A rendering of the new stadium in downtown Barrie, where Toronto FC II of MLS NEXT Pro will being play in the 2028-2029 season.Supplied
While the World Cup decides a winner this week, Barrie, Ont., is looking to write its own soccer success story.
The growing city of 167,000-plus, located about an hour north of Toronto, has announced plans to build a $28-million soccer-specific stadium with Toronto FC’s reserve side as its major tenant starting with the 2028-29 season.
The city, which owns the land where the stadium is to be built, will pay for construction of the venue, which will open with seating for 3,500 to 3,800. Temporary bleachers can expand that capacity to 6,500, with the stadium design allowing for future capacity to reach up to 10,000.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment will continue to own and operate the TFC reserve team. Barrie Stadium Group, having bought the club’s commercial rights from MLSE, will operate the stadium and look after everything off the field including future stadium costs.
TFC 2 is a developmental side whose roster is currently stocked with young talent such as 16-year-old Jamaican youth international Jahmarie Nolan and 17-year-old Antone Bossenberry and 18-year-old Richard Chukwu, both Canadian youth internationals.
Toronto’s World Cup venue is the little stadium that grew
The team is coached by Gianni Cimini.
TFC 2 is one of 27 MLS team reserve sides in the MLS Next Pro league, which also features three independent franchises. It sits 12th in the 16-team Eastern Conference at 6-9-3.
The second team is currently playing at York Lions Stadium, a 4,000-capacity venue on the grounds of York University in the north part of the city.
“As much as we play in a pretty good stadium at York Lions, it’s just not one that we can create a truly professional environment for them.” said Chris Shewfelt, Toronto FC’s vice-president of business development.
While the second team normally only plays in front of “family and friends” at York, it drew more than 3,000 for a school day game in May.
“We need to create that environment every single time the team steps on the pitch … Barrie will create that opportunity for us,” said Shewfelt.
Eleven members of the current Toronto FC first team came up through the TFC 2 ranks, including goalkeeper Luka Gavran, defenders Kobe Franklin and Raheem Edwards and winger Malik Henry.
The TFC 2 players will live and train in Barrie. The team itself will be rebranded initially to Barrie MLS Next Pro until a permanent name is chosen.
The proposed stadium, near the Lake Simcoe waterfront, will open with a covered stand on the west side with locker-rooms and other team amenities in the south end. The top of the south building will feature a patio for fans.
The stadium will also offer suites, a video board and a small broadcast compound.
Peter Raco, who leads the Barrie Stadium Group as president/CEO along with chairman Jamie Massie, says the venue will be “one of Canada’s most iconic small stadiums,” also playing host to concerts and other sporting events.
“Every square foot of this stadium has been designed with football in mind,” said Raco.
Massie, president and co-owner of Georgian International, brought the Barrie Colts to the area and retains an ownership share in the Ontario Hockey League team. He helped build the hockey team’s Sadlon Arena home.
Raco, president of Vanguard Alliance Group, co-founded the semi-pro Simcoe County Rovers in 2021, bringing in current and former Canadian internationals Janine Sonis, Cyle Larin, Julian de Guzman, Atiba Hutchinson and Doneil Henry into the ownership group.
The team was sold to Barrie Soccer Group in December. Simcoe County continues to play in Ontario Premier League 1 with home games in Barrie at J.C. Massie Field at Georgian College.
For Raco, the backdrop of the World Cup was fitting for Tuesday’s announcement, demonstrating the interest in the sport.
“We’ve benefitted tremendously from the efforts of Canada Soccer to host a World Cup,” he said in an interview. “Ultimately, I don’t know if this project happens without it.
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“So I think it speaks to the long-term impact and legacy that we’re seeing a World Cup has in the community and hopefully this is something that other municipalities see and follow suit.”
Other members of the Barrie Stadium Group are Heljar Hansen, president of Pratt Homes; the Schroeter family, owners of Napoleon; Dino Melchior, president of M Group; and Craig Russell, owner of Pie Ontario Corp.