Kingston FC status moving forward...

As mentioned a few weeks ago, Kingston FC withdrew from the CSL this season. The story that came out over the next few days was that the team had applied to the Ontario Soccer Association in an attempt to enter League1 Ontario as a second eastern Ontario team after the Kingston Clippers.

Today, the organization announced that they are working toward a move into the OSA structure as an OSA Recognized Non-Club Academy (ORNCA).

The organization started a youth soccer program in the spring of 2014 as the Kingston City Soccer Academy and began transitioning to a more organized academy structure in the fall of that year.

They announced today that they have two applications pending with the OSA, the first for a League1 Ontario franchise for the Quinte-Belleville region to begin in April 2016 and the second to seek ORNCA status as the Kingston-Belleville FC Pro Soccer Academy. They hope to hear back in the near future on both applications, stating that, "We understand that an OSA determination on accreditation for our Kingston-Belleville FC Pro Soccer Academy may be forthcoming within the next week or two. Our application is now complete and has been thoroughly reviewed by the OSA Technical and Standards teams. We are very hopeful and confident that we will become the first Academy in the region to meet the rigorous standards for OSA ORNCA Academy accreditation."

If  approved, the club would aim to begin operations as a recognized academy immediately with the goal of fielding a men's League1 Ontario team based out of Quinte-Belleville for the 2016 season. A women's League1 Ontario team would hopefully follow in 2017. Lorne Abugov, the chairman, stated, "We have told the OSA and League1 Ontario that a new franchise in Quinte-Belleville should be conditional on our group securing local and regional ownership from the very start.  If Belleville and the region want a pro soccer franchise,  it will be up to local investors and business sponsors to come forward and work with us."