The Background
From the very beginning, it's been our goal to support, promote and help build up soccer at all levels in our city. We firmly believe that the talent produced by Mississauga's soccer clubs are among the best in the country and many have gone on to represent Canada and other nations at the highest level. We can clearly see the potential and we hope you do too.
The thought hit us; Why don't we create something new and unique for the League 1 Ontario soccer clubs that represent the City of Mississauga? The time has never been better to start a new tradition, a legacy. Perhaps something we can reward OUR champion with, as well as continue to show our support, commitment and gratitude to the grassroots soccer programs and players who compete and perform right here. We want these players, many of whom are locals, to take pride in where they're from, just as we do.
After much brainstorming and debate, the Sauga City Collective introduced the community to The Credit River Cup!
The Credit River is the lifeline of Peel Region - stitching together all neighbouring cities and towns, it flows through like a threaded needle. The name "Mississauga" is itself derived from the Anishinaabe word for "those at the great river mouth" and is closely related to the Ojibwe word for "a river with many outlets." Naming the trophy after the river feels just right.
On an annual basis the games played between North Mississauga SC, Sigma FC and ProStars FC will be kept track of in a head-to-head-to-head/round-robin fashion. The team that finishes with the most points after having played the others will be crowned Mississauga's champion and the rightful winners of the Credit River Cup.
The Inaugural Competition
The first edition of the Credit River Cup in 2019 is one that the Sauga City Collective is very proud of and saw the trophy being awarded to North Mississauga SC after a 3-0 victory over Sigma FC on August 16th. The occasion was made even more special because North Mississauga clinched their first-ever playoff berth to boot.
Never before have we seen our community become so involved in local semi-professional soccer and the celebrations at the end of the match exuded a sense of community that we can see carrying on for many generations.
The L1 Ontario league season may be drawing to a close, but the tradition of the Credit River Cup is just beginning and we hope to build even more pomp and circumstance around our community's teams for the foreseeable future.
We hope you come along for the ride!
*Photos are courtesy of Martin Bazyl Photography