With seasons ticket holder packages arriving on doorsteps and the first game less then a week away it’s time for a quick roundup of RPB related items that are in progress.

Seattle Away Viewing Parties

This year we are hosting two official viewing parties for the opener against Seattle. The first is at our everyday home during the season Shoeless Joes  at King & Dufferin (1189 King Street West). We expect quite a few people there and we’ll be warming up our vocal cords for the season starting at 2:30PM

The KW Chapter folks will also be kicking off the season right and hosting a viewing party at their home away from home Failte Irish Pub in Waterloo, Ontario. So if you can’t make it to Toronto and are in the area drop by and watch it with all of our amazing members from KW.

Just a reminder these viewing events are not members only and are open to EVERYONE so if you are interested in getting to know us get out there. If you are dropping by and are new get in touch with us on Twitter and we’ll be sure to try to make you feel at home.

Home Opener March!!

March 22nd is quickly approaching and we invite everyone to come down to Shoeless Joes before the game for a few pints and to get your voices ready. We will be leaving at 3:15PM to stretch our legs and lungs and march to BMO with fellow supporters. Everyone is welcome bring your voices and if you have flags make sure those are ready!

Tailgate Team Recruiting

The fearless tailgate team leader Suds is looking for a few good men and women to “man” the grills this coming year. If you are a new member and looking to get involved in a small close knit team give the following post a read:

http://forums.redpatchboys.ca/showthread.php?35461-RPB-Tailgate-Team-Looking-for-Volunteers

Member Scarf Ordering

After multiple rounds of voting this years membership scarf was selected and CoachGT is now taking orders. A reminder the scarf is a members only item and can be purchased right here:

http://forums.redpatchboys.ca/showthread.php?35433-2014-Member-Scarf-Order-Thread

Membership Drive

With the AGM complete membership renewals and new membership applications are now in full swing. Everything you need to know about applying can be found here:

http://redpatchboys.ca/membership/

If you aren’t sure if membership isn’t for you that’s no biggie; come out to our public events and get to know us. If you find you believe what we believe and the group is for you then consider joining.

Home Opener Banner Update & Coming Events

Thanks to everyone that came out and helped with this years opening banner. We’ve got lots of more great stuff in the works so keep checking the board for the next session or to contribute your own ideas for a display.

Over the past year, supporter groups from across Major League Soccer worked together to fund, design and deliver a new Supporters’ Shield to replace the previous trophy. The shield is given to the team who has the most points at the end of the regular season. To celebrate the hard work and combined contribution from supporters across the league, a “Tour of the Shield” was set up to ensure it visited every club during the 2013 season.

This coming Saturday, the Supporters’ Shield will be in town and we’d like to invite all TFC supporters to come down to see the shield and celebrate the hard work of supporters across the league. We will have the shield with us at Shoeless Joe’s (1181 King Street West) starting at 1:00PM to approximately 3:00PM for supporters and fans to see it and even take their picture with it.

The shield was funded independently by supporters across the league (contributions from all groups involved in its creation). In order to help cover these costs and the ongoing maintenance, a limited amount of scarves have been created and will be available for purchase at Shoeless Joe’s.

The scarves will be sold for $20 each and all proceeds will go towards the shield itself. For more details on the the shield and the tour please visit the Supporters’ Shield Foundation website here: http://supportersshield.org/

The shield is a direct result of the cooperation of the Independent Supporters Council; for information about the council please visit their website here: http://independentsupporterscouncil.com/

Finally the new Supporters’ Shield shares a  strong connection with Toronto as it was designed, built and brought to a realization by members of our very own Red Patch Boys.

Board Update

Things are coming together and the necessary software upgrades are occurring. Once the software upgrade is complete some internal testing will need to take place prior to relaunching it to the public. The issues described in last weeks post have been resolved and now its only a matter of the IT folks finding the time in their busy schedules to complete the work.

Elections

A quick reminder to members RPB elections will be held this year. Further details will be shared with the membership when the boards are back online.

Tournament

This years summer tournament will be taking place this Saturday (September 14, 2013) with everything getting started at 10:00AM. This years tournament is being held in Newmarket at Haskett Park:

View Map

Teams participating are reminded of the $250 fee which covers insurance and the field costs.

Once the winner of this years tournament is crowned post game drank and festivities as well as a TFC viewing party will take place at the Lion and Firkin in Newmarket located at 1091 Gorham Street.

Tournament Coordination

At this point in time it’s not expected that the boards will be back up by this weekend which we know makes coordinating a royal pain. Send your questions in on twitter and facebook and we will do what we can to coordinate and answer questions. You can get in touch with the man leading the charge on twitter @Stouffvillain

The Website

A lot of people are wondering when the forums will be returning and why they have been down for so long. First off its not some conspiracy to keep them closed off while TFC is doing what they do “best”. Rather there have been issues getting the right people access to the right parts of the website in order to fix the hole that caused the hack and to bring the board back up. These access issues are not the result of the hack. After the website switched hosting companies the list of people with access was trimmed down significantly for security reasons. This has had the unfortunate side effect of leaving us in a precarious position if certain people are unavailable or away on vacation and in the last few weeks we have been working hard to get the right people the right access. This just managed to happen before everything was correctly setup.

We will continue to update people via social media on the state of the boards whenever we have anything to share and rest assured that all those involved are pushing hard to resolve the issue. When the boards do return we will answer everyones questions and provide further details on the issue and the steps taken to prevent it from occurring again.

Today is a day where we as a group and as a community stand up against prejudice and discrimination against an individual based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

If you have a few minutes to spare follow the link below to learn about a great group promoting acceptance and inclusion in soccer.

http://gay4soccer.com/

For more details about today please click here:

http://www.homophobiaday.org/

Remember that while today is the day we remind ourselves to stand against homophobia and transphobia we must continue to stand up against this discrimination every single day.

While not entirely TFC related we did want to share the following announcement regarding the 2013 Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame with everyone. We have also included contact details for those interested in attending the banquet dinner itself (just a reminder we have a game June 1) . Now the announcement itself:

The Soccer Hall of Fame is pleased to welcome in the 2013 Induction Class, three Players, three Builders, a Pioneer, a Team of Distinction and an Organization of Distinction.  This year, The Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies will take place in Toronto on the June 1-2 weekend.

Paul Peschisolido and Jason DeVos, two Canadian born soccer players, who made a name for themselves playing in Britain, are part of this year’s Induction Class.  Peschisolido born in Pickering Ontario and DeVos born in London Ontario, played a considerable number of games in England’s professional leagues in addition to proudly representing Canada internationally.  These remarkable players are just two of the outstanding soccer personalities to be inducted into The Soccer Hall of Fame on June 1, 2013.

Player Janine Helland, as well as Builders Kevin Muldoon, Bill Gilhespy and Alex Hylan have been named to the 2013 Induction Class.   Also being recognized are Pioneer Award winners Roland, Paul Emile and Marcel Castonguay (all bothers), Canada’s 1984 Men’s Olympic Team for the Team of Distinction, and Vancouver Columbus FC for the Organization of Distinction.

PLAYERS

JASON DEVOS

Jason played 49 times for Canada and captained the team that won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000.  He began his professional career in the old Canadian Soccer League with the London Lazers in 1990.  When the league folded in 1992, he moved to Montreal to play for the Impact in the American Professional Soccer League appearing in 55 games before crossing the Atlantic to play for Darlington, then joining Dundee United of the Scottish League.  His next stop was Wigan Athletic where he captained the team to the Nationwide Second Division championship in the 2002-03 season.  In total Jason played a total of 398 games and scored 32 goals in the English Leagues before retiring with Ipswich Town at the end of the 2007-2008 season.  Following his retirement as a player he became an analyst on soccer telecasts with CBC and GOL-TV and is now an analyst with TSN.

PAUL PESCHISOLIDO 

Paul came to prominence during the FIFA Under-16 World Tournament in 1987 and went on to play 53 times for Canada.  He was a member of Canada’s CONCACAF Gold Cup winning team in 2000.  Paul began his professional career in the old Canadian Soccer League with the Toronto Blizzard in 1989.  When the league folded in 1992, Paul had a trial with English First Division club Birmingham City and was quickly signed.  During the 1992-93 season he played in 19 games and scored 7 goals and the following season scored 9 goals in 24 games. During his English pro career he played for Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United, Norwich City, Derby County and Luton Town.  Altogether he played 447 games in England’s Football Leagues and scored 118 goals.

JANINE HELLAND

Janine played 47 times for Canada and was a member of the Women’s World Cup team in 1995 and 1999.   In 1995 in Sweden she played in the centre of the defence against England, Nigeria and Norway, and in 1999 in the United States against Japan, Norway and Russia.  She played at the University of Alberta for the Pandas from 1990 to 1994 and was a member of the Edmonton Angels team that won the Centennial Shield in 1995 and 1999.  She also won a silver medal in two CONCACAF championships and was a two time runner up as Women’s Player of the Year.  After her retirement she coached and led the Edmonton Aviators in the W-League for one season.

Builders

KEVIN MULDOON

No individual or professional staff member in Canadian soccer history has been involved with as many Canadian Men’s and Women’s National Teams, spanning four decades, as Kevin Muldoon.  Kevin’s career highlights include, his involvement in the Men’s team at the Quarter-Finals of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the 1986 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Mexico and the 1999 Women’s World Cup in the United States.  For 26 consecutive years Kevin was employed by the CSA (1982-2008) in the capacities of National Teams Equipment Manager, National Teams Goalkeeping Coach and on many occasions working as the Team’s Administrator with the younger Canadian National Teams on both the male and female side.

BILL GILHESPY 

Bill has been involved in soccer at the provincial, national and international levels for over 40 years. He served as President of the Alberta Soccer Association from 1980 to 1984.  In 1984 he became a member of the Canadian Soccer Association Executive where he remained until 1997.  While at the Canadian Soccer Association he represented Canada as Head of Delegation in many countries in international soccer competitions. Bill also served as Chairman of the National Teams Committee and was a member of the Player Status Commission of CONCACAF.  He was inducted into the Edmonton Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2004

ALEX HYLAN 

Alex Hylan began his involvement with soccer in Montreal where he was appointed secretary to the Quebec Minor Soccer Association and continued as a member of the Promotions Committee from 1964-1973.  He was a founding member and was involved with the formation of the Canadian Minor Soccer Association in 1969.  Established at a meeting held in Toronto on June 1, 1969 the CMSA was formed for the purpose of fostering and developing the game of minor soccer in Canada, he later served as President of the Association in 1972.  Following more than 20 years in Quebec he moved to British Columbia where from 1977 to 1988 he became a member of the Executive of the Canadian Soccer Association responsible for Technical Programs

Pioneer

CASTONGUAY BROTHERS  

Roland, Paul Emile and Marcel Castonguay were among the finest players of their era not only in Quebec but across Canada.  Roland won the National Championship playing on the wing for Verdun Park in 1934 and went on to star with his brothers Paul Emile and Marcel making up the forward line in the 1939 final.  Later that year Paul Emile was offered a trial with Glasgow Celtic but the war intervened.  Marcel and Paul Emile played together in the 1948 national final in which Carsteel beat Vancouver St. Andrews to capture the championship.  Roland was voted one of the Players of the Half Century by the Canadian Press in 1950.

Organization of Distinction
VANCOUVER COLUMBUS F.C
Vancouver Columbus F.C. is one of the most successful men’s amateur clubs in Canada having appeared in a record six national finals and won the Canadian Championship four times.  Columbus F.C. won the National Championship in 1964, 1969, 1977, 1978 and were finalists in 1968 and 2007.  They have also won the Province Cup, the championship of British Columbia, six times and won the Pacific Coast League Championship a remarkable seven times.  Since being formed 58 years ago, Columbus F.C. has produced more Canadian National Team players then any other amateur club in Canada.

Team of Distinction

1984 OLYMPIC MEN’S TEAM 

In 1984, The National Men’s team qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time in our history.  The final rounds of Olympic competition were staged in four different venues across the United States and Canada was drawn in a difficult group that included Iraq, Yugoslavia and Cameroon.  Canada was faced with the difficult task of beating Cameroon to qualify for the quarter finals.  Cameroon were perhaps the finest and most skillful African team of that era, but Canada, on two goals from Dale Mitchell and one from Igor Vrablic, recorded one of it’s finest victories to win 3-1 before 27,621 fans.  Canada was matched up against Brazil in the quarter finals with the game ending in a shoot out resulting in an impressive fifth place finish for the Canadian squad.  This team formed the nucleus of the team that qualified for the World Cup for the first time two years later.

STAFF:
Tony Waiters (Coach) , Les Wilson (Manager), Bob Bearpark (Assistant Coach),
Kevin Muldoon (Goalkeeper Coach/Equipment Mgr), Marc Rizzardo (Physiotherapist), Dr. Ed Johnson (Doctor) and Alex Hylan (Head of Delegation)

PLAYERS:

Ian Bridge, John Catliff, Pasquale DeLuca, Gerry Gray, Ken Garraway, Sven Habermann,
Paul James, Tino Lettieri, Bob Lenarduzzi, Craig Martin, Dale Mitchell, David Norman,
Randy Ragan, Mike Sweeney, Igor Vrablic, Bruce Wilson and Terry Moore.

The Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held at the InterContinental Toronto Centre, 225 Front Street West on Saturday, June 1, 2013.  There are a limited number of tickets for the June 2^nd Rematch between the Canada and US Women’s National Teams.  These tickets are available for purchase when a Hall of Fame Induction Banquet ticket is purchased and will be sold on a first come first served basis.  Ticket information will be available at www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca. For information more about tickets to the Induction Banquet, please contact Robyn Caton (905) 264-9390 x 230 or rcaton@soccer.on.ca.

For more information, please contact Kim Watson at (905) 264-9390 x 244 or kwatson@soccer.on.ca