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| Full name | Serbian White Eagles Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
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| Short name | SWE, SER | |||
| Founded | 1968 (as Serbia Football Club) | |||
| Stadium | Rob Ford Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 2,200 | |||
| President | Dragan Bakoč | |||
| Head coach | Bojan Zoranović | |||
| League | Canadian Soccer League | |||
| 2023 | Regular season: 2nd Playoffs: N/A | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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Serbian White Eagles Football Club (Serbian: Фудбалски клуб Српски бели орлови/Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi) is a Canadian semi-professional soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, a non-FIFA sanctioned league.
The team's home kit is all white commemorating the white double-headed eagle which appears on the Serbian flag while the away colours are red-blue-white commemorating the tricolour of the Serbian flag. The colour white was also chosen as it symbolizes purity and innocence. The club also has teams in the Canadian Soccer League Reserve Division and the Ontario Soccer League.
The club was established in Hamilton, Ontario in 1968 under the name Serbia FC and joined the professional ranks by becoming a member in the National Soccer League after relocating to Toronto and becoming the Serbian White Eagles. The White Eagles had their first taste of success in 1974, and became the first Canadian soccer club to compete in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.[1] In 1981, they withdrew from the NSL and became an amateur club in the process. After a 25-year hiatus from professional soccer, they returned in 2006 to compete in the Canadian Soccer League (the successor league to the NSL).[2][3]
Their return was a success as they dominated the league in both performance and attendance. Within their first four seasons they become the second club in CSL history to reach the CSL Championship final in four consecutive seasons. During those four seasons they produced three division titles, and a championship. In regards to league attendance they averaged the highest number of spectators, which revived their derby match against their rivals Toronto Croatia.
Shortly after, the team's performance went into a decline but they still maintained their powerhouse status as they continued to consecutively qualify for the playoffs. In 2015, the White Eagles began rejuvenating their performance by claiming that year's regular season title, the championship in 2016, and the regular season title in 2022.
- ^ "Klub naših iseljenika uzeo šampionsku titulu u fudbalu!" (in Serbian). Informer. November 3, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ "Liga bez briga 5 - Kanada". B92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ^ B92 (August 8, 2006). "Beli orlovi nad fudbalskom Kanadom" (in Serbian). Retrieved August 9, 2012.
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