BMO Training Ground is the practice facility of

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

(MLS) and its minor league reserve team Toronto FC II of

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...

, and the home of the TFC Academy of

MLS Next MLS Next (stylized as MLS NEXT) is a youth association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is managed, organized, and controlled by Major League Soccer. It was introduced by the league in 2020. It is a successor to th ...

. The facility, which opened in 2012 and features a stadium with 1000 seats, is located at

Downsview Park Downsview Park () is a large urban park located in the Downsview, Toronto, Downsview neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park's name is officially Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual due to it being federally owned and managed, and was ...

, in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

History

In March 2011, Downsview Park was selected as the site of

's new state-of-the-art Academy and Training Facility. Construction began in May 2011, and the facility opened in June 2012. Spanning 14 acres, it includes three grass fields, one domed turf field for year round use, a 1000 seat stadium, and a field house. The first team facilities include a dressing room, hot tub, ice bath, rehabilitation pool, physiotherapy room, private dining, as well as seven dressing rooms for the Academy teams, and a kitchen, cafeteria, media room, classroom and offices for coaching staff.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE) is a professional sports and commercial real estate company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With assets that include franchises in four of the six major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(MLSE), owner of Toronto FC, spent more than $21 million building the facility and pays rent for the land, with an aim to becoming the epicentre of soccer development in Canada. The facility was originally known as KIA Training Ground, due to a naming rights deal with Kia. In July 2014 it was announced that MLSE would expand the training grounds at a cost of $2 million to house a temporary practice facility for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

, which would rent the facility from MLSE and practice on a nearby city owned field. The team moved in that September, but later moved their practice facility to Lamport Stadium in 2018. In 2018, BMO acquired the naming rights to the training ground, renaming it to the BMO Training Ground & Academy. With their drop to the division 3

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...

for the 2019 season, Toronto FC II moved their home games to BMO Training Ground. On April 4, 2022, after the team left USL League One to join the newly formed

, Toronto FC II announced that

York Lions Stadium York Lions Stadium is an outdoor sports stadium on the Keele Campus of Toronto's York University in the former city of North York. It is home to the York Lions, the varsity teams of York University, the Toronto Arrows of Major League Rugby and ...

would serve as their new home stadium. Kia training ground

References

{{Reflist Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Toronto FC Toronto Argonauts Toronto FC II Sports venues in Toronto USL League One stadiums Sports practice facilities