TFC Academy
 |
|
| Full name | Toronto Football Club Academy |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | TFC III |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Stadium | KIA Toronto FC Training Ground and Academy, 2,000 capacity |
| Manager |
Laurent Guyot (Director) Danny Dichio (U20) Gianni Cimini (U17) Anthony Capotosto (U16) Michael Stefano (U15) Terry Dunfield (U14) Jonathon Mondino (U13) Marco Casalinuovo (U12) Luciano Lombardi (U11) |
| League | League1 Ontario |
| Website | Club home page |
Toronto FC (TFC) Academy is the youth academy and development system of Canadian Major League Soccer club, Toronto FC. For sponsorship purposes, the Academy teams are referred to as the KIA Toronto FC Academy, with the title sponsor being Kia Motors Canada.
KIA Toronto FC Academy adheres to the same vision and values as the Toronto FC first team. The vision is to create a club that is internationally recognized as: a leader in player development, a leading edge organization on innovative practices, and a consistent contender for championships in North America (MLS, Canadian Cup, CCL)
The academy currently consists of multiple teams spanning different age groups, from U11 to U20.
All teams play their home games at KIA Training Ground.KIA Toronto FC Academy operates eight full-time teams, within a three pod structure.
The senior squads play in the Premier Development League and the League1 Ontario, the third tier of the Canadian soccer pyramid.League1 Ontario was introduced by the Ontario Soccer Association in 2014. Since December 2016, the League1 Academy team has been known as Toronto FC III.
On March 29, 2008, Paul Beirne, Toronto FC Director of Business Operations, announced that "The goal of Toronto FC is, of course, to one day hoist the MLS Cup but another goal has always been to have an indelible mark of the soccer landscape in Canada, and specifically Ontario. It is our hope that Toronto FC not only be the aspirational choice for young soccer players in Canada, but an academy that has a real effect on the development of young, talented players. When we needed to find a league that would test the mettle of the best players in the academy we wanted something that would test them technically, physically, and tactically – after all, in most countries in the world, U18s are in professional environments – but at the same time wouldn’t jeopardize their amateur status and the CSL was an ideal fit.”
On August 26, 2010 Doneil Henry signed a pro contract with the Toronto FC senior squad becoming the first-ever TFC academy player to sign since the creation of the club in 2007. Three weeks following the Henry signing Toronto's first team signed forward Nicholas Lindsay becoming the second academy signing in history.
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