Soccer in Barrie
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If you\\u2019re a soccer fan in the city who has been craving more footy, there's a push being made by a Barrie group hoping to make the local pitch scream.The Kempenfelt Crew is a soccer supporters' group being run by Dubliner Ronan Cordelle, a 39-year-old soccer fan who believes that, with a significant population base in Barrie, there should be a successful professional club here.\\u201cGetting a team into League 1 would be so fantastic and such a huge honour,\\u201d said Cordelle. \\u201cThat\\u2019s not to say we couldn\\u2019t get a team in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) someday, but to start in League 1 would help grow the game here in Barrie and add such a fun fanbase.\\u201dLeague 1 Ontario is a is a semi-professional men's and women's soccer loop in the province and is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) as a Division III league in the Canadian soccer league system.The league began in 2014 with 10 teams and the 2019 season will have 16 teams in the men's division and 14 teams in the women's division.Teams are based many places, including London, Vaughn, the Toronto area and Ottawa.The CPL held its inaugural season this year with seven teams competing from B.C., Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. The Hamilton Forge were the first squad to win the league championship.\\u201cThe creation of the CPL really got the ball rolling for me,\\u201d said Cordelle. \\u201cSeeing the organization of the league and the fans in those communities who made the atmosphere so fun, it made me think that we could definitely do this and create the buzz in Barrie that soccer can bring.\\u201d (BarrieToday)
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