Aurora FC was a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. The club continues to operate as a youth soccer club. The club was founded in 1964 as a youth soccer club and added its semi-professional club in

League1 Ontario League1 Ontario (L1O) is a semi-professional men's soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The league began play in 2014 and is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association as a pro-am league in the Canadian ...

in 2016. The team was initially known as Aurora United FC during their debut season, before changing their name to Aurora FC beginning in 2017. The team plays home games at Stewart Burnett Park, which was opened in 2018. They departed League1 Ontario following 2020, becoming an affiliate club of Simcoe County Rovers and transferring their League1 Ontario license to them.

History

The club's foundation dates back to 1964, when they were founded as a youth club under the name Aurora Youth Soccer Club. In 2015, while playing in the amateur

Ontario Soccer League The Ontario Soccer League (OSL) is a competitive amateur soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The OSL is affiliated with and governed by the Ontario Soccer Association. According to the OSA, the OSL has Provincial Leagues, Regional Leagues and Multi-J ...

, the team was invited by the

Peru Olympic football team Peru Olympic football team (also known as Peru under-23, Peru U23) represents Peru in international football competitions in multi-sport events such as the Olympic Games and the Pan American Games. The selection is limited to players under the a ...

to play an exhibition match, after Peru had finished playing in the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: * 15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak a ...

. The Peruvians defeated Aurora 5–0. The team added its semi-professional teams in

in the men's and women's division in 2016 under the name Aurora United FC. The men's team announced former Canadian national team and

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

player

Jim Brennan James Gerald "Jim" Brennan (born 8 May 1977) is a UEFA Pro License-holder Canadian soccer manager, analyst and former player. During his playing career he played as a defender in Canada and England, most notably with Bristol City, Nottingham ...

as the club's first head coach. They played their inaugural match on April 29, 2016 on the road against

Durham United FC Pickering Football Club, commonly known as Pickering FC, is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Pickering, Ontario. The club was founded in 1984 as a youth soccer club and added its semi-professional club in League1 Ontario in 2014 ...

, which ended in a 2–1 defeat. The women's team debuted on May 7 against

Vaughan Azzurri Vaughan Azzurri is a Canadian semi-professional soccer team based in Vaughan, Ontario, that currently competes in the League1 Ontario men's and women's divisions. The semi-professional team was founded in 2014 by the Vaughan Soccer Club, which ...

with a 1–1 draw. In 2017, the semi-professional club and youth club decided to formally adopt the same Aurora FC name and logo to better unite the two and to remove the Youth term association with the semi-professional club, while maintaining their connection to the team nickname Aurora Stingers in the new club crest. At the end of the season, head coach Jim Brennan left the team to join the new top tier

Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; french: Première ligue canadienne, links=no) is a professional men's Association football, soccer league in Canada. At the top of the Canadian soccer league system, it is the country's primary nationa ...

, becoming the coach of

York9 FC York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium. Histor ...

. The club did not return to League1 Ontario for the 2021 season, and instead became an affiliate club of new team Simcoe County Rovers, transferring their League1 Ontario license to them.

Seasons

Men

Women

Notable former players

The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the League1 Ontario team:

Men

Women

References

{{Toronto Sports Soccer clubs in Ontario League1 Ontario teams Association football clubs established in 1964 Association football clubs disestablished in 2020