It's been quite the week for Sauga City Collective and it all kicked off on Friday September 29th at Hershey Field 2.
The weather certainly wasn’t great, but that’s part of what makes it the beautiful game! Passion, love and support of the sport in Mississauga took precedent over the crazy wind, cold temperatures, and sheets of rain that poured down on us as we took in the Sauga City Derby between Sigma FC and North Mississauga SC. It’s always great connecting with other fans and supporters, and especially the players involved. In conversations, our support was felt and appreciated, and we too enjoyed being there and being recognized for our participation. This wasn’t our first time out to take in our local League 1 Ontario clubs and most definitely won’t be the last!
Thing’s really kicked up a notch on Saturday afternoon. As you might’ve seen since our formation, we’ve been in fairly regular contact with a young member of Mississauga city council, Councillor John Kovac of Ward 4. He’s been receptive to us as a group and takes the time out of his busy schedule to keep up with our developments. A great guy all around. Saturday afternoon will go down as one of his many future crowning achievements as he and other dignitaries, Hazel McCallion included, officially unveiled the Daniel’s Community Field in the City Centre.
The pitch itself is a boxed in field, sponsored by The Daniel’s Corporation in conjunction with the City of Mississauga and is the first of its kind in Canada. For those who have travelled around Europe, these pitches are a staple in many communities, and it’s incredible that Canada’s first is right here in our beautiful city. It was this boxed in pitch that, when first reported on, gave us our cue to form as a group and use it as a platform to push for the furthering of soccer, at both a grassroots and professional level in the Canadian Premier League, in Mississauga.
Beyond the unveiling of the pitch itself, we made the most of our opportunities to meet and rub shoulders with some very important people in the community. Specifically, members of city council, former Mayor and Mississauga legend Hazel McCallion, members of the Canadian Arena Soccer Association and Canadian arena national team, as well as other locals who took part in the event. Getting the opportunity to give our scarf to both John Kovac and Hazel McCallion and see them wearing it with pride was truly an honour for us as a group. We hope they’re able to spread the good word throughout the rest of council as well!
Social media is truly a powerful tool when used properly. After a “cheeky” mention of current Mayor Bonnie Crombie in a tweet, Mayor Crombie not only responded but offered up compliments on our branding and, when offered a one of our scarves, promptly offered to arrange a meeting at city hall! Yet another massive honour we’re looking forward to.
As the summer has officially wound down and soccer leagues approach the end of their seasons, we fully intend on carrying our momentum throughout the fall and winter by setting up events to continue to interact with our current member base as well as look to grow exponentially.
There is great strength in numbers. The more we show a growing sentiment for not just our movement but for Mississauga soccer in general, the more pressure is added to those with decision making roles. As we continually have to remind ourselves, especially considering the lack of new information provided by the Canadian Premier League itself...this is a marathon for us, not a sprint. Steady and gradual growth is how this will be achieved, and we have no intention of stopping until we’re sitting in the stands of a stadium in Mississauga cheering on our team to victory! Follow us on our social media platforms to keep up to date with future events, meetups and developments