2020 League1 Ontario season

The 2020 Men's League1 Ontario season was supposed to be the seventh season of play for League1 Ontario (L1O), a Division 3 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid and the highest level of soccer based in the Canadian province of Ontario.

This article is about the men's season. For the women's season, see 2020 Women's League1 Ontario season.
League1 Ontario
Men's Division
Season2020
DatesApril 24 – September 12
(planned)
← 2019
2021 →

For the first time this year, the league's entry in the 2021 Canadian Championship, the top national tournament for men's soccer teams, was to be determined by a "Champions Final", to be played between the regular season champions and the playoff champions.

On March 20, 2020, L1O postponed the start of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] On June 6, 2020, the league announced the cancellation of the "summer season" while also mentioning the possibility of returning in September 2020 for a shortened "fall season",[2] though this was later ruled out.[3]

Format

For the regular season, each team would have played every other team once for a total of 16 matches. The playoffs would have included the top eight teams, facing each other in a three-round, single leg tournament. The winner of the playoffs would face the winner of the regular season, in a single match named the "Champions Final", that was to determine League1 Ontario's entry in the 2021 Canadian Championship.[4] Due to the cancellation of the season, the 2021 Canadian Championship spot was given to the 2019 league champion, as the 2020 edition was modified to exclude the L1O participant.[5]

The season would have been shorter in duration than previous seasons. It was scheduled to start on April 24, a few weeks earlier than usual, and end with the Playoffs Final on September 5 and the Champions Final on September 12, to allow for University players to take part in the playoffs.[4]

Clubs

The men's division consisted of 17 teams, an increase from 16 teams in 2019. North Toronto Nitros returned from hiatus, joining Hamilton United as the new entries, while Ottawa South United moved to the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec.[6] Durham United FA re-branded as Pickering FC.

The following clubs were set to participate in the league prior to the season's cancellation.

TeamCityPrincipal stadium
Alliance United FCTorontoCentennial College
Aurora FCAuroraStewart Burnett Park
Darby FCWhitbyWhitby Soccer Centre
Hamilton UnitedHamiltonRon Joyce Stadium & Tim Hortons Field
FC LondonLondonGerman Canadian FC Stadium
Master's FutbolTorontoL'Amoreaux Park
North Mississauga SCMississaugaParamount Fine Foods Centre
North Toronto NitrosTorontoDownsview Turf 1
Oakville Blue DevilsOakvilleSheridan Trafalgar Stadium
Pickering FCPickeringPickering Soccer Centre & Kinsmen Park
ProStars FCBramptonVictoria Park Stadium
Sigma FCMississaugaParamount Fine Foods Centre
Toronto Skillz FCTorontoBirchmount Stadium
Unionville Milliken SCMarkhamAzzurri Village
Vaughan AzzurriVaughanNorth Maple Regional Park
Windsor TFCWindsorUniversity of Windsor Stadium
Woodbridge StrikersVaughanVaughan Grove

Reserve Division

After introducing the Reserve Division during the 2019 season, it was set to be expanded for the 2020 season. All of the clubs in L1O would be required to field a club in the division, while some other Ontario soccer clubs who did not have a team in the league were invited to field teams in the U21 Reserve division.[7]

NorthEastCentralSouthwest
Aurora FC Reserves AAlliance United ReservesMaster's FA Reserves BFC London Reserves
Darby FC Reserves AAurora FC Reserves BNorth Mississauga ReservesHamilton United Reserves
Oakville Blue Devils Reserves ADarby FC Reserves BOakville Blue Devils Reserves BOakville SC U21
ProStars FC Reserves AMaster's FC Reserves APickering FC Reserves BProStars FC Reserves B
Sigma FC Reserves APickering FC Reserves ASigma FC Reserves BRush Canada U21
Vaughan Azzurri ReservesRichmond Hill SC U21Toronto Skillz FC ReservesWaterloo United U21
Woodbridge Strikers Reserves AUnionville Milliken ReservesWoodbridge Strikers Reserves BWindsor TFC Reserves

References
  1. "League1 Ontario postpones start of 2020 season over COVID-19 concerns". League1 Ontario. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  2. "League1 Ontario cancels 'Summer' season due to COVID-19, eyes Fall restart". Canadian Premier League. June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  3. "League1 Ontario cancels Fall season plans for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions". Canadian Premier League. September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  4. "2020 L1O schedule: Condensed seasons & revamped championships for men's, women's". League1 Ontario. March 5, 2020.
  5. Thompson, Marty (June 16, 2020). "Canada Soccer gives 2020 CanChamp update: CPL & MLS clubs only, Atlético Ottawa added to tournament". Canadian Premier League.
  6. "Three New Teams Join 2020 League1 Ontario Men's And Women's Divisions". League1 Ontario. November 19, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  7. "League1 Ontario Reserve groups". League1 Ontario.
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