There is about to be a big soccer announcement in Barrie.
Details are vague, but whispers near and far have been confirmed by people close to the situation after consultant Marshall Green’s recent report.
The report looked at various issues surrounding a sports field in the city; there was interesting language that made clear something “game changing” is imminent.
“Unfortunately, (it was) not in time for this report, but there is a very big announcement … regarding our soccer home team, the Simcoe County Rovers,” wrote Green.
“It will be a game-changing announcement that means our city will have its only fully professional sports team. Terms of this deal are being finalized between Rovers FC and the purchaser, a large global sports and entertainment enterprise.”
The language went on to explain the team would begin play in March 2026, which is a few months before the World Cup will begin at various sites across Canada, Mexico and the United States, which will host most games.
At first blush, and with some hopeful interpretation, it sounds as though the local owners of the Simcoe County Rovers are selling to that unnamed international body and, perhaps, were being promoted to the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top men’s loop in the country.
Not so fast, said one source connected to the announcement. BarrieToday attempted to gather more information on the subject by reaching out to numerous other sources, both local and national.
Not a lot of verified information was forthcoming. However, it’s clear all involved are buoyed by the proposal.
“It’s not the CPL, but (the coming announcement) will blow your mind,” said one local person in the know, who acknowledged both some personal and professional bias.
We asked another local source this specific question:
“If I write that Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) could be bringing a pro soccer team to town, will I look like an idiot?”
The response?
“No.”
So, there you have it: Whatever is on tap is big (for Barrie), it’s “fully professional” and will involve at least a 2,500-seat facility that will host that new entity but also provide other local soccer teams a facility where they can train and hold games. That aspect, in turn, will solve the contentious issue regarding the location of a new sports field that was originally proposed for Barrie’s waterfront but has now been put on hold.
The new ground, per Green’s report, could be located at the existing J.C. Massie Field near Georgian College, or on the old Central high school site on the edge of downtown. Green’s report cites Queen’s Park as a potential new location for the Barrie Baycats.
Taking the wider, national view, new Canada Soccer head Kevin Blue is known as an outside-the-box thinker going back to his days working in Stanford’s athletic department, the famed NCAA school where he played varsity golf. Blue, who grew up in Toronto, came home to Canada a few years ago to take a senior position with Golf Canada. He recently left that post to head up soccer’s national governing body ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
It’s not a stretch that Blue, as his personal history suggests, could be cooking up something completely new. He did as much with Canada’s elite golf programs and was instrumental in convincing the owners of Canada’s three Major League Soccer franchises to fund the salary of men’s national team coach Jesse Marsch.
If MLSE is somehow involved, it’s also worth noting Keith Pelley, like Blue has at Canada Soccer, recently took the reins of that organization and could be looking to start new initiatives, especially ones that could capitalize on the World Cup coming to Toronto.
“Blue is very good at finding (innovative) ways to spend other people’s money,” said one observer, who dealt with him in the golf world and has watched, like many others, his short and productive stint so far in the country’s top soccer job.
That time has included dealing with the fallout from the scandal at the Paris Olympics when the Canadian women’s team was caught flying a drone over the training session of a tournament rival.
The Rovers have turned heads on the field for their success — winning Ontario League1 in just the club’s second season — and off the field for their innovative ownership group and community-based approach. The club earned a spot in the Canadian championship by winning League1 last season and drew TFC for that preliminary round game at BMO Field in Toronto. About 1,500 Rovers fans made the trek south for the game, which drew praise from everyone from Reds head coach John Herdman on down, despite being on the wrong end of a 5-0 score.
A handful of current/former national team players are listed as Rovers owners and it’s only natural they may want to monetize their investment. One of those owners is former national men’s team captain Julian de Guzman, who has since moved on to become sporting director of Red Bulls in New York.
There is also the issue of the women’s game, especially considering the recent announcement of a national women’s league.
We freely acknowledge we are doing some spit-balling here, but whatever happens — early September is the slated announcement — the local area’s soccer scene will get a tangible boost beyond what the Rovers have already brought to Barrie.
When the World Cup takes place, Toronto will host six games, and some countries slated to play at BMO Field could set up training camps nearby. The Barrie area has hosted national teams’ training camps in the past. Both the Netherlands and Germany spent time locally ahead of exhibition matches at the since demolished Varsity Stadium in the lead-up to the 1994 World Cup that was played in the U.S.
The Dutch used the Nottawasaga Inn just outside Alliston and its surrounding pitches as its training base, something both of Canada’s national teams have used at various times over the years as well.
