Aurora FC is a Canadian youth soccer club and former semi-professional team based in Aurora, Ontario. The club was founded in 1964 as Aurora Youth Soccer Club and added its semi-professional team to League1 Ontario in 2016.
The semi-professional team was initially known as Aurora United FC in its debut season, before shortening the name to Aurora FC in 2017.[1] The team played its home games at Stewart Burnett Park,[2] which was opened in 2018.[3] They departed League1 Ontario in 2020, becoming an affiliate club of Simcoe County Rovers and transferring their League1 Ontario license to them.
The club was founded in 1964 as Aurora Youth Soccer Club.[4]
In 2015, while playing in the amateur Ontario Soccer League, the team was invited by the Peru Olympic football team to play an exhibition match, after Peru had finished playing in the 2015 Pan American Games.[5][6] The Peruvians defeated Aurora 5–0.[7][8]
The team added its semi-professional teams in League1 Ontario in the men's and women's division in 2016 under the name Aurora United FC.[9] The men's team announced former Canadian national team and Toronto FC player Jim Brennan as its first head coach.[10] They played their inaugural match on April 29, 2016 on the road against Durham United FC, which ended in a 2–1 defeat.[11][12] The women's team debuted on May 7 against Vaughan Azzurri with a 1–1 draw.[13]
In 2017, the semi-professional teams and youth club decided to formally adopt the same Aurora FC name and logo.[14] Jim Brennan left the club in 2018 to join the newly created Canadian Premier League,[15] as head coach of York9 FC.[16][17] The club did not return to League1 Ontario for the 2021 season,[18] and instead became an affiliate club of new team Simcoe County Rovers,[19] transferring their League1 Ontario license to them.[20]
| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | League1 Ontario | 16 | 4–3–15 | 8th, Eastern (13th) | Did not qualify | Quarter-finals | [21] |
| 2017 | 16 | 2–2–17 | 8th, Eastern (15th) | Did not qualify | Round of 16 | [21] | |
| 2018 | 17 | 3–3–10 | 15th | Did not qualify | Round of 16 | [21] | |
| 2019 | 16 | 6–3–6 | 10th | Did not qualify | – | [21] | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[22] | ||||||
| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | League1 Ontario | 9 | 5–3–8 | 6th | – | Quarter-finals | [23] |
| 2017 | 11 | 9–2–9 | 6th | – | Round of 16 | [23] | |
| 2018 | 13 | 2–2–8 | 11th | Did not qualify | Quarter-finals | [23] | |
| 2019 | 14 | 1–2–10 | 13th | Did not qualify | – | [23] | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[22] | ||||||
