| Full name | Football Club Winnipeg Lions | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Lions, Sons | |
| Founded | 1995 | |
| Stadium | Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex | |
| Capacity | 2,000 | |
| President | Ted Nocita | |
| Head Coach | Tony Nocita | |
| League | Manitoba Major Soccer League | |
The FC Winnipeg Lions (formerly known as Sons of Italy Lions Soccer Club), formed in 1995, is a Canadian soccer club that competes in the Manitoba Major Soccer League.
Founded in 1995 as Sons of Italy Lions, the club officially changed their name in 2012. The Lions have won numerous league titles, trophies and cup tournaments. [1] Since 2002 they have captured the Manitoba top division title twelve times (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
The club has represented Manitoba at The Challenge Trophy on a number of occasions, including winning the Gold medal at the 2002 championship by defeating St. Lawrence Laurentians 1–0. [2] The Lions captured the Bronze medal in 1996 and again in 2013. In 2017 the Lions captured the Silver medal in a 1–0 loss against Nova Scotia representatives Western Halifax.
The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference Final. The MLS Cup winner is awarded the title of league champion.
In Canada, soccer is the most popular sport in terms of participation rate; according to FIFA's Big Count, almost 2.7 million people played in Canada in 2006. Professional soccer in Canada is played in the Canadian Premier League and Major League Soccer. Canada also has many semi-professional and amateur soccer leagues. Canada's men's and women's national soccer teams are ranked 49th and 9th respectively in the FIFA World Rankings as of April 4, 2024.
The Voyageurs Cup is the domestic trophy for professional soccer in Canada, awarded to the best men's and women's clubs in the country.
Sports in Canada consist of a wide variety of games. The roots of organized sports in Canada date back to the 1770s, culminating in the development and popularization of the major professional games of ice hockey, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, soccer, football and cricket. Canada's official national sports are ice hockey and lacrosse. Golf, baseball, tennis, skiing, ringette, badminton, cricket, volleyball, cycling, swimming, bowling, rugby union, canoeing, curling, squash, and the study of martial arts are widely enjoyed at the youth and amateur levels. Great achievements in Canadian sports are recognized by Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, while the Lou Marsh Trophy is awarded annually to Canada's top athlete by a panel of journalists. There are numerous other Sports Halls of Fame in Canada.
The Winnipeg Fury were a professional soccer team in Winnipeg, Canada. The team was part of the Canadian Soccer League from 1987 to 1992. They were one of four teams to participate in every season of the CSL. In 1993, they played in the Canadian National Soccer League.
The Challenge Trophy is the trophy presented to Canada's men's amateur soccer champions as part of Canada Soccer's annual National Championships. The men's competition was created with the inauguration of the Dominion of Canada Football Association in 1912 and the first club winners were presented the Connaught Cup in 1913. The first Challenge Trophy, donated by The Football Association, was presented to the Dominion of Canada Football Championship winners for the first time in 1926. The new Challenge Trophy was presented to the men's amateur champions for the first time in 2004.
Tony Nocita is a former professional Canadian soccer player who currently coaches the FC Winnipeg Lions.
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The Manitoba Major Soccer League (MMSL) is an adult soccer system based in Manitoba, Canada. The MMSL has both indoor and outdoor leagues. It is sanctioned by the Manitoba Soccer Association (MSA), a branch of the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA).
The 2010 Challenge Trophy was hosted in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on 6 to 10 October 2010. Defending champion Hellas SC of Manitoba failed to qualify as they lost to Lucania SC in the semi-final round in the Manitoba play down.
FC Manitoba is a Canadian soccer team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system. The club was founded in 2010 as WSA Winnipeg. In 2020, the club was acquired by a new ownership group and re-organized and branded as FC Manitoba.
Desiree Rose Marie Scott is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for American NWSL club Kansas City Current and the Canada women's national team. Nicknamed "the destroyer", she won gold at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which was her third Olympic medal following bronze medals in 2012 in London and in 2016 in Rio.
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The 2012 Challenge Trophy was hosted in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In the final Royal-Sélect de Beauport (Quebec) defeated Edmonton Scottish (Alberta).
Tyson James Farago is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Starting his senior career at the club while at university, he joined FC Edmonton a year later and spent four seasons with the Alberta club. He signed for Irish club St Patrick's Athletic in March 2018, and returned to WSA Winnipeg after four months overseas. He then had two stints in the new Canadian Premier League, first with Valour FC of Winnipeg, then with Cavalry FC of Calgary.
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Valour FC is a Canadian professional soccer club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays their home matches at Princess Auto Stadium.
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U Sports women's basketball is the highest level of play of women's basketball at the university level under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. There are 48 teams, all of which are based in Canada, that are divided into four conferences that are eligible to compete for the year-end championship. As these players compete at the university level, they are obligated to follow the rule of standard eligibility of five years. The winning team of the U Sports women's basketball championship is awarded the Bronze Baby trophy. The championship has been played for since 1972, with the UBC Thunderettes capturing the inaugural championship.
