It’s true: for several different reasons, Canadian soccer supporters have taken to the internet in disproportionate numbers. Why start yet another Canadian soccer site?  What will make this one any different from the rest?

Well, for one, the Spirit of Forsyth is dedicated to Canadian soccer history, a topic that currently lives online in a few dedicated but scattered corners.  Historians like Colin Jose have worked tirelessly for years to save Canadian soccer’s rich history from oblivion; continuing this work online can ensure younger players and fans can learn something new about the Canadian game. I also hope to do my part in unearthing little-read archival information in order to get a better sense of the roots of the game here in Canada.  Time, money, and geography entail much of this work will be initially focused on the Southern Ontario, but it’s my hope the Spirit of Forsyth will expand to include research from across the country.  Think of this site as a gathering place for soccer history enthusiasts.

Yet The Spirit of Forsyth will go further; this won’t be a niche site for historians interested only in attendances and scorelines.  History tells the story of the present, and Canadian soccer can only benefit by learning from the myriad mistakes of the past.  So in that vein, TSOF will strive to present Canadian soccer history in the context of current events.  It will endeavour to connect atomized historical moments in Canadian soccer into a centuries-long narrative.  We are after all a country full of talented players of all ages who go unrecognized, often until it’s too late.  We are a country with a rich and vital history in the beautiful game, and we are still working under a system that was already failing Canadian soccer almost a century ago.

Even so, there will be something here for the interested non-soccer fan: a window into Canada’s hidden cultural history.  As Uruguayan historicist and poet Eduardo Galeano reminds us, soccer is as much part of national culture as music or visual art.  In Canada, soccer tells the story of cultural change, whether from the waves of newcomers following World War II, or the rapid industrialization at the turn of the twentieth century, or from the connecting power of digital media.  Canadians interested in the powerful but unheralded forces which transformed this country from a staunch, post-loyalist Victorian outpost to a, liberal-minded, multi-cultural democracy would do well to study the history of soccer.

Moreover, this is a site dedicated to David Forsyth, a visionary of the Canadian game, and a statesmen.  The site’s first post will give you an idea of why I chose him as the title of this site, and why I think Forsyth is a model of the sort of citizens the game needs to flourish in this country.