recognized by the OUA this past season, presented with the Award of Merit.

The archaeology student was also awarded the Academic All-Canadian Award in each of their years at Trent and now working on their Masters.

Women’s Rugby student-athlete, Alexa Vanderhorst received the Community Betterment Award. During her four years with the Excalibur, Vanderhorst was the community liaison for Trent Rugby in 2021, Trent Rugby’s fast and female ambassador in 2019, a volunteer firefighter with Asphodel-Norwood Fire Department and a member of Trent University Durham’s PLCW Care Student group (helping those who are less fortunate through food and clothing drives).

She was also named the OUA Russel Division All-Star this season. As a student-athlete, she uses her platform and knowledge of sport to continue to help younger athletes as a volunteer figure skating coach and wrestling coach.

There were 119 Trent Excalibur student-athletes were acknowledged for achieving academic honours by maintaining an 80 per cent or higher average while playing in their respective varsity sport.

The following student-athletes were honoured with the University Athletic Award, presented to students who have demonstrated a significant contribution to the varsity and campus recreation programs:

• Amanda MacCarthy (Women’s Rugby)

• Caleigh McMillan (Women’s Rugby)

• Genna Saunders (Women’s Volleyball)

• Taylor Bryan (Rowing)

• Rosalyn Shepherd (Rowing)

• Sofia Cutulle (Rowing)

• Gabrielle Gillet (Fencing)

• Jacob McPhee (Men’s Soccer)

• Curtis Romanchych (Men’s Lacrosse)

• Emily VanDamme (Women’s Lacrosse)

• Violet Hipkin (Women’s Soccer)

The following varsity student-athletes were also honoured for outstanding commitment and dedication to their respective sports:

Rowing

• Rosalyn Shepherd (Chris Leach Award)

• Tim Leubke & Sofia Cutulle (Rob DeJong Award)

• Michael Caryk (Rob Maryland Award)

Men’s Curling

• Enrique Ascaso (Rookie of the Year)

• Matthew Mayede (Coach’s Award)

• Evan Roitz (Most Valuable Player)

Women’s Curling

• Leslie Inglis (Rookie of the Year)

• Paige Ballantyne (Coach’s Award)

• Brooke Ramsay (Most Valuable Player)

Men’s Lacrosse

• Jack MacAlpine (Rookie of the Year)

• Mac Rahn (Coach’s Award)

• Curtis Romanchych (Most Valuable Player)

Women’s Lacrosse 

• Natalie Fournier (Rookie of the Year)

• Cassidy Assinck (Coach’s Award)

• Emily VanDamme (Most Valuable Player)

Men’s Rugby

• Caleb Hickey (Rookie of the Year)

• Grayson Tucker (Coach’s Award)

• Will Hoffmann (Most Valuable Player)

Women’s Rugby

• Maddie Reid (Rookie of the Year)

• Jess Malcolm & Amanda MacCarthy (Coach’s Award)

• Caleigh McMillan & Lily Stewart (Most Valuable Player)

Men’s Soccer

• Ainsley Bryan (Rookie of the Year)

• Jacob McPhee (Coach’s Award)

• Boluwatife Oluwaseyi (Most Valuable Player)

Women’s Soccer

• Madison Walter (Rookie of the Year)

• Violet Hipkin & Eilidh Major (Coach’s Award)

• Alexis Wilson & Alyssa Nikkel (Most Valuable Player)

Men’s Volleyball

• Nic Badalato (Rookie of the Year)

• Bryson Meadus (Coach’s Award)

• Ryan Austin (Most Valuable Player)

Women’s Volleyball

• Taya Knier (Rookie of the Year)

• Brooke Driscoll (Coach’s Award)

• Genna Saunders (Most Valuable Player)

Men’s Cross Country

• Owen May (Rookie of the Year)

• Eric Samtleben (Coach’s Award)

• Nathan O’Keeffe (Most Valuable Player)

Women’s Cross Country

• Amberle MacDonald (Rookie of the Year)

• Madison Hammel (Coach’s Award)

• Jaime Bullas (Most Valuable Player)

Fencing

• Sydney Lutz (Rookie of the Year)

• Gabriel Gillett (Coach’s Award)

• Bradley Jung (Most Valuable Player) 

Golf 

• Karsen Gunter (Rookie of the Year)

• Mark Clarey (Coach’s Award)

• Joshua Staleri (Most Valuable Player)

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Electric City Football Club Continues To Add to Inaugural Roster

Electric City Football Club’s (ECFC) roster is gradually becoming full as they signed St. Francis Xavier and U Sports All-Rookie Brynn Jurus and former Canadian Premier League defender Luke Green announced Wednesday.

Brynn Jurus (left) and Luke Green (right) become the 11th players for each team to be signed to ECFC. Photo courtesy of ECFC.

Green, is a 19-year-old defender from Fall River, N.S. who played for Halifax Wanderers FC in the Canadian Premier League in 2020. Halifax made the CPL Finals that season during the Island Games in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Green was at the Wanderers 2022 training camp this past March, before joining ECFC.

“Luke is a player that is right on the edge of making that jump to the CPL level,” said Rob Jenkins, ECFC President. “He is a young player who has experience at the next level through his time with the Halifax Wanderers and we think we can provide him with the proper environment here at ECFC to help him prepare for when that next opportunity inevitably comes.”

Green played for USL League Two side Calgary Foothills FC during the summer of 2021, then played at St. Francis Xavier University Men’s Soccer program last fall, where he started 11 games and helped led the X-Men to the semifinals of the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) championship.

“He is a strong, technical centre back that is really comfortable on the ball and playing with both feet. He is great in aerial duels and a fantastic 1v1 defender. Luke is a perfect example of the type of player we want at our club; ambitious, passionate, and hungry to succeed,” noted Jenkins.

“Now that it’s official, I couldn’t be more blessed and thankful to wear the club’s colours. I can’t wait to get to work and live in such an exciting place such as Peterborough,” said Green. “It’s a challenge I’ll embrace and certainly take full advantage of playing in front of all the Electric City FC supporters.”

The Women’s team has added another young exciting attacking player in Brynn Jurus, a 19-year-old forward from Ancaster, Ont. who joins ECFC from St. Francis Xavier University.

“What really drew me to Electric City FC is the competitive environment that it offers. Not only will I be playing in a league against some of the best players in Ontario but I will be playing on a team filled with incredible players that will push me to be better every day,” Jurus said. “On top of this, ECFC is part of an extraordinary community that shows so much support for the club. I am very excited to be part of something so unique.”

During her rookie season at St. FX, Jurus started all 12 regular season games, scored 3 goals and added 2 assists. Jurus helped lead the X-Women to an AUS Championship Final and was named a U Sports All-Rookie due to her incredible first season.

“Brynn is coming off a strong rookie season at St. Francis Xavier University, where she was selected to the U Sports All-Rookie Team. She is an attacking player that has the versatility to play in both a wide or central position.” said Randy Ribeiro, ECFC head coach.

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City of Peterborough Discourages Use of Wet Sports Fields

With the snow melting and warmer weather approaching, the City of Peterborough has asked users to stay off natural sports fields until further notice announced Tuesday.

A soccer field in Beavermead Park. Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

Several sports fields are extremely wet as reported by the City.

Using the wet fields can cause damage to it and its users. If fields require repairs, their opening could be delayed this season or they may have to be taken out of play while work is completed.

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Peterborough & District Soccer Referees Association In Need Of Match Officials For The Season

The Peterborough & District Soccer Referees Association is facilitating a virtual community info session via Zoom for anyone in the community interested in becoming a match official, on April 6 at 7 p.m.

U-17 BOYS COMPETITIVE SOCCER EXHIBITION TOURNAMENT AT TRENT U APRIL 2019: BETH (MIDDLE) WITH HER ASSISTANT REFEREES LIAM WILLISTON AND JAMES MONTAGUE. (PHOTO BY PETERBOROUGH AREA DISTRICT REFEREE COORDINATOR, MICHAEL SMITH.)

This session is being held in hopes to address the the local match official shortage.

“Locally, we are at a crisis point, especially when it comes to recruitment of older youth and adults that can be eligible to officiate competitive matches,” said Beth McLelland, vice president of Peterborough & District Referees Association.

She notes that in 2019 Ontario Soccer registered over 9,000 Match Officials, while in 2021 they registered less than 3,500

The session will share what refereeing opportunities exist in Peterborough and surrounding area, the benefits of refereeing, and how to become a match official.

Anyone is welcome to attend the information session. There will be time at the end to ask questions.

To register for the session click here. Questions can be directed to ptbo.district.soccer.refs@gmail.com.

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Electric City Football Club Signs 100-Goal Scorer and Top Mildfielder to Men's and Women's Team

A prolific 100-goal scorer has joined the Electric City Football Club (ECFC) as they signed Jordan Webb and NCAA 3-Time All-MAC Winner Simone Chiodo on Monday.

Former Singapore Premier League 100-goal scorer and Canadian Premier League winger Jordan Webb. Photo courtesy of ECFC.

Webb, 33, is a winger from Pickering who comes back to Canada after a storied professional career in Asia in the Singapore Premier League.

In his 10-year professional career in the Singapore top flight, Webb smashed home 101 goals and added 28 assists (including 11 goals in 16 matches in the 2019-20 season).

“Jordan is a player that brings a lot of professional experience into our team this season,” said Rob Jenkins, ECFC president. ”Jordan is lightning quick and his change of pace makes it very difficult for defenders to deal with.”

He first signed in Singapore for Hougang United, where he played 88 times. In 248 total career appearances at the professional level in Singapore, Webb has played for five different clubs — most recently Tampines Rovers, one of the largest clubs in the country.

He has won the Singapore Cup twice, in 2013 with Lion City Sailors and again in 2019 with Tampines. Webb also has significant experience in the AFC Cup, having played continental games against clubs from across Asia.

“It’s an honour to be part of a great organization, who is trying to create something big for the city of Peterborough,” Webb said. “I’m super excited to be part of this club because ECFC is trying to build something from ground up and they also are super involved with the community and all about the fans.”

In 2021, Webb signed a professional contract with Canadian Premier League side Atletico Ottawa, before parting ways with the club due to personal reasons.  At the time of the signing, Atlético Ottawa CEO Fernando Lopez called Webb a ‘special, experienced and renowned player’ with an innate ability to create chances and score goals.

Chiodo, 22, from Oshawa, ON was a midfielder at Eastern Michigan University in the NCAA.

At EMU in 2021, Chiodo was Academic All-Mid American Conference (MAC) selection. She played in 12 matches for the Eagles and logged 421 minutes on the pitch.

In the 2020-21 season, she made seven appearances for the Green and White and was named an Academic All-MAC selection.

“Simone is a player that brings experience from the NCAA level into our team. She also has previous experience playing in League1 Ontario,” Randy Ribeiro, ECFC head coach. “Simone is a technical midfielder that is really comfortable on the ball. She is excellent in build-up with her ability to change the point of attack and has a high work rate on the defensive side of the ball.”

Photo courtesy of ECFC.

In 2019, Chiodo appeared in 17 matches for the Eagles. She played her first complete game on Nov. 3 at Ball State, where she logged all 90 minutes in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals and named Academic All-MAC.

In her freshmen season in 2018, she appeared in seven matches for Eastern and played 122 total minutes.

Chiodo went to high school at Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic High School in Oshawa, where she was a four-year-letter winner for the Saints soccer team, named team MVP, while also leading her team to a LOSSA Championship as a senior.

“What pulled me to Electric City FC was the environment they are creating for their players and the community surrounding it. I’m very excited to be coming back home to Canada to play the game for an exciting new franchise,” said Chiodo.

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