Amateur sport in Toronto
Encyclopedia
Amateur sport in Toronto has a vibrant and distinguished history, with a breadth of sports featuring significant participation in youth leagues, collegiate sports, and other organised and ad-hoc events.
, and is often considered the fastest growing sport at the Toronto high school level.
, founded in 1911 in The Beaches
neighbourhood.
football
championship, and also hosted (and won) many of the early Grey Cup
competitions that were contested by amateur football teams. Both championship games were once again held in Toronto in 2007, along with the annual Metro Bowl
high school championship.
Toronto was also host to a series of NCAA football bowl games called the International Bowl
between 2007-2010.
has been gaining popularity across the region in recent years, with one of the largest leagues around operating out of The Bunker at Downsview Park
. The Toronto Roller Derby
League hosts games from February through its championship in November. Women's Roller Derby is especially popular as the surrounding region grows.
is re-launching in Canada, the sport of rugby league has been dormant for 10 years with Toronto being the trials for where the Ontario Rugby League will start in order to gain selection into the Canada national rugby league team
there is also the same thing happening in the state of British Columbia
..
. With city council's endorsement, bids were submitted to the International Olympic Committee
to host the 1996 Olympics, eventually awarded to Atlanta, and the 2008 Olympics, awarded to Beijing
.
With Canada's selection as host for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
, Toronto was established as the venue for the final and third-place matches, hosting twelve games in total.
Every January from 2007 to 2010, the city hosted the International Bowl
, an NCAA college football
bowl game
. The inaugural match
was contested between the University of Cincinnati
and Western Michigan University
.
The city also features ad-hoc events like the Toronto Donut Ride
, an informal weekly road cycling
tour that also covers parts of York Region
.
On November 9, 2009, Toronto was announced as the host city for the 2015 Pan American Games
.
Basketball
Toronto youth basketball has the greatest participation amongst high school programs in the Greater Toronto AreaGreater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
, and is often considered the fastest growing sport at the Toronto high school level.
Hockey
Toronto youth hockey teams participate in the world's largest organised hockey league, the Greater Toronto Hockey LeagueGreater Toronto Hockey League
The Greater Toronto Hockey League , formerly known as the "Metro Toronto Hockey League", is a minor level ice hockey organization based out of the Toronto region of Ontario. The league was founded in 1911 as the Beaches Hockey League by Fred C. Waghorne, Sr., and it is the largest minor hockey...
, founded in 1911 in The Beaches
The Beaches
The Beaches is a neighbourhood and popular tourist destination located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the east side of the "Old" City of Toronto. The original boundaries of the neighbourhood are from Fallingbrook Avenue on the east to Kingston Road on the north, to Woodbine Avenue...
neighbourhood.
Football
Toronto was for many years the host of the annual Vanier CupVanier Cup
The Vanier Cup is the name of the championship of Canadian Interuniversity Sport football and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is currently played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl...
football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
championship, and also hosted (and won) many of the early Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
competitions that were contested by amateur football teams. Both championship games were once again held in Toronto in 2007, along with the annual Metro Bowl
Metro Bowl
The Metro Bowl is the championship game for secondary school football teams in the Greater Toronto Area.The game is usually held in early December at the Rogers Centre, in downtown Toronto...
high school championship.
Toronto was also host to a series of NCAA football bowl games called the International Bowl
International Bowl
The International Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association collegiate American football bowl game played in Toronto from 2007 through 2010...
between 2007-2010.
Roller Derby
Women's Flat track roller derbyRoller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
has been gaining popularity across the region in recent years, with one of the largest leagues around operating out of The Bunker at Downsview Park
Downsview Park
Downsview Park is a former Canadian Forces Base in the community of Downsview in Toronto, Canada. It contains about 231.5 hectares of land, of which more than 130 hectares are earmarked for traditional parkland, recreational and cultural amenities...
. The Toronto Roller Derby
Toronto Roller Derby
Toronto Roller Derby , is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 2006, the league started play in 2007, and completed its fifth season in 2011...
League hosts games from February through its championship in November. Women's Roller Derby is especially popular as the surrounding region grows.
Rugby League
rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
is re-launching in Canada, the sport of rugby league has been dormant for 10 years with Toronto being the trials for where the Ontario Rugby League will start in order to gain selection into the Canada national rugby league team
Canada national rugby league team
The Canada national rugby league team represents Canada in international rugby league football tournaments.-1987-2000:Rugby league was re-introduced to Canada at an amateur level in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a short-lived 4-team domestic competition, known as the Tri-Counties Rugby...
there is also the same thing happening in the state of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
..
Universities
- Ontario Tech RidgebacksUniversity of Ontario Institute of TechnologyThe University of Ontario Institute of Technology is located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The university shares its campus with Durham College. The university was founded in 2002 and accepted its first students in 2003, making it one of Canada's newest universities...
- Ryerson RamsRyerson RamsThe Ryerson Rams are the athletic teams that represent Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Teams:Ryerson operates 14 men's and women's interuniversity sports teams that compete nationally through Ontario University Athletics and Canadian Interuniversity Sport...
- Varsity BluesVarsity BluesThe Varsity Blues is the name for the intercollegiate sports program at the University of Toronto. Its 26 athletic teams regularly participate in competitions held by Ontario University Athletics and Canadian Interuniversity Sport. The Varsity Blues traces its founding to 1877, with the formation...
- York LionsYork LionsThe York Lions is the official name for the athletic varsity teams that represent York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport and, where applicable, in the east division...
Community colleges
- Seneca StingSeneca CollegeSeneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a Canadian public college in the greater Toronto area. Seneca College is currently Canada's largest college with approximately 108,000 students.-History:...
- Humber HawksHumber CollegeHumber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
- George Brown HuskiesGeorge Brown CollegeGeorge Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three full campuses in downtown Toronto, Ontario...
- Centennial Colts
Events
There have been some proponents for the city to host the Summer OlympicsSummer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
. With city council's endorsement, bids were submitted to the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
to host the 1996 Olympics, eventually awarded to Atlanta, and the 2008 Olympics, awarded to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
With Canada's selection as host for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the sixteenth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup , hosted by Canada from June 30 to July 22, 2007. Argentina defeated Czech Republic in the title game by the score of 2–1, thus managing a back-to-back world title, its fifth in the past seven editions, and sixth...
, Toronto was established as the venue for the final and third-place matches, hosting twelve games in total.
Every January from 2007 to 2010, the city hosted the International Bowl
International Bowl
The International Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association collegiate American football bowl game played in Toronto from 2007 through 2010...
, an NCAA college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
. The inaugural match
2007 International Bowl
The 2007 International Bowl, held on January 6, 2007 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, was one of the college American football bowl games that ended the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game pitted the University of Cincinnati against Western Michigan University...
was contested between the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
and Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
.
The city also features ad-hoc events like the Toronto Donut Ride
Toronto Donut Ride
The Donut Ride is an informal Toronto road cycling tour run every Saturday and Sunday as well as public holidays. Typical summer numbers range from 100 to 125 riders forming a large pack, and weather permitting the ride continues year-round and often sees a dozen riders even in mid-winter. The ride...
, an informal weekly road cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
tour that also covers parts of York Region
Regional Municipality of York, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. It replaced the former York County in 1971, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of the Golden Horseshoe...
.
On November 9, 2009, Toronto was announced as the host city for the 2015 Pan American Games
2015 Pan American Games
The 2015 Pan American Games, officially the XVII Pan American Games or the 17th Pan American Games, will be a major international multi-sport event that will be held from July 10–26, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Ajax, Barrie, Brampton, Caledon, Hamilton,...
.