CCAA Men’s Soccer Nationals return to Durham
The 2019 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men’s Soccer National Championship will be hosted by Durham College in Oshawa, ON.
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) institution will host the event Nov. 6-9, 2019. The Lords last hosted CCAA Soccer Nationals in 1999 when it was still a combined men’s and women’s event.
“The Lords have a history of success in the OCAA and at CCAA Nationals and have been an excellent host for many CCAA National Championships,” said David Munro, CCAA VP Programs. “Ken Babcock and his staff are very experienced and comfortable hosting, so we look forward to a fantastic week of soccer.”
Last fall, Durham hosted the 2017 CCAA Golf National Championships, presented by PING, at Royal Ashburn Golf Club.
“We are very proud to be hosting our 15th CCAA National Championship in our school history,” said Ken Babcock, Director of Athletics at Durham. “A highly committed host committee is dedicated to making this prestigious event memorable for all.”
All games will be contested at Vaso’s Field, which will be converted into a multi-sport facility. The conversion from natural grass to a FIFA-certified sports field is scheduled to finish in August 2018.
The facility will include FIFA approved artificial infill turf by AstroTurf Inc., which will make Vaso’s Field the first in Canada to have the new product. In addition, the current lighting system will be replaced with new energy efficient LED stadium lighting.
“The new leading-edge infill artificial turf product with root zone (Astro Turf) we are installing will be the first of its kind at a post-secondary school in Canada,” said Babcock. “The new field will also allow for Durham College to host major provincial and national events such as CCAA Nationals right on campus.”
The eight-team tournament will feature conference champions from the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC), OCAA, Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) and Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) as well as two wildcard teams and the host Lords.
Prior to the VIU Mariners (PACWEST) capturing CCAA gold on home soil in Nanaimo, BC, last fall, the previous five CCAA National Champions came from the OCAA.
The 2018 CCAA Men’s Soccer National Championship will be hosted by Holland College in Charlottetown, PE, from Nov. 7-10, 2018.
