Brampton - The former Canadian Lions FC could not ignore the enthusiasm and passion of the Brampton soccer fans and have decided to rekindle their spirits by relocating under a new name in that community just above Toronto’s north-west.
This makes Victoria Park Stadium the new home of Brampton Lions FC of the Canadian Soccer League - the Lions were previously a member of the professional league’s International Division.
Antonio Carvalho, the president of the new Brampton Lions, would like nothing more than to bring the title back to the city that captured the league championship as Brampton Hitmen back in 2003. His new management team includes former Hitmen captain Phil Ionadi who steps into a new role of the director of operations, while Barry Goldlist is the club’s vice president.
The highly regarded Ionadi has a strong background in professional soccer, including A-League (now USL) experience with the Toronto Lynx and a stint with Montreal Impact as well as the indoor Toronto Thunderhawks before a successful venture into the Canadian Soccer League.
The team will appoint a new coach at the end of March to take over from the Goran Miscevic who accepted a coaching position recently in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar’s top division.
“We have always been impressed by how much this city and mayor Susan Fennell supports soccer, so the decision to step into this community as the professional franchise was an easy one for us,” explained Ionadi at a February 24 league meeting. “There is a lot of young talent here, the local soccer community is great to work with and Victoria Park is one of the best grounds in the GTA.”
To aid the Lions with the task of moving to a new city and setting up their club, the organization has appointed Cosmos Sports as their marketing agency. Cosmos Sports is a diverse sports marketing company located in Mississauga, having worked with the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Argonauts and a wide variety of professional sports organizations throughout North America.
The CSL will announce its 2008 league formation and schedule during the third week of March.
BRAMPTON LIONS
The Lions are in their 6th year of operation in the Canadian Soccer League (CSL). Previously known as the 2005 Champions Oakville Blue Devils and the Canadian Lions, the Club is proud to make its home Brampton. The Lions are a high energy team committed to the development of Canadian talent in the Canadian Soccer League. They will play their home games in Brampton’s Victoria Park Stadium and will play in the National Division of the Canadian Soccer League.