Oldest Soccer Clubs in Canada: A Retrospective on the Nation’s Most Influential Teams

Canada’s soccer story runs deeper than many realize. Long before the Canadian Premier League, small community clubs were already shaping the nation’s love for the game. 

These early teams built the roots of what would become a proud soccer tradition. Let’s look back at the oldest clubs in Canada, their influence on today’s game, and how their legacy still echoes in the stadiums and communities that define Canadian soccer today.

Setting the Stage: How a British Pastime Took Root

Soccer in Canada started humbly in the late 1800s, played in parks, schools, and immigrant clubs. In Toronto, friendly games soon turned into proper associations, and by the early 1900s, regional leagues had formed in major urban centres. 

From Victoria to the Prairies, soccer grew from casual kickabouts into organized clubs that built more than teams — they built community and a shared sense of identity.

Why Heritage Matters in Canadian Soccer

Canadian club soccer grew out of local social clubs, workplaces, and immigrant communities that turned parks and school grounds into fields. That heritage shaped the values fans still prize today: volunteerism, match-day rituals, and a respect for long service that binds generations.

Early Roots of Association Football in Canada 

Toronto hosted one of the country’s earliest recorded soccer matches on 21 October 1876 (Carlton Cricket Club vs. Toronto Lacrosse Club). Within a year, organizers created a national body — the Dominion Football Association — marking a formal step for the game in Canada. 

Later decades brought a semi-pro National Soccer League (founded 1926) and landmark events such as Canada’s first World Cup qualifier in Toronto in 1957. These episodes show how the city helped anchor the sport’s national beginnings. 

The Pioneer Clubs Before the Professional Era

Between the 1890s and the mid-1900s, local teams formed around neighbourhoods, workplaces, and community halls. These early clubs kept soccer alive through wars and hard times, playing in local cups and building rivalries that became part of their towns’ identity. 

They weren’t professional, but their spirit shaped what came after — youth leagues, regional tournaments, and eventually pro clubs. They set the pattern: gather players, build a clubhouse, earn loyal supporters, and keep the game going for the next generation.

Clubs from 1890–1950 and Their Legacy

All across Canada, local clubs kept soccer going through wars, depressions, and changing times:

1. On Vancouver Island, Victoria West FC took shape in 1896 and is still around today as one of the oldest continuously running clubs in the country. 
2. In Alberta, the Calgary Callies (then Calgary Caledonian FC) started in 1904 and quickly became a powerhouse, winning national titles like the People’s Shield three years in a row. 
3. In Manitoba, United Weston FC, founded in 1909, brought home the Connaught Cup in 1924 and the Challenge Trophy in 1926.

Alongside these teams, local leagues began organizing the game more formally. In Toronto, people like Tom Robertson helped create a soccer association, which later played a key role in forming the Dominion of Canada Football Association in 1912.

Transition to Professionalism and the Role of the CPL Clubs

After decades of relying on American-based leagues like the NASL and later MLS to provide top opportunities, Canada finally launched a fully domestic professional league of its own with the formation of the CPL in 2019.

It was now about building proper professional clubs with their own academies, stadiums, and local identities. The shift showed a growing belief that Canadian soccer could stand on its own instead of relying on overseas links.

Formation of the Canadian Premier League and Its Founding Members

The CPL was formally sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association in May 2017. Then in 2018, clubs were unveiled one by one, and the league started play in April 2019 with seven founding sides, stretching coast to coast — from Hamilton in Ontario to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. 

Forge FC, Cavalry FC, and Pacific FC: How They Connect to the Past

• Forge FC was unveiled in 2018 as Hamilton’s entry, linking a city with deep industrial roots and long club histories to a modern top flight. The club appointed Bobby Smyrniotis that autumn, a coach steeped in youth development traditions. 
• Cavalry FC joined in 2018 as a founding CPL member and quickly turned Calgary’s historic player pipeline into title contention, ultimately lifting the North Star Cup in 2024.
• Pacific FC launched on Vancouver Island in 2018, inheriting a rich island soccer culture dating back to the 1890s — right when Vic West first thrived — complete with a vibrant supporters culture at Starlight Stadium.

These teams embody tradition without being trapped by it: modern academies, community outreach, and a national schedule of Canadian Premier League games knit together the country’s soccer map while nodding to a century of local leagues and tournaments.

Influential Moments & Contributions to Canadian Soccer Culture

In Canada, where soccer still fights for space with other major sports, contributions like clubs planting roots in neighbourhoods, running “under-12” teams, volunteering in schools and helping rebuild infrastructure in marginalized areas help define the game’s place in the culture. 

Historic Matches, Championships, and Club Milestones

Before the CPL era, there were plenty of defining moments that shaped Canadian soccer. Galt FC brought home Olympic gold in 1904, the Calgary Callies dominated the early People’s Shield tournaments, and the 1960s saw the rise of the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League, where international players filled the stands at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium. Each of these moments showed how the game kept adapting to Canadian fans and local culture.

When the CPL kicked off, the first match in Hamilton and the home opener on Vancouver Island felt like a fresh start — sparking new rivalries, creating local heroes, and giving homegrown talent a proper national stage to shine.

Impact on Youth Development, Local Communities, and National Identity

Local clubs and provincial associations have kept the game alive for generations, building coaching networks and serving as gathering points for their towns and cities. 

Today’s national league continues that same idea, turning those long-standing community routes, like the League1 system, into a clear path from local pitches to the professional level.

The national body still honours the soccer history. Through its Hall of Fame and yearly reports, it celebrates clubs that have been around for half a century or more, like Victoria West and United Weston, keeping their stories and impact a visible part of Canadian soccer’s ongoing story.