Football club
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| Full name | Cavalry Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | Cavs | ||
| Founded | May 5, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-05-05) | ||
| Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 6,000 (ATCO Field) 6,000 (Starlight Stadium) | ||
| Owner | Spruce Meadows Sports & Entertainment | ||
| President | Ian Allison | ||
| Coach | Tommy Wheeldon Jr. | ||
| League | Canadian Premier League | ||
| 2024 | Regular season: 2nd Playoffs: Champions | ||
| Website | http://cavalryfc.canpl.ca | ||
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 Current season | |||
| Active teams of Cavalry FC |
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CPL
L1AB |
Cavalry Football Club, is a Canadian professional soccer club based in the Calgary metropolitan region of Alberta. The club competes at the top of the Canadian soccer league system in the Canadian Premier League, and plays their home matches at ATCO Field on the grounds of Spruce Meadows in Foothills County.
The team is managed by Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and owned by Spruce Meadows Sports & Entertainment.
History
On May 5, 2018, Calgary was one of four cities accepted by the Canadian Soccer Association for professional club membership.
Cavalry FC was announced on May 17, 2018, as the second team to officially join the Canadian Premier League. Spruce Meadows Sports & Entertainment Group CEO Linda Southern-Heathcott and COO Ian Allison were joined by league commissioner David Clanachan and league president Paul Beirne to unveil the team.
The club's name, crest and colours were all revealed at the event at Spruce Meadows, while Tommy Wheeldon Jr. was announced as head coach and general manager. Plans to renovate existing facilities at Spruce Meadows, resulting in a soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of at least 5,000 seats, were also revealed.
On June 26, 2019, Cavalry FC qualified for the 2019 Canadian Premier League Championship by winning the inaugural CPL Spring season. The following month the Cavs became the first CPL club to defeat a Major League Soccer club in the Canadian Championship by upsetting Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2019 over two-legs. In 2019, Cavalry FC goalkeeper Marco Carducci became the first CPL player called up to the Canada men's national soccer team.
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On November 9, 2024, Cavalry won its first ever Canadian Premier League championship by defeating four-time winners Forge FC 2–1 at ATCO Field. The team earned a 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup berth in the process.
Colours and crest
The team's crest was designed by Jon Rogers. The crest features a chevron in homage to the Lord Strathcona's Horse armoured regiment, Alberta Foothills and Rocky Mountains, and a football to represent the past and future of Calgary as a sporting city.
The club's colours are green, red and black (branded by the club as "army green," "Calgary red," and "black on black"). These colours symbolize the green of Calgary's nature and Spruce Meadows, and the red and black of other Calgary sports teams and the flag of Lord Strathcona's Horse. The official mascot is a red horse named Sarge.
Stadium
Cavalry FC play at ATCO Field, a 6,000-seat stadium located at Spruce Meadows, at the 'Meadows on the Green' equestrian ring. The stadium is modular to allow for future growth and uses natural grass. In September 2019, Spruce Meadows presented a new area plan to Foothills County, that includes a 12,000 seat soccer-specific stadium on the grounds that would replace ATCO Field over the next 30 years. The record attendance for a game at ATCO Field is 7,052, during the 2024 Canadian Premier League final.
Because ATCO Field is not suited to hosting matches in Canadian winter, Cavalry have played their February home games in the CONCACAF Champions Cup at Starlight Stadium, a 6,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Langford, British Columbia and home to fellow CPL club Pacific FC.
Club culture
Supporters
The Foot Soldiers are a group originally formed in 2015 to support USL League Two club Calgary Foothills and the Calgary Foothills UWS team. The supporters group began supporting Cavalry in the lead-up to the first match, with the group's numbers swelling. Fans sitting in sections 108 and 109 have created a group called the Mighty 109 / 108 who sit on the other side of the entrance arch. The Front Line Ultras stand in section 200 and have supported the team since 2019.
Rivalries
Al Classico
The Al Classico existed with FC Edmonton as a geographical rivalry between the two Alberta-based clubs in the Canadian Premier League. The rivalry is part of a larger sporting rivalry between teams based in Calgary and Edmonton; the two largest cities in the province. The Wildrose Cup was awarded annually to the team that wins the most points from the series in league play (excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), which Cavalry won each year until FC Edmonton ceased operations in 2022.
Cavalry FC–Forge FC rivalry
The Cavalry FC–Forge FC rivalry developed during the 2019 spring season as the two top clubs in the league. The rivalry bled into the 2019 Canadian Championship in which Cavalry defeated Forge 3–2 over two legs on aggregate. The first leg, which resulted in a 1–1 draw, ended with heated altercations between both sides on the pitch, leading to a disciplinary review by the Canadian Soccer Association.
Honours
Players and staff
Roster
- As of December 7, 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Staff
- As of May 21, 2024
| Executive | |
|---|---|
| Owner, chairman, and CEO |  Linda Southern-Heathcott
|
| President and COO | Ian Alisson
|
| General manager |  Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
|
| Assistant general manager | Tofa Fakunle
|
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach | Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
|
| Technical director and assistant coach | Jonathan Wheeldon
|
| Assistant coach | Nik Ledgerwood
|
| Goalkeeper coach |  Jake Davis
|
Head coaches
- As of November 10, 2024
| Coach | Nation | Tenure | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Tommy Wheeldon Jr. | England
|
May 17, 2018 – present | 178 | 91 | 44 | 43 | 051.12 | |
Club captains
| Years | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–2021 | Nikolas Ledgerwood | Canada
|
| 2022 | Mason Trafford | Canada
|
| 2023–present | Marco Carducci | Canada
|
Record
Year-by-year
| Season | League | Playoffs | CC | Continental | Average attendance |
Top goalscorer(s) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | League | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Pos. | Name | Goals | ||||||
| 2019 | 1 | CPL | 28 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 51 | 19 | +32 | 62 | 2.21 | 1st | RU | SF | Ineligible | 3,292 |  Dominique Malonga |
13 | |
| 2020 | CPL | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 16 | 1.60 | – | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | N/A | Jordan Brown Nathan Mavila
|
3 | ||
| 2021 | CPL | 28 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 50 | 1.79 | 2nd | SF | QF | 2,544 |  Joe Mason |
8 | |||
| 2022 | CPL | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 47 | 1.68 | 3rd | SF | QF | 3,492 | Joe Mason |
8 | |||
| 2023 | CPL | 28 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 27 | +19 | 55 | 1.96 | 1st | RU | PR | 4,090 |  Myer Bevan |
11 | |||
| 2024 | CPL | 28 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 39 | 27 | +12 | 48 | 1.39 | 2nd | W | QF | Champions Cup | R1 | 4,223 |  Tobias Warschewski |
15 | |
| 2025 | CPL | − | − | − | − | − | − | − | − | − | TBD | TBD | TBD | Champions Cup | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
1. Average attendance include statistics from league matches only.
2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league season, league playoffs, Canadian Championship, CONCACAF League, and other competitive continental matches.
International competition
- Scores and results list Cavalry FC's goal tally first.
| Year | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | CONCACAF Champions Cup | Round one | Orlando City SC
|
0–3 | 1–3 | 1–6 |
Reserve team
Cavalry operates a reserve team, Cavalry FC U21, in League1 Alberta.
References
- "Cavalry Football Club Joins Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League. May 17, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- Saelhof, Todd (August 28, 2019). "Cavs 'keeper Carducci gets call up to Canadian national team". Montreal Gazette.
- "CPL, Canadian soccer reacts to Cavs' historic win". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- Adams, J.J. (July 24, 2019). "Whitecaps Game Day: Everything on the line in Canadian Championship showdown with Cavalry". The Province.
- "Cavalry FC, Calgary's new professional soccer team, to debut in 2019". Yahoo. May 18, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- "Four clubs get pro membership from Soccer Canada; expected to join CPL". TSN. May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- "Spruce Meadows unveils name of Calgary's pro soccer team". Sportsnet. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- "Canadian Premier League reveals Calgary team "Cavalry FC"". Waking The Red. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- Rieger, Sarah. "Cavalry FC, Calgary's new professional soccer team, to debut in 2019". CBC. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- "Cavalry FC announced as second Canadian Premier League club". Sporting News. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- "Calgary welcomes Canadian Premier League team - 660 NEWS". 660 NEWS. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ Austin, Daniel. "'Cavalry FC' the Canadian Premier League team in Calgary". The Calgary Sun. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- Saelhof, Todd. "Cavalry FC scores first-ever CPL honour by winning spring season title". Calgary Sun. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- Adams, J.J. "Cavalry FC 2, Whitecaps 1: Vancouver's Canadian Championship is over; the MLS season, too". The Province. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- Saelhof, Todd (May 26, 2023). "Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci hits Game 100 of home-team career". Calgary Sun. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- Hall, Vicki (November 9, 2024). "Calgary's Cavalry FC dethrones Hamilton's Forge FC for 1st-ever Canadian Premier League title". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- "Emblem Inspiration". canpl.ca. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- Kanygin, Jordan (September 18, 2018). "New 12,000-seat soccer stadium part of Spruce Meadows future plan". CTV News Calgary. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
- White, Ryan (December 27, 2018). "Construction underway on new soccer stadium at Spruce Meadows ahead of CPL launch". CTV News. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
- Austin, Daniel (May 18, 2018). "'Cavalry FC' the Canadian Premier League team in Calgary". Calgary Herald. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- "New 12,000-seat soccer stadium part of Spruce Meadows future plan". Calgary. September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- McGarvey, Dan (September 19, 2019). "12,000-seat Cavalry FC soccer stadium and field house part of future vision of Spruce Meadows". CBC News. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- Todd Saelhof (November 9, 2024). "'Taste the champagne': Cavalry FC takes down nemesis Forge in CPL finale". Calgary Herald.
- "Club Statement Regarding 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One Venue". Cavalry FC. December 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- "Cavalry FC to Play 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup Round One Home Match at Starlight Stadium in Langford, BC". Cavalry FC. December 13, 2024. Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- Armen Bedakian (July 11, 2018). "Supporter's Voice | Sean Clarke, Foot Soldiers SG". Cavalry FC. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- Van Diest, Derek (June 7, 2018). "Edmonton the next stop for Canadian Premier League". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- John Jacques (September 12, 2019). "Cavalry FC Wins First Silverware With Wildrose Cup". Northern Tribune. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- "Cavalry FC vs. Forge FC developing into CPL's best rivalry". Sportsnet. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- Spencer, Donna (June 12, 2019). "Cavalry FC advance to face Whitecaps in 3rd round of Canadian Championship". CBC News.
- "Roster". cavalryfc.canpl.ca. Cavalry FC. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- "Coaching Staff". Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- "Cavalry FC Announces the Retirement of Team Captain Nik Ledgerwood". Cavalry FC. January 31, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- Vickers, Aaron (April 8, 2022). "Mason Trafford named Cavalry FC captain for 2022 CPL season | Offside". dailyhive.com. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
- "Cavalry FC announces Club Captains for 2023 Season". Cavalry FC. April 13, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- Saelhof, Todd (May 12, 2023). "Cavalry, soccer scene boosted by arrival of under-21 squad". Calgary Sun.
Further reading
- Strasser, Scott (May 13, 2024). Here Come the Cavalry!. Altona, MB: FriesenPress. ISBN 978-1038306548.
External links
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