Whitby Football Club is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Whitby, Ontario that plays in the League1 Ontario men's and women's divisions. The club was founded in 2015 as Darby FC as a partnership between Whitby FC and Darlington SC.
 | |
| Full name | Whitby Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 |
| Stadium | Whitby Soccer Centre |
| Head Coach | Ramin Mohammadi (men) Rich Hirst (women) |
| League | League1 Ontario |
| 2024 | L1O-C, 8th (men) L1O-C, 9th (women) |
| Website | https://www.whitbysoccer.com/page/show/2812831-league-1-darby-fc |
Founders
editThe club was founded in 2015 as a joint partnership between Durham Region clubs Darlington Soccer Club and Whitby Soccer Club with the name Darby coming from name blending the two names.[1][2]
Darlington SC
edit
Darlington Soccer Club is a youth soccer club from the municipality of Clarington. Its roots date back to the foundation of the Darlington Soccer League founded in 1880; which is argued to be the oldest in Canada.[3][4]
Whitby FC
editWhitby FC is a youth soccer club in Whitby, Ontario. It was founded in 1966 as the Whitby Iroquois SC. In 2016, the club rebranded as Whitby FC with a new logo.[5]
History
edit
The club's first team entered the women's division of League1 Ontario in 2016.[6] Their inaugural game resulted in a 1–1 draw with North Mississauga SC.[7] They finished their debut season in eighth place, out of nine clubs.[8]
In 2018, Darby added their men's team to the men's league,[9] which is one division below the top-tier Canadian Premier League.[10] Many of the players on their inaugural roster came from the prior year's Durham United FA roster, as Durham did not enter a team for the 2018 season.[11] Their debut match on April 28, 2018 was against the Woodbridge Strikers and resulted in a 1–1 draw.[12][13]
In December 2024, the club announced the re-branding of their League1 Ontario team to Whitby FC for the 2025 season.[14]
Seasons
editMen
edit| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | League1 Ontario | 17 | 6–3–7 | 9th | Group stage | Round of 16 | [15] |
| 2019 | 16 | 7–2–6 | 9th | Did not qualify | – | [15] | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[16] | ||||||
| 2021 | 15 | 3–3–6 | 6th, East (12th overall) | Did not qualify | – | [15] | |
| 2022 | 22 | 7–4–10 | 13th | Did not qualify | – | ||
| 2023 | 21 | 6–5–9 | 14th | Did not qualify | – | ||
| 2024 | League1 Ontario Championship | 10 | 5–2–11 | 8th | – | Round of 16 | |
Women
edit| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | League1 Ontario | 9 | 2–3–11 | 8th | – | Preliminary Round | [17] |
| 2017 | 11 | 2–2–16 | 11th | – | Round of 16 | [17] | |
| 2018 | 13 | 1–1–10 | 12th | Did not qualify | Round of 16 | [17] | |
| 2019 | 14 | 6–1–6 | 8th | Quarter-finals | – | [17] | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[16] | ||||||
| 2021 | League1 Ontario Summer Championship | 7 | 1–1–4 | 7th | – | – | [17] |
| 2022 | League1 Ontario | 20 | 9–0–9 | 10th | Did not qualify | – | |
| 2023 | 19 | 4–4–10 | 16th | Did not qualify | – | ||
| 2024 | League1 Ontario Championship | 10 | 4–4–10 | 9th | – | Semi-finals | |
Notable former players
editThe following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the League1 Ontario team:
Men
editWomen
editReferences
edit- ^ "Darlington, Whitby soccer clubs join forces to form Darby FC". Clarington This Week. December 30, 2015.
- ^ McNair, Brian (July 16, 2019). "Women's soccer in Durham Region hits interesting new heights". Durham Region News.
- ^ Buczkowski, Al (July 11, 2016). "Stewards of a soccer tradition". Sports Engine.
- ^ "About Darlington Soccer Club". Darlington Soccer Club.
- ^ "Home of Whitby FC". Archived from the original on April 25, 2017.
- ^ "Darby FC Bolsters Eastern Ontario League1 Presence". League1 Ontario. March 19, 2016.
- ^ "Durham United FA soccer clubs off to nice start in League1 Ontario". Oshawa This Week. June 13, 2016.
- ^ Bates, Matt (June 23, 2022). "A Bluffer's Guide to Darby". League1 Ontario.
- ^ Glover, Robin (March 16, 2018). "League1 Ontario releases their 2018 schedule". Waking The Red.
- ^ Davidson, John (January 24, 2020). "Former NPL defender Alfred Hess is out to make a name for himself as both a player and coach in Canada". The World Game.
- ^ Glover, Robin (June 20, 2018). "L1O Game of the Week: Late equalizer seals Alliance United draw". Waking The Red.
- ^ "Match Preview: Darby FC v Woodbridge Strikers". League1 Ontario. April 27, 2018.
- ^ Halis, Irene (April 30, 2018). "Late Paredes Strike Snatches Draw For Woodbridge Away To Darby". League1 Ontario.
- ^ "Darby rebranding to Whitby for the 2025 season". League1 Ontario. December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c "League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men's Division". Canadian Soccer History Archives.
- ^ a b "League1 Ontario cancels Fall season plans for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions". Canadian Premier League. September 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "League1 Ontario Historical Standings Women's Division". Canadian Soccer History Archives.