FC Edmonton

For the defunct team once named Edmonton FC, see Edmonton Aviators.
FC Edmonton
Full name FC Edmonton
Nickname(s) FCE, FCEd, The Eddies, The Rabbits
Founded 2010
Stadium Clarke Stadium
Edmonton, Alberta
Stadium
capacity		 5,000
Owners Dave Fath
Tom Fath
Head Coach Colin Miller
League North American Soccer League
2016 Spring Season: 3rd
Fall Season: 3rd
Combined: 3rd
Playoffs: Semifinals
Website Club home page

FC Edmonton is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 2010, the team plays in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.

The team plays its home games at Clarke Stadium, and is coached by Colin Miller. The club's colours are blue and white.

History

FC Edmonton was launched in February 2010 by Tom and Dave Fath.[1] The team spent 2010 preparing for its first competitive season in 2011, signing players, establishing the coaching and administrative setup, and playing in exhibition games. FC Edmonton played its first game on June 16 at Foote Field against the Montreal Impact, winning 3–0. In 2010 they scheduled five friendlies against American and Canadian clubs and three other international sides (Portsmouth FC, Victoria Highlanders FC, Colo-Colo). The team also played an honorary match against the Canadian Armed Forces team, on Canada Day, July 1, 2010.

In December 2010 the club's first head coach, Dwight Lodeweges, and assistant coach Hans Schrijver left Edmonton for a job in Japan. Harry Sinkgraven was appointed as new head coach shortly thereafter.[2]

The team played its first competitive game on April 9, 2011, a 2–1 victory over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The first goal in club history was scored by Shaun Saiko.[3]

Hans Schrijver rejoined the team as an assistant in 2012. Sinkgraven and Schrijver were released by the club on September 28, 2012 after the team missed the playoffs.[4]

Colours and badge

The Fath Sports design team along with their families and FC Edmonton personnel were all instrumental in the logo design. “We used the City of Edmonton blue colour with our own signature therefore, we created the logo with a classical yet traditional look with an underlying strength (blue and black) to attract the North American but more specifically the Canadian fans” declared Tom Fath, founder of FC Edmonton. “We wanted to make certain the logo signifies the colours of our proud city while incorporating the Canadian flag at the same time, the shield represents tradition stated Dave Fath, co-founder of FC Edmonton.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Season Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2011[5] Umbro Sears Financial
2012[6] Adidas
2013– The Fath Group

Stadium

Clarke Field with part of the renovated Commonwealth Stadium in the background

The team has played in Clarke Stadium since the 2012 season. FC Edmonton has expanded the capacity of Clarke from 1,200 to over 5,000 with temporary seat-back and bleacher seating.[8] For "marquee games" Edmonton previously played at the much larger Commonwealth Stadium, which has a capacity of 60,081. The club's inaugural game in the 2011 Canadian Championship against Toronto FC was held at Commonwealth on April 27, 2011.

FC Edmonton formerly played its home games at Foote Field, a 3,500-seater stadium which is the centrepiece of a multi-purpose sports facility on the University of Alberta campus which was initially built as a legacy facility for the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. It was named for University of Alberta alumnus, former varsity track athlete, and philanthropist Eldon Foote, who donated $2 million toward the construction costs.[9]

In 2013, the team made a proposal to Edmonton city council for a new soccer-specific stadium in the 8,000 to 10,000 capacity range.[10][11]

Club culture

Supporters' Groups

The FC Edmonton Supporters Group (FCESG) was formed in early 2010 by five members of the Canadian national soccer supporters group, the Voyageurs in response to the announcement that Edmonton had been granted a professional soccer club playing in the North American Soccer League (NASL). Similar in nature to the Red Patch Boys in Toronto, the Vancouver Southsiders, and Montreal Ultras 2002, the FCESG attempts to bring some of the "European-style" atmosphere by standing, chanting and generally supporting FC Edmonton during home games played at Foote Field and at Commonwealth Stadium. FCESG also gather at Sports Central Bar and Grill in Edmonton to watch FC Edmonton away games.[12]

The FCESG also developed a friendly rivalry between the Dark Clouds (Supporters Group of the Minnesota Stars FC) during the 2011 season. FCESG and the Dark Clouds participate in the Flyover Cup by cheering on the respective clubs. Both groups have raised funds for charities in the opposing clubs city.

The supporters also recognize sometimes-mascot "Rally Rabbit", "Eddie Bunny", or "Eddie Jackalope", a character based on a rabbit that wandered onto the field during a June 2011 game against the Montreal Impact.[13] The team even included a rabbit imprint on some match tickets in 2011.

Development System

In 2013, FC Edmonton partnered with the Alberta Soccer Association (ASA) to offer a strategic soccer program for the local youth. Their goal is to provide top quality training and guidance that follow CSA mandate for long term player development. The FC Edmonton ASA youth academy is for both boys and girls under seventeen. The academy offers the U10/U12 Mini Stars Program, the U13-U15 Winter Training Programs, and the U15-U17 Programs. The venture has currently placed youth training in both Edmonton and Calgary.[14][15]

Rivalries

FC Edmonton's main rivalry is with the only other Canadian team in the league, Ottawa Fury FC. The league "All-Canadian derby", also named "the battle of Canada",[16] is played several times a year, during both, the regular NASL season and the annual Canadian Championship.

All-Canadian Derby Record:

The following table lists the history of official meetings between FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury FC, updated to the most recent derby of September 2, 2016 (Ottawa – Edmonton 2–2)

Matches Edmonton wins draws Ottawa wins Edmonton goals Ottawa goals
NASL (2014–) 9 3 3 3 7 6
Canadian Championship (2014–) 6 4 1 1 11 6
Total Official matches 157441812

Broadcasting

FC Edmonton home matches are broadcast on City Edmonton. Gareth Hampshire and Steven Sandor provide commentary as they have for the Eddies since their entry into the NASL. The audio from these matches is simulcast on TSN 1260.[17]

As of 2016, Canadian viewers can generally stream away matches for free at NASL.com while American viewers may require subscriptions to various broadcasters including ESPN3, beIN Sports and the CBS Sports Network.[18][19][20]

In 2013, matches were televised on Sportsnet 360. Radio broadcasts were broadcast on The Team 1260, the local sports radio station, from 2011 to 2013. Matches were also previously available to view for free through the team's Ustream channel until the introduction of NASL Live, a paid-subscription service, which was subsequently abandoned.

Players and staff

Current roster

As of July 29, 2016[21]

No. Position Player Nation
1 Goalkeeper Van Oekel, MattMatt Van Oekel      United States
2 Defender Zebie, AllanAllan Zebie      Canada
4 Defender Diakité, PapéPapé Diakité      Senegal
5 Defender Watson, AlbertAlbert Watson      Northern Ireland
6 Defender Ledgerwood, NikolasNikolas Ledgerwood      Canada
7 Midfielder Raudales, CristianCristian Raudales      Honduras
9 Midfielder Fisk, BenBen Fisk      Canada
11 Forward Corea, DustinDustin Corea      El Salvador
12 Midfielder Galvao, PedroPedro Galvao      Portugal
13 Defender Smith, KarstenKarsten Smith      United States
14 Midfielder Nyassi, SaineySainey Nyassi      Gambia
16 Forward Fordyce, DarylDaryl Fordyce      Northern Ireland
18 Forward Ameobi, TomiTomi Ameobi      England
20 Midfielder Gustavo, Gustavo      Brazil
21 Goalkeeper Farago, TysonTyson Farago      Canada
22 Defender Nicklaw, ShawnShawn Nicklaw      Guam
23 Forward Keegan, JakeJake Keegan      United States
24 Defender Smith, JohannJohann Smith      United States
25 Defender Aleksic, MarkoMarko Aleksic      Canada
26 Midfielder Shome, ShamitShamit Shome      Canada
29 Goalkeeper Ingham, NathanNathan Ingham      Canada
44 Defender Eckersley, AdamAdam Eckersley      England

Out on loan

No. Position Player Nation
15 Defender Roberts, MallanMallan Roberts (at Ottawa Fury)     Canada

Staff

Head coaches

As of October 29, 2016
Coach Nation From To Record1
GWLTWin %
Dwight Lodeweges[22] Netherlands March 9, 2010 December 3, 2010 0 0 0 0 !—
Harry Sinkgraven[23] Netherlands December 7, 2010 September 28, 2012 60 15 29 16 25.00
Colin Miller[24] Canada November 27, 2012 present 127 45 45 37 35.43

Team records

Team records

NASL regular season only, as of October 12, 2015

International results

As of March 23, 2016

Top goalscorers

League, & Canadian Championship

# Pos. Name Nation Career NASL Playoffs CC Total
1 Forward Daryl Fordyce  Northern Ireland 2013– 28 0 4 32
2 Forward Tomi Ameobi  England 2014– 15 0 5 20
3 Midfielder Shaun Saiko  Canada 2011–13 18 0 0 18
4 Midfielder Lance Laing  Jamaica 2013–15 16 0 1 17
5 Forward Kyle Porter  Canada 2011–12 12 0 0 12
6 Forward Michael Cox  Canada 2011–13 9 0 1 10
7 Midfielder Ritchie Jones  England 2014–15 7 – 0 7
8 Forward Jake Keegan  United States 2016– 5 0 0 5
Midfielder Neil Hlavaty  United States 2013–14 5 – 0 5
10 Midfielder Sainey Nyassi  Gambia 2015– 3 0 1 4
Forward Yashir Pinto  Chile 2012 3 – 1 4
Midfielder Chris Nurse  Guyana 2013 3 – 1 4
Forward Paul Craig  Canada 2011–12 4 0 0 4
Defender Albert Watson  Northern Ireland 2013– 4 0 0 4
As of November 5, 2016

CC = Canadian Championship
Bolded players are currently on the FC Edmonton roster.

Most appearances

League, & Canadian Championship

# Pos. Name Nation Career NASL Playoffs CC Total
1 Defender Albert Watson  Northern Ireland 2013– 101 1 9 111
2 Forward Daryl Fordyce  Northern Ireland 2013– 96 1 12 109
3 Defender Eddie Edward  Canada 2013–16 79 – 10 89
4 Forward Tomi Ameobi  England 2014– 71 1 9 81
5 Midfielder Lance Laing  Jamaica 2013–15 71 – 9 80
6 Defender Antonio Rago  Canada 2011–13 68 1 4 73
7 Midfielder Shaun Saiko  Canada 2011–13 65 1 5 71
8 Goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel  United States 2015– 54 1 6 61
9 Midfielder Cristian Raudales  Honduras 2014– 55 0 4 59
10 Midfielder Neil Hlavaty  United States 2013–14 51 – 6 57
As of November 5, 2016

CC = Canadian Championship
Bolded players are currently on the FC Edmonton roster.

Most minutes played

League, & Canadian Championship

# Pos. Name Nation Career NASL Playoffs CC Total Mins/GP
1 Defender Albert Watson  Northern Ireland 2013– 8,951 90 810 9,851 88.7
2 Forward Daryl Fordyce  Northern Ireland 2013– 7,476 90 879 8,445 77.5
3 Defender Eddie Edward  Canada 2013–16 6,720 – 856 7,576 85.1
4 Midfielder Lance Laing  Jamaica 2013–15 6,260 – 694 6,954 86.9
5 Forward Tomi Ameobi  England 2014– 5,153 90 702 5,945 73.4
6 Defender Antonio Rago  Canada 2011–13 5,259 90 345 5,694 78.0
7 Midfielder Shaun Saiko  Canada 2011–13 5,095 90 311 5,496 77.4
8 Goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel  United States 2015– 4,814 90 540 5,444 89.2
9 Defender Paul Hamilton  Canada 2011–12 4,432 90 360 4,882 88.8
10 Defender Mallan Roberts  Canada 2013– 3,989 – 720 4,709 87.2
As of November 5, 2016

CC = Canadian Championship
Bolded players are currently on the FC Edmonton roster.

Record

Year-by-year

Year NASL Regular season Season
Position		 Soccer Bowl
Playoffs		 Canadian
Championship		 Champions
League		 Top Scorer Avg. Attendance
P W L D GF GA Pts Player Goals
2011 28 10 12 6 35 40 36 5th Quarterfinals Semifinals Did not qualify Canada Shaun Saiko 9 1,817
2012 28 5 13 10 26 36 25 8th Did not qualify Semifinals Did not qualify Canada Shaun Saiko 7 1,492
Spring 2013 12 3 4 5 13 12 14 5th Did not qualify Semifinals Did not qualify Northern Ireland Daryl Fordyce 6 2,437
Fall 2013 14 3 4 7 13 14 16 6th
Spring 2014 9 2 5 2 11 11 8 9th Did not qualify Semifinals Did not qualify Jamaica Lance Laing 7 3,384
Fall 2014 18 8 5 5 23 18 29 3rd
Spring 2015 10 2 5 3 16 22 9 10th Did not qualify Semifinals Did not qualify Jamaica Lance Laing
Northern Ireland Daryl Fordyce 		8 3,122
Fall 2015 20 7 8 5 25 24 26 5th
Spring 2016 10 5 3 2 9 7 17 3rd Semifinals Quarterfinals Did not qualify Northern Ireland Daryl Fordyce 6 2,060
Fall 2016 22 10 6 6 16 14 36 3rd

See also

References

  1. ↑ Edmonton gets NASL team in 2011 Archived May 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ FC Edmonton announce Harry Sinkgraven head coach Archived December 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Terry Jones, Qmi Agency. "FC Edmonton open with win". Calgarysun.com. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  4. ↑ "FC Edmonton Releases Coaching Staff | North American Soccer League". Nasl.com. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  5. ↑ Sandor, Steven. "FC Edmonton unveils new road kits, shirt sponsor". the11.ca. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Quarstad, Brian. "FC Edmonton Unveil Custom Kits for 2012". IM Soccer News. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "FC Edmonton looks to expand fan base with pair of regular season games in Fort McMurray". Swane, Brian/Edmonton Sun. January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  8. ↑ Rodrigues, Angelique. "New soccer stadium decision in Edmonton will wait a year | Edmonton | News". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Amenities – Faculty of Physical Education – University of Alberta". Physedandrec.ualberta.ca. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  10. ↑ Rodrigues, Angelique. "New soccer stadium decision in Edmonton will wait a year | Edmonton | News". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  11. ↑ "FC Edmonton looking for new indoor soccer stadium | CTV Edmonton News". Edmonton.ctvnews.ca. January 28, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Supporters get behind FC Edmonton – Edmonton Examiner – Alberta, CA". Edmonton Examiner. April 27, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Rally Rabbit". FC Edmonton. April 20, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  14. ↑ "2013–2014 Academies". FC Edmonton.
  15. ↑ "FC Edmonton and ASA partner up to offer Soccer Development Program in Calgary". FC Edmonton.
  16. ↑ "Ottawa Fury FC – All Canadian Derby". OttawaFuryFC.com.
  17. ↑ http://www.fcedmonton.com/news/2016/04/19/fc-edmonton-partners-with-city-tv-tsn-1260-for-2016-nasl-season
  18. ↑ http://www.fcedmonton.com/news/2016/03/30/nasl-announces-return-to-espn3-for-us-viewers-naslcom-for-canadian-audience
  19. ↑ http://www.nasl.com/news/2016/03/30/nasl-becomes-first-north-american-professional-league-to-sign-national-broadcast-partnership-with-bein-sports
  20. ↑ http://www.nasl.com/news/2016/03/31/north-american-soccer-league-cbs-sports-network--announce-national-television-partnership-for-2016
  21. ↑ "FC Edmonton Roster". fcedmonton.com. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  22. ↑ FC Edmonton announces coaching staff Archived February 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  23. ↑ "FC Edmonton punts two coaches over money". Edmonton Sun. September 28, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  24. ↑ "New FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller familiar with old Edmonton stomping grounds". Edmonton Sun. November 27, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
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