 | |||
| Full name | Croatian National Sports Club Toronto Croatia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1956 | ||
| Stadium | Paramount Fine Foods Centre | ||
| Chairman | Josip Pavicic | ||
| Manager | Milodrag Akmadzic | ||
| Coach | Josip Keran | ||
| League | Arena Soccer | ||
|
| |||
C.N.S.C. Toronto Croatia (Croatian National Sports Club Toronto Croatia) is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that plays in the Supergroup Open Division in the Canadian Academy of Football. The team's colours are red, white and blue, similar to those of the Croatia national team.
The club was founded in 1956 by the Croatian diaspora in Toronto.[1] Initially the team played in various local amateur leagues before making the transition to the professional ranks by joining the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL) in 1962. In 1975, after a period of dominance in the CNSL, the organization purchased the Toronto Metros of the North American Soccer League and retained their heritage by inserting Croatia into the team's name. Their greatest success occurred in the 1976 season, where Toronto captured the Soccer Bowl. The 1976 team was later inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.
In 1979 the club sold its share to Global Television Network and returned to the CNSL. Toronto Croatia became a founding member of the Canadian International Soccer League in 1994, returned to the CNSL in 1997, and the following year became a charter member of the Canadian Professional Soccer League (later the Canadian Soccer League [CSL]). They established themselves as an elite club with a league record of six championships. The team has been among the most-successful clubs in Canadian soccer history, and one of the most-successful Croatian diaspora clubs. Toronto Croatia has a noted historical rivalry with the Serbian White Eagles.
- ^ "Toronto Croatia". April 23, 2001. Archived from the original on April 23, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)