ANALYSIS – As of right now, five of the six Northern Super League (NSL) teams have revealed their logo and even a few of those have stadiums confirmed. One of those cities with both the logo and stadium confirmed is AFC Toronto.
AFC Toronto Logo and Venue
AFC Toronto Name
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The AFC Toronto name was one of the first names to be confirmed. In fact, the original name of the team was A.F.C. Toronto City. They have since eliminated the periods within “A.F.C.” and have gotten rid of the “City” part of the name.
The logo looks very clean, and the red colour is quite apparent. It is the same colour used by teams such as Toronto FC, the Toronto Raptors, and the Toronto Rush. The outer crest spells out the “Association Football Club Toronto,” in an innovative and creative way. Also, the year “2025” at the top of the logo indicates the year that the club is starting. This may not mean much in “2024,” but once we get to the year “2031” for example, the year “2025” will mean something as the team would be well-established by then.
Then there is the crest, which is a stylized T, with some of the italalized letters. One may also draw a “F” for “Football” with the smallest italized letters as seen above.
There is some disappointment that the Toronto pro women’s soccer team did not have a creative name like the other revealed team names in the league. However, in that same case, AFC Toronto follows the theme of using European names from other countries in Toronto, such as Toronto FC and York United FC. In AFC Toronto’s case, they might have been inspired by other team names such as AFC Bournemouth.
York Lions Stadium
York Lions Stadium, which is accessible via the TTC subway with Pioneer Village Station, will again have a second pro sports team to host. In addition to York United FC, York Lions Stadium was well-known to be the host of the Toronto Arrows MLR club from 2022-23. Unfortunately, the Arrows co-founder and owner, Bill Webb, passed away, and the team was unable to continue as was confirmed in December 2023.
What makes this arrangement very neat is that the York University’s men’s and women’s soccer teams also play at York Lions Stadium. This means that having a pro men’s and women’s soccer team play in the same venue will hopefully inspire and help them become better professionals.
York Lions Stadium is known as one of the original CPL venues for York United FC. The most notable game there for York United FC might have been the Kevin Dos Santos in the 89th minute, which played a big role in York making the playoffs for only the second time in club history.
What This Move Means for Both Parties
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This is what Helena Ruken, CEO of AFC Toronto, said about the announcement:
“York Lions Stadium aligns perfectly with our vision. We are excited to collaborate with the team at York University as their commitment to our goals was clear: to give our supporters an experience like no other. It’s more than a venue; it’s where our journey begins, bringing together Toronto’s outstanding soccer community.”
Steven Chuang, Executive Director of University Athletics and Recreation feels the same way, and said this about working together with AFC Toronto:
“In order to achieve success, both organizations will work together, sharing resources and expertise to help launch AFC Toronto, leveraging the existing partnerships that York University has with current teams, organizations and clubs.”
As mentioned before, the connections AFC Toronto and York United FC can have with the University’s men’s and women’s soccer teams are endless. This is because the men’s and women’s soccer players who play at York Lions Stadium, will have an experience that most if not all other university athletes do not have access to.
It also gives AFC Toronto an ability to build on the York United FC fanbase and grow the fanbase in the same venue. For the most part, the fanbase for both AFC Toronto and York United FC will be the the same, as both pro teams play the same sport, which makes this a big opportunity to make York Lions Stadium a destination in the GTA.
Exciting Times for AFC Toronto and the Northern Super League
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This is the first time Toronto had a major women’s soccer team since 2011, when the Toronto Lady Lynx existed. This is also the first-time ever that Toronto had a top-flight pro women’s soccer team in its city’s history. Also, in Canada and the U.S., there are only five cities and two in Canada, which have at least three pro men’s and women’s soccer teams in their metropolitan region (the others being Los Angeles, New York City/New Jersey, Vancouver, and Washington D.C.).
This is also an exciting time for Toronto sports, as their PWHL Toronto team and the upcoming Toronto WNBA team (coming in 2026) will play at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. The league is set to launch in April 2025, with AFC Toronto’s first-ever regular season game still to be determined.
Photo Credit: AFC Toronto on August 28, 2024.
