Blue Devils FC

{{for|the team known as Oakville Blue Devils from 2005 to 2007|Brampton United}}

{{Infobox football club

| clubname = Blue Devils FC

| image = Oakville Blue Devils.png

| upright = 0.8

| caption =

| fullname = Blue Devils Football Club

| TV =

| shortname =

| founded = {{Start date and age|2015}}

| dissolved =

| stadium = Sheridan Trafalgar Stadium

| capacity =

| owner =

| chrtitle = President

| chairman = Steven Caldwell{{cite web|title=Steven Caldwell Joins Oakville Blue Devils FC To Help Guide Club into the Future|url=https://www.oakvillebluedevilsfc.com/steven-caldwell-joins-blue-devils-as-president/|website=Oakville Blue Devils FC|access-date=24 October 2019|archive-date=October 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024164719/https://www.oakvillebluedevilsfc.com/steven-caldwell-joins-blue-devils-as-president/|url-status=dead}}

| ceo =

| mgrtitle = Head coach

| manager = Duncan Wilde (men)
Garrett Peters (women)

| league = League1 Ontario

| season = 2024

| position = L1O-P, 7th (men)
L1O-P, 10th - relegated (women)

| website = http://www.bluedevils.ca/

| pattern_la1 =

| pattern_b1 = _white stripes

| pattern_ra1 =

| pattern_sh1 =

| pattern_so1 = _3_stripes_red

| leftarm1 = 000080

| body1 = 000080

| rightarm1 = 000080

| shorts1 = 000080

| socks1 = 000080

| pattern_la2 = _navyborder

| pattern_b2 = _navysideshoulder

| pattern_ra2 = _navyborder

| pattern_sh2 = _white stripes

| pattern_so2 = _color_3_stripes_dark_blue

| leftarm2 =

| body2 =

| rightarm2 =

| shorts2 = 000080

| socks2 = FFFFFF

| firstgame =

| largestwin =

| worstdefeat =

| topscorer =

| fansgroup =

| honours =

| American =

| current = 2024 League1 Ontario season

}}

Blue Devils Football Club (formerly known as Oakville Blue Devils FC) was a semi-professional soccer club based in Oakville, Ontario in League1 Ontario's men's and women's divisions. In October 2024, they merged under Oakville SC's branding, under which they now operate.

History

=Past teams of same name=

File:Oakville BD original.gif

The original Oakville Blue Devils was a member team of the Oakville Soccer Club. The team was built, coached and developed by Phil Iafrati (1947–2013),{{cite web|title=About|url=http://www.oakvillebluedevilsfc.com/about-us/|website=Oakville Blue Devils|publisher=Oakville Blue Devils|access-date=April 1, 2018}} where they won the U19 provincial and national championships in 1998.{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidehalton.com/community-story/5295544-league1-ontario-men-s-soccer-loop-welcomes-oakville-blue-devils/|title=League1 Ontario men's soccer loop welcomes Oakville Blue Devils|date=January 30, 2015|first=Jon|last=Kuiperij|work=Oakville Beaver}} As the Devils reached the end of the youth soccer circuit that season, Iafrati restarted the program with the a U9 program Oakville Blue Stars in 1999.{{cite web|url=http://images.oakville.halinet.on.ca/2690189/data|title=Iafrati, Phil (Died)|date=September 19, 2013|work=Oakville Beaver|publisher=Oakville Images|first=Jon|last=Kuiperij}}

In 2005, the second edition of the Blue Devils were formed when the Scarborough-based Metro Lions of the Canadian Professional Soccer League relocated to Oakville and adopted the Blue Devils name, coached by Duncan Wilde.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpsl.org/teams.asp?id=12 |title=Canadian Professional Soccer League - Clubs |date=2005-12-25 |access-date=2016-06-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051225070611/http://www.cpsl.org/teams.asp?id=12 |archive-date=December 25, 2005 }} They won the 2005 season defeating Vaughan Shooters in the final.{{Cite web|url=http://images.halinet.on.ca/OakvilleImages/Images/OI0111198_023.pdf|title=Blue Devils' Gamble pays off in CPSL final|last=Kuiperij|first=Jon|date=October 12, 2005|publisher=Oakville Beaver}} In 2006, Wilde left to manage the Toronto Lynx, which resulted in a mass exodus of players not returning. {{Cite web|url=http://www.insidehalton.com/sports-story/2911472-different-cast-of-blue-devils-seeks-repeat/|title=Different cast of Blue Devils seeks repeat|work=Burlington Post|date=May 26, 2006}} The club was relocated in 2007 and became Brampton United, bringing to an end the period of the Oakville Blue Devils history.

=Revival=

In 2015, the club was founded to play in the semi-professional League1 Ontario, named after the original team from prior years. The Toronto Lynx men's senior team was incorporated into the Oakville team{{cite web|date=February 29, 2016|last1=Crawford|first1=Colin|title=Toronto's Soccer History: 1987 - Present|url=https://www.torontofc.ca/post/2016/02/29/torontos-soccer-history-1987-present|website=Toronto FC|access-date=6 March 2018}} and in late 2017, the teams merged completely under Oakville's umbrella.{{cite web|url=http://www.torontolynxsoccerclub.com/|title=Toronto Lynx Soccer Club|access-date=March 6, 2018|archive-date=March 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307022917/http://www.torontolynxsoccerclub.com/|url-status=dead}} In their inaugural L1O season, they were crowned league champions and qualified for the Inter-Provincial Cup against the champion of the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec to determine the Canadian Division III champion, where they defeated CS Mont-Royal Outremont to win the title.{{cite web|url=https://www.insidehalton.com/community-story/6121999-goal-by-defensive-sub-lifts-oakville-blue-devils-to-victory-in-inter-provincial-cup/|title=Goal by defensive sub lifts Oakville Blue Devils to victory in Inter-Provincial Cup|date=November 17, 2015|first=Jon|last=Kuiperij|work=Oakville Beaver}} In 2017, they won their second title, defeating Woodbridge Strikers in the Championship final on penalty kicks.{{Cite web|url=http://plsq.ca/actualites/a-la-decouverte-du-oakville-blue-devils-fc|trans-title=Discovering Oakville Blue Devils FC|title=À la Découverte du Oakville Blue Devils FC|language=fr|first=Éric|last=Chenoix|date=May 30, 2018|work=PLSQ}}

In 2018, the team played in the Canadian Championship for the first time where they lost in the first qualifying round against 2017 PLSQ champion AS Blainville.{{cite web|url=https://www.canadasoccer.com/oakville-blue-devils-qualifies-for-canadian-championship-p161228%26t%3Dchampionship_article|title=Oakville Blue Devils qualifies for Canadian Championship – Canada Soccer|work=Canadian Soccer Association|access-date=January 12, 2018|archive-date=October 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027164527/https://www.canadasoccer.com/oakville-blue-devils-qualifies-for-canadian-championship-p161228%26t%3Dchampionship_article|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.canadasoccer.com/as-blainville-qualifies-for-canadian-championship-p161180%26t%3Dchampionship_article|title=AS Blainville qualifies for Canadian Championship – Canada Soccer|work=Canadian Soccer Association|access-date=January 12, 2018|archive-date=October 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027164525/https://www.canadasoccer.com/as-blainville-qualifies-for-canadian-championship-p161180%26t%3Dchampionship_article|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.canadasoccer.com/about-s15268|title=About the Canadian Championship|access-date=December 19, 2017|archive-date=December 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052739/https://www.canadasoccer.com/about-s15268|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.insidehalton.com/sports-story/7677528-oakville-blue-devils-reclaim-league1-title-with-dramatic-penalty-kick-victory/|title=Oakville Blue Devils reclaim League1 title with dramatic penalty-kick victory|last=Garbutt|first=Herb|date=October 22, 2017|work=Oakville Beaver|access-date=April 6, 2018}} Later, during the 2018 season, they played a friendly against Italian professional Serie A club Frosinone Calcio, losing by a score of 2–0.{{Cite web|url=http://www.molisana.com/frosinone-calcio-canada/#.YBBvWOhKg2w|title=Frosinone Calcio is Here in Canada|date=July 18, 2018|work=Molisana Imports}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.frosinonecalcio.com/it/frosinone-oakville-blue-devils-2-0/|title=Frosinone - Oakville Blue Devils 2-0|date=July 26, 2018|work=Frosinone Calcio|language=it}}{{cite web|url=https://www.frosinonecalcio.com/it/tournee-canada-il-programma-delle-amichevoli/|title=Tournée Canada/USA, il programma delle Amichevolu|trans-title=Tournée Canada/USA, the friends' program|language=it|date=July 17, 2018|work=Frosinone Calcio}}

Also in 2018, the club added a team in the women's division of League1 Ontario, beginning in the 2018 season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ontariosoccer.net/news_article/show/868516|title=Significant Expansion planned for League1 Ontario|date=December 20, 2017|work=Ontario Soccer Association}}{{cite web|url=https://northernstartingeleven.com/league-1-ontario-2018-preview/|website=Northern Starting XI|title=League 1 Ontario 2018 Preview|first=Dan|last=Baldwin|date=April 27, 2018}} In their second season, the women advanced to the Championship Final, where they were defeated by FC London.{{Cite web|url=https://www.league1ontario.com/news_article/show/1239897|title=A Bluffer’s Guide to Blue Devils|date=September 22, 2022|work=League1 Ontario}} In 2021, the women once again finished as runner-ups after being defeated in the finals by the Woodbridge Strikers.

In 2020, the club merged with GPS Academy and was renamed to Blue Devils FC.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bluedevils.ca/welcome-to-the-blue-devils-kyle-porter-2/|title=GPS Academy to Merge with Blue Devils FC|work=Blue Devils FC|date=October 1, 2020}} The men finished as runner-ups in both 2021 and 2022, being defeated in the Championship Finals by Guelph United FC and Vaughan Azzurri, respectively.

=Merger and future=

In August 2023, they formed a partnership with youth club Oakville SC.{{cite web|url=https://www.oakvillesoccer.ca/club-info/club-news-events/oakville-soccer-club-and-blue-devils-fc-partner-to-forge-a-stronger-high-performance-pathway/|title=Oakville Soccer Club and Blue Devils FC Partner to Forge a Stronger High Performance Pathway|date=August 8, 2023|work=Oakville SC}} In October 2024, they fully merged with the club under the Oakville SC banner.{{Cite web|url=https://www.oakvillenews.org/local-sports/oakville-soccer-club-and-blue-devils-fc-to-merge-into-one-club-9636803|title=Oakville Soccer Club and Blue Devils FC to merge into one club|date=October 10, 2024|work=Oakville News}}{{cite web|url=https://www.oakvillesoccer.ca/club-info/club-news-events/the-oakville-soccer-club-and-oakville-blue-devils-fc-merge-to-form-onetownoneteam/|title=The Oakville Soccer Club and Oakville Blue Devils FC Merge to Form #OneTownOneTeam|date=October 8, 2024|work=Oakville SC}}

Front office and technical Staff

{{updated|July 18, 2018|{{Cite news|url=http://www.oakvillebluedevilsfc.com/about-us/#technicaldepartment|title=About Us|work=Oakville Blue Devils|access-date=July 18, 2018}}}}

class="wikitable"

!Name

!Position

{{Flagicon|ENG}} Duncan Wilde

|League1 head coach

{{Flagicon|ENG}} Billy Steele

|U21 head coach and senior assistant coach

{{Flagicon|CAN}} Glenn McNamara

|Goalkeeper coach

{{Flagicon|SCO}} Steven Caldwell

|President

{{Flagicon|ENG}} Brett Mosen

|Technical staff

{{Flagicon|CAN}} Kim Ashton

|Operations manager

Seasons

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" \|+Men
Season !League !Teams !{{tooltip\|Record\|Wins, draws, losses}} !Rank !Playoffs !League Cup !Canadian Championship !Ref
2015 \|rowspan="9"\|League1 Ontario \|12 \|17–2–3 \|bgcolor="FFEBAD"\|Champions \|– \|Group stage \|– \|{{cite web\|url=http://cansha.coffeecup.com/l1omen.html\|title=League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men's Division\|work=Canadian Soccer History Archives}}
2016 \|16 \|8–4–10 \|6th, Western (10th overall) \|did not qualify \|First round \|– \|
2017 \|16 \|18–2–2 \|bgcolor="B3B7FF"\|1st, Western (1st overall) \|bgcolor="FFEBAD"\|Champions \|First round \|– \|
2018 \|17 \|10–5–1 \|3rd \|Group stage \|Semifinals \|First qualifying round \|
2019 \|16 \|12–2–1 \|bgcolor="B3B7FF"\|1st \|Semifinals \|– \|Did not qualify \|
2020 \|colspan="7"\|*Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic*{{cite web \|title=League1 Ontario cancels Fall season plans for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions \|url=https://canpl.ca/article/league1-ontario-cancels-fall-season-plans-for-2020-due-to-covid-19-restrictions \|website=Canadian Premier League \|date=September 4, 2020}}
2021 \|15 \|9–2–1 \|2nd, West (3rd overall) \|Finalists \|– \|Did not qualify \|
2022 \|22 \|14–5–2 \|2nd \|Finalists \|– \|Did not qualify \|
2023 \|21 \|12–3–5 \|4th \|Semi-finals \|– \|Did not qualify \|
2024 \|League1 Ontario Premier \|12 \|8–6–8 \|7th \|– \|Semi-Finals \|Did not qualify \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|+Men

Season

!League

!Teams

!{{tooltip|Record|Wins, draws, losses}}

!Rank

!Playoffs

!League Cup

!Canadian Championship

!Ref

2015

|rowspan="9"|League1 Ontario

|12

|17–2–3

|bgcolor="FFEBAD"|Champions

|–

|Group stage

|–

|{{cite web|url=http://cansha.coffeecup.com/l1omen.html|title=League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men's Division|work=Canadian Soccer History Archives}}

2016

|16

|8–4–10

|6th, Western (10th overall)

|did not qualify

|First round

|–

2017

|16

|18–2–2

|bgcolor="B3B7FF"|1st, Western (1st overall)

|bgcolor="FFEBAD"|Champions

|First round

|–

2018

|17

|10–5–1

|3rd

|Group stage

|Semifinals

|First qualifying round

2019

|16

|12–2–1

|bgcolor="B3B7FF"|1st

|Semifinals

|–

|Did not qualify

2020

|colspan="7"|Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic{{cite web |title=League1 Ontario cancels Fall season plans for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions |url=https://canpl.ca/article/league1-ontario-cancels-fall-season-plans-for-2020-due-to-covid-19-restrictions |website=Canadian Premier League |date=September 4, 2020}}

2021

|15

|9–2–1

|2nd, West (3rd overall)

|Finalists

|–

|Did not qualify

2022

|22

|14–5–2

|2nd

|Finalists

|–

|Did not qualify

2023

|21

|12–3–5

|4th

|Semi-finals

|–

|Did not qualify

2024

|League1 Ontario Premier

|12

|8–6–8

|7th

|–

|Semi-Finals

|Did not qualify

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|+Women

!Season

!League

!Teams

!{{tooltip|Record|Wins, draws, losses}}

!Rank

!Playoffs

!League Cup

!Ref

2018

|rowspan="6"|League1 Ontario

|13

|7–1–4

|5th

|did not qualify

|Round of 16

|{{cite web|url=http://cansha.coffeecup.com/l1owomen.html|title=League1 Ontario Historical Standings Women's Division|work=Canadian Soccer History Archives}}

2019

|14

|11–0–2

|bgcolor="B3B7FF"|1st

|Finalists

|–

2020

|colspan="6"|Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

2021

|6–1–5

|4th

|Finalists