🚨 IMPORTANT 🚨

I've had some questions about pre-season / the 2024 season, so please read the following:

🏁 Pre-Season:

Toronto Central Blues (Men’s & Women’s+): Every Friday at 5:00pm until Apr. 19th @ Lamport Stadium. FREE for NEW players, $10 per session for returning players. (All the sessions are posted in the TeamApp under events.)

High Park Demons (Men’s & Women’s+): Starting Jan. 28th on Sunday’s at 12:00pm @ Lamport Stadium. Cost will be $20 per session. (Their sessions are typically well attended so sometimes you may not get a lot of opportunity handle the footy, and they may also try and recruit you to play for the Dees. haha)

Toronto Rebels (Men’s): Starting on Feb. 2nd, Friday’s at 5pm @ Lamport Stadium. Full schedule TBD. Likely cost is $20 per session.

Toronto Dingos (Men’s): Nothing booked yet.

Etobicoke Kangaroos (Women’s+): Nothing booked yet.

Toronto Eagles (Men’s): Nothing booked yet, though they often skip pre-season all together. haha

Hamilton Wildcats (Men’s & Women’s+): Jan. 6, Jan. 20, Feb. 3, Feb. 17, Mar. 2, Mar. 16, Mar. 30, Apr. 13, Apr. 27; all @ Soccer World in Hamilton from 9:00am-11:00am

Ottawa Swans (Men’s & Women’s+): They have gymnasium and dome sessions booked throughout the winter. Check their Instagram for all the dates and details.

Grand Rover Gargoyles (Men’s): Nothing booked yet, though some train with the Wildcats.

🎯 Why Friday’s and why 5pm?

a) As was the case last year, “JamSports” got the contract for Lamport Stadium for all the weekend time slots on the weekends, and since we were unable to secure a time slot in 2023 (because we had no team), we were not offered priority this year (same with the Rebels).

b) It’s cheap! Somewhere like Monarch Park is $260 AN HOUR for the indoor field. We can try and get a few of these booked, but based on how few people actually show up to sessions even on weekends, there’s a good chance we’d lose money.

💙
Central Blues in-season training:
- Cherry Beach Sports Fields, 8pm on Monday’s from May 20th until late September.
- Why Monday’s? And why 8pm? It’s a legacy contract dating back to 2010, so if we decline to renew it each year, we go to the end of the list – and would likely end up being offered something like 10pm-12am on a Friday night.
- Covered in the cost of your dues (thanks to those who do pay them! 🙄).
- Sessions are always open to any player from any club, and to any new players from any club as well. We just want people playing footy, regardless of which club or level of experience!

Other Clubs in-season training: TDB



🚨 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ 🚨

The more important bridge we’ll need to cross next is sorting out everyone’s interest / intent on playing footy in 2024.

Most of us know what a battle it was in 2023 for both the men’s and women’s+ teams, and I reckon we’d all like to avoid that stress this season.

Obviously, we all have different lives and schedules (work, family commitments, vacations, living outside of the GTA, injuries, etc.), but over the next few days, please have a think about whether you want to play footy in 2024. (Anyone is always welcome to train with us and/or be a Social Member, you don’t have to commit to the on-field part of the club! 🍺 )

It’ll be the usual 10 games on Saturday’s, NEVER on long weekends, and some out-of-town travel.

So have a think about it as we’ll need to make some important / tough decisions for 2024 before schedules are set and other commitments are made by the league.

- Obi / Ewan -