New!
Soccer Fields Update
Soccer Clubs
Recreational Soccer Fields
2007 Archives
Soccer Fields Shortage
Soccer Fields Expansion

Markham Sports: Soccer

Replacement Strategy for the Loss of Soccer Fields at MDHS
ADAPTED FROM WARD 5 COUNCILLOR JOHN WEBSTER'S WEBSITE >>

July 24, 2007 – Meetings have taken place between the Board of Directors of the Markham Soccer Club and the Town of Markham to find a solution to the loss of the Soccer Fields at Markham District High School. A motion to approve up to $1.5 million for the building of soccer fields to replace those that will be lost at Markham District High School, and it was passed unanimously.

Mayor Frank Scarpitti has been working with York District School Board and with York District Catholic School Board and we feel confident that an arrangement can be made to build soccer fields to replace those lost at Markham District High School in the East Markham area.

On June 26 2007, the General Committee recommended that a Markham Soccer Club Working Group was formed to examine solutions to the impending loss of at least two and perhaps three soccer fields at Markham District High School. Markham Wards 4 and 5 are represented on the Committee by Councillor John Webster and Councillor Carolina Moretti.  Also on the Committee are the Mayor Frank Scarpitti, Regional Councillor Jack Heath, and Regional Councillor Gord Landon.

Allan Seabrooke, the Director of Strategic Services, has been meeting with several individuals to provide options. The following are preliminary ideas:

Mr. Seabrooke had an on site meeting and discussion with the President of the Fletchers field’s Rugby Complex at Woodbine and 19th avenue. They have availability for the Town of Markham to book their fields for soccer and have agreed to do so. He has a call into Chris Shea , President of Markham Soccer Club for his comment on this option.  If the club deems this a viable option He will have to then negotiate the cost to the Town for the season to book a block of fields.

Mr. Seabrooke has contacted Daniel De Bianco the planner for the York Region District Catholic School Board to re- examine their school sites. He will return from vacation on July 16, at which time a meeting will be arranged to review any options on their sites.

Mr. Seabrooke has contacted Jane Ross at the York Region District School Board to discuss to discuss the 16 acre parcel in Cornell that has been purchased by the Board for a future Secondary School site.  He indicated our interest in constructing sport fields on the site and she advised that they will take a look at the site and that they will meet this week and get back to us next week on the matter.

Mr. Seabrooke is meeting Dan O'Brien from the Markham Fairgrounds this week to determine any possibilities on this site.

Fly to the top | New! | Clubs | Fields | Archives: 2007

Soccer Clubs

Markham Soccer Club
Launch Website

Bio
The Markham Soccer Club was formed in 1971 with one team in the Newmarket and District League. It has since grown to over 2,300 outdoor players and 800 indoor players. Our recreational division offers 3-a-side programs for U4 – U6 players, a 5-a-side micro-soccer program for U7's, a mini-soccer (7-a-side) program for U8's, U9's and 10's and full-field programs from U10 to U18.

The Club has youth competitive Markham Lightning teams which play in the York Region Soccer League, the Central Soccer League, the Central Girls Soccer League, and the Ontario Youth Soccer League. These teams range from U8 to U18.

Our Adult Division is continuing to grow. Our outdoor adult teams now include: 
Mens' and Womens' Leagues Indoor and Outdoor
York Region Soccer League Recreational Men's team
Womens' teams playing in the York Region Soccer League & the Durham
Ladies Soccer League

Our indoor home is the Mount Joy Community Centre on 16th Avenue in Markham. This facility has a hockey-size soccer arena with an astro-turf on sand floor. For indoor play, we use an approach very similar to outdoor mini-soccer. In addition to our internal house leagues for youth, men's and women's leagues; we have competitive games for our teams in the OISL; invitational leagues and clinics.

We are proud to be the only soccer club (that we know of) in Ontario to offer a program for special needs players. Our "Thumbs Up" soccer program started in 1999 as an indoor program for these players. It has been very successful and we intend to continue offering it as a standard program.

Markham Chinese Soccer Club
Launch Website

Bio
Markham Chinese Soccer Association (MCSA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of soccer in the Markham Chinese community. Established in 1996 by a group of 8 enthusiastic soccer players who are all Founding Members. Today, some of them are still actively involved and sit on the Board of Directors of the Association.

The Association is managed by the Board of Directors, while Activity Coordinator is appointed or selected by the Board to carry out the daily operational duties. MCSA organizes soccer activities such as Annual Summer League, 7-A-Side Tournament and Annual Winter League. Future plan is to include Under 18 games, soccer training sessions for members and leisure games.

Our Annual Summer League is comprised of 11 teams competing on every Sunday morning. Since its inception, the league has provided safe and fun soccer activities for more than 200 soccer players within the Markham community, aiding in the development of team spirits and skills, as well as contributing to a healthy lifestyle.

Thornhill Soccer Club
2400 John Street, Thornhill, Ontario
Tel:  905.881.8599
Fax: 905.881.1836
Launch Website

Bio
The Thornhill Soccer Club (TSC) was established in 1973 by a group of volunteers in the Thornhill community who wanted their sons and daughters to enjoy the game of soccer. From the humble beginning of 6 teams and 90 players the enrollment has grown to well over 175 teams and 3,100 players in the past 33 years.

Our players range from 4 to 65 in age. We offer an outdoor program that normally starts at the end of May and ends in mid-September; our indoor program commences at the end of October and ends in mid-April.

In accordance with our objectives, we provide the opportunity for all players of all genders and skill levels to participate in the game of soccer. We also provide financial assistance to players, as needed, to support this objective.

Outdoor Program
Our Outdoor House League program, consisting of 3 leagues (Mini: age 4 to 10; Youth: age 11 to 18; and, Senior Youth: age 19 to 25) a total player population of over 1,800 players. Generally, the Mini league is co-ed at the U-04 and U-05 age groups only and all other leagues are gender specific.

Our Rep program offers an opportunity for the 200+ higher skilled players to enjoy a more competitive style of soccer. This program normally starts when players reach the age of 8 and currently ends when they are 18. Our Rep teams travel throughout York Region and the Province to play teams from other clubs in other Regions.

Our Adult program consists of an Open Age division (for Men and Women), a U-25 division for Men, a Under-35 division and an Over-35 division. These programs provide the opportunity for adult players (over 19 years of age) to continue enjoying the game as long as they want.

Indoor Program
Our Indoor soccer program consists of a Youth league and Adult league with a total player population of over 900 players. All Indoor games are normally played at the Milliken Soccer Dome. Rep teams play their home games at the Milliken Soccer Dome.

Our Indoor Youth soccer program is co-ed. We currently operate four age divisions to maximize the use of the existing facility. The focus of the Indoor Youth program is on having fun while the players enhance their skills in a non-competitive environment. 

Our Adult league consists of an Open Age Mens and Womens division and an Over-35 division. The Open Age Men division consists of a Premier group and two other groups. We use the ‘promotion’ and ‘relegation’ process to manage the structure and pyramid of play for these three groups. The Over-35  divisions do not keep or publish game results.

We also have Rep teams playing indoor soccer with the Ontario Indoor Soccer League (OISL) and with leagues operating at the ‘Hangar’ in the former Downsview Military base.

Unionville-Milliken Soccer Club
Milliken Mills Dome
7700 Kennedy Road, Unionville, Ontario
Tel: 905.477.5425
Fax: 905.477.6772
Launch Website

Bio
The Unionville-Milliken Soccer Club is a volunteer run, not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to develop the individual abilities of each soccer player with the aim  of improving their playing skills and the enjoyment of soccer as a whole.

The UMSC was established in 1976 to administer and run Soccer programs for youth aged 4-19 and adults in the Markham communities of Unionville and Milliken Mills. Some of the soccer programs currently offered by the UMSC are as follows:
Youth Outdoor Recreational Soccer League
Youth Outdoor Competitive Soccer Teams
Youth Soccer Academy
Youth Outdoor Select / All-Star Soccer Teams
Special Needs Program
Youth Select / All-Star Soccer Tournament
Youth Competitive Soccer Tournament
Youth Competitive Elite Academy
Youth Outdoor Recreational Soccer Day
Senior Competitive Soccer Teams
Youth Indoor Recreational Soccer League
Youth Indoor Competitive Soccer Leagues
Youth Indoor Competitive Soccer Tournament
Youth Soccer Skills Camps and Clinics
Coaching Skills Development
Referee Development
Adult Recreational Soccer

The Unionville-Milliken Soccer Club continues to evolve yet remains focused as a community-based organization striving to have each participant experience the combination of discipline, ethics and teamwork. The Club elects a twelve-member Board of Directors at its AGM and meets on a monthly basis to conduct Club business. For the past five years the UMSC has built a solid foundation of growth in the local area.  We have elected an enthusiastic and experienced executive committee who will lead the UMSC and the community into the next level of the sport.

The UMSC has seen, over the years, a tremendous increase in the membership and demand for soccer programs. This can be attributed to the excellent support the UMSC receives from volunteers and local businesses, as well as to the quality of the delivered programs. The UMSC in turn has retained the services of a professional head coach and an office manager to assist with the increasing demand. 

In the 2002 soccer season, the total membership was in excess of 2000 players (outdoor and indoor), 250 Coaches, Assistant Coaches and Team Managers, 75 Referees and approximately 350  dedicated volunteers in total.
 
The Unionville-Milliken Soccer Club is a member of the Ontario Soccer Association through the York Region Soccer Association. Other products and companies referred to here in are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.

Fly to the top | New! | Clubs | Fields | Archives: 2007

Soccer Fields

Please visit our Markham Parks page for more information about soccer fields in Markham.

Fly to the top | New! | Clubs | Fields | Archives: 2007

Markham Soccer Club Field Shortage Becomes Critical

June 24, 2007 – Markham's biggest sports club, the Markham Soccer Club, faces a critical shortage of full-size fields starting in 2008. With 3500 members and a growth of 12.5% in 2007, the Club's highly successful programs require additional fields to replace fields those that are being lost; and, to accommodate growth. The Town's current field plans don't adequately address these needs for the east end of Markham.

The permanent closing of the three existing Markham District High School fields at the end of 2007 leaves the Club in an intolerable situation. The Town needs one or more new full-field complexes in the northeast area of the Town but none are planned. The limited land that is available has been slated for new mini-fields to deal with major growth in the younger age groups. The field planning approach used by the Town has relied on the availability of land, it is not directly linked to demand or where the users of fields live. The Club's projections show that the current Town field plans will lead to the equivalent* of 28 full-size fields in the centre of Town with only 18 in the east end of the Town. We can no longer wait for land to become available for fields in the east end of Markham. It just isn't working.

The Markham Soccer Club needs the Town to respond to the demand and lease / acquire additional land in the northeast area of the Town (Cornell / North of 16th!) for one or more major full-field complexes; and, to start actively planning and implementing solutions to the field shortage. Plans must also take into account the needs of other users of full-size fields to ensure sufficient capacity overall and to avoid conflict between clubs over limited resources. Obviously, a short-term plan is urgently needed for 2008 as the Club cannot operate without an interim replacement for Markham District High School.
* In the field calculations, a lighted field is counted as two fields as per the Town's approach.

The letter provided above is being sent to the Mayor and all of the Council members. It has also been posted on the home page of the Club's web site. We need your support to ensure that the Town gives this issue priority. We ask that you take the following actions:

Write to the Mayor and Councillors and express your support for a proper fields-planning process and one or more new full-field complexes in the northeast part of the Town.

Suggested Wording:
I wish to express my support for the Markham Soccer Club and its urgent need for new fields to address the loss of existing fields; and, to support the continuing strong growth of the Club. We also ask for urgent attention to the need for an appropriate interim solution to the loss of the three Markham District High School fields as of 2008.

Use this link to send a note to the Mayor and Councillors (with a copy to MSC):
Click to launch your email now!

Provide your support in person at the Markham Council General Committee Meeting on Monday June 25th at 9am in the Canada Room at the Markham Town Centre. The fields situation and a Town proposal to build a single field on Markham Road below 14th Avenue (next to Costco) as the solution to the loss of 3 fields at Markham District High School is the first topic on the agenda. The Club will be (briefly) allowed to present its perspective. We don't know if supporters will be allowed into the committee room but a show of support would still be helpful.

Provide your support in person at the Council Meeting on Tuesday June 26th at 7pm in the Markham Council Chambers. We aren't sure that we will be provided with the opportunity to speak to the issue but having players in uniforms, parents and other Club supporters will help to reinforce our concerns.

Be a Club activist! Speak to other club members / parents and get others to take an active role in ensuring that we have good facilities in appropriate locations to run our programs.

We need your active support.

Chris Shea, President
Markham Soccer Club
©2007 All Rights Reserved.

Markham Announces Major Soccer Field Expansion
From the TOWN OF MARKHAM WEBSITE >>

April 5, 2007 – The Town of Markham and the York Region District School Board have partnered on the development of a major sports field complex in the Town.

"More than a thousand Markham soccer players will benefit from this agreement. When we heard that leased soccer fields on City of Toronto property at Milliken Park would be lost with the City's expansion of their reservoir, the Town of Markham and the Unionville Milliken Soccer Club joined forces to find a solution," said Ward 3 Councillor Joe Virgilio.

The Town has committed $2 million to upgrade the sports fields being built at Markham's new Bill Crothers Secondary School for Athletics & Healthy Active Living. The three artificial turf, lit fields will be located on the school's 30-acre site in Markham Centre. The new fields, to be completed spring, 2009, will mean a longer soccer season and more opportunities for night games and tournaments than at the current unlit Milliken fields.

"The popularity of soccer is at an all-time high. It's a great way for young people to get active and stay fit. Sports participation enhances the health and well-being of the entire community," said Mayor Frank Scarpitti. It has been a strong commitment of Mayor Scarpitti to add value for taxpayers’ dollars. This partnership is an excellent example of how this can be achieved.

"When the Town approached us with this proposal, we saw it as a win-win for high school students and soccer players in our community," said Bill Crothers, Chair of the York Region District School Board.

Markham has more than 130 soccer, rugby, football, and cricket fields throughout the community. Markham Council has also approved the construction of a full-size lit soccer field in Angus Glen Community Park this year, which should be ready for use in the spring of 2008.

Backgrounder
The Town of Markham currently has more than 130 Soccer, Rugby, Football, Cricket Fields in the Town of Markham. Many are shared cooperatively with the York Region District School Board.
Work is already underway on the Bill Crothers Secondary School – located on a 30-acre site in Markham Centre, west of Main Street and north of Highway 407.
This unique school focuses on the total integration of academic and sports excellence. It will attract students that are high performance athletes as well as those who are interested in sports and recreation disciplines as a career option.
The school is named for middle-distance runner Bill Crothers, who won a Silver Medal in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and has been a York Region District School trustee from Markham for 18 years, including 14 years as Board chair.
The Town of Markham and the York Region District School Board have developed a partnership to upgrade the school’s playing fields with artificial turf and lights. This will enhance community use and mean overall improvement to the fields for school programs. Residents will have the opportunity to play soccer on three artificial turf fields five nights a week, on weekends, and through an extended season. The Town of Markham will contribute up to $2 million for these improvements.
The school and soccer fields are scheduled to be ready for spring, 2009.
The expansion of the City of Toronto reservoir and pumping station in Milliken Mills Park is slated to begin in October 2008. The new fields will replace the temporary loss of the four soccer fields on this site.
In addition, one full size lit soccer field will be constructed in 2007 in the Angus Glen Community Park, ready for use in spring, 2008.

Fly to the top | New! | Clubs | Fields | Archives: 2007