Our history, our past.
First goal in CPL.
Aliens and Robots.
Welcome to a Special York9 edition of the fanzine.
Many of us have supported the club since day one, and cherish our memories. Today is a celebration of our history. Come on you Nine Stripes.
The Canadian Premier League always seemed like a dream. I've watched football in this country for years, and yet it was always unpolished. TFC came along and was incredibly important for our city and country but never spoke to me, I could just not get into an American League and it’s teams.
It wasn't until York9 came to town that I found what I was looking for, a professional football club 10 minutes down the road from me. I was able to have a place to meet friends for cheap tickets and drinks, a place to build realtionships with the community around me.
It was through York9 I got involved in supporter culture, joining the original group, Generation IX. Through those experiences and memories I learned a lot. of things I would be able to carry forward to Northern Corridor, While York9 might be gone, the relationships and friends built under that banner will forever remain.
Thank you for supporting The Crust
Back around 2015 or so, I had become fully immersed in the world of supporting local football, as I witnessed the birth of a new professional football club in the beautiful city of Ottawa under the nascent and ambitious reboot of the North American Soccer League (NASL), and then moved to Toronto to witness the excitement of the Bloody Big Deals.
It was exciting to be a part of the supporters groups, and watching it blossom, and it drew me into the fascinating online discussions on all things football pyramid/system related in North America, with NASL and USL fully jostling to be the force that would challenge MLS, across the US and Canada. It was within this context when whispers of a possible new entrant in Canada began to emerge. It took many of us soccer fans by surprise, and there were endless furious debates about the pros, the cons, the merits, the disadvantages, the obstacles, and I loved every single moment of it. But it felt surreal and insurmountable, a fully professional and fully Canadian soccer league, it seemed impossible, based on everything that we knew, read, and heard.
Thanks to all the backers, all the players, all the staff, and all the fans and everybody else, Y9 gave us six new rivals instantly, and a derby vs Hamilton where we could invade the city in about an hour or so, and a thrilling home and away David vs Goliath series vs Montreal. And a green inflatable robot/android/alien, and an unmistakably distinct trumpet, and a club that was counting on every single one of us fans to back them into relevance. And a league that needed every single of its fans to overcome all the obstacles you could think of.
Fast forward an exciting 2 years, and we found ourselves at Vaughan City Hall, welcoming the launch of the very 1st CPL club, right here in the GTA, and against all the odds, it felt. The excitement was palpable in the air, through the green smoke that greeted us in the parking lot, and the massive banner in the city hall. It was real, and it was ours, and it was right in front of us. The bastards had done it, they’d overcome all the odds and obstacles, and found the right people crazy enough to be willing to back soccer in Canada not just for the short run, but for the long term future.
To me, York 9, and York United, represents everything about Canadian soccer you can think of. It’s one of the greatest underdog stories you can think of. We have so many obstacles you could name off the top of your head without even thinking about it, but we’re here fighting tooth and nail for everything we got. How can you not respect that? We know we must remain humble in the face of every setbacks you can think of, but also confident and focused. That’s the mentality the CanMNT took to go through an incredible WCQ campaign, and that’s the mentality that the small but mighty Y9 and YU must undertake as well to achieve its goals. To me, York 9 means Cdn soccer, it means everything to me. I hope it stirs up those emotions in you as well. Come on you Nine Stripes.
The Nine Stripes must respect and honour our past.
From Doner to Di Chiara. And Ingham to Aparicio.
For those who sustained major injuries. For those who play in other leagues. For those who focused on their coaching careers. For those who persued other life goals.
The ones behind the scenes: the event staff & coaching staff & front office.
For the supporters who have:
- shown dedication, quietly or outwardly.
- entered others home stadiums with smiling faces.
- took their shoes off for the blue and green.
Have a chug for us Nine Stripes! Then. NOW. Forever.
marci
