CLUB HISTORY

In the summer of 1966 a group of employees from the National Research Council, organized by Peter Marquart, founded the Ottawa Royals S.C. and competed in the old Ottawa Soccer League. They began that year in the second division, where they played until 1970.

By the spring of 1969 the club had captured the very first trophy of the many trophies they would win. This was the result of a win in the Centennials pre-season tournament. A third place finish during the 1969 season resulted in the club being promoted to the first division for the 1970 season, where they have competed ever since.

The Royals won the first division for the first time in 1973 and have dominated the division by winning it 20 times to date, including 9 years in a row, a remarkable stretch that ran from 1988 to 1996.

The Men's Premier team continued to dominate the 1990's winning the OCSL league championship in 1998 and 1999. In 2000 they finished second. The team once again made the final 4 of the Ontario Cup, but was denied again. In 2001 they regained the OCSL championship and won again in 2002. With an aging squad in 2003, injuries and a short bench saw the team finish lower than second for the first time in more than 20 years and it was the first year the team failed to win a trophy. However the team managed to string together some good performances to make it to the Ontario Cup semi final. 2004 was a memorable year. The Men's Premier team started the season with loss in the first round of the CPSL (Canadian Professional Soccer League) Cup to Vaughan in a sloppy loss in extra time. From that point the team did not lose a game until the gold medal game at the National Championships, where they lost 4-3 on penalty kicks. Along the way the Men's Premier team won the OCSL league, the Ottawa Cup and the Ontario Cup.

The Royals have also won the Ottawa Cup 13 times including "The Double" on 7 occassions. 1974 was one of the best years as we won "The Double", the Reserve League, the newly formed Premier League of Eastern Ontario and reached the Semi-finals of the Ontario Cup. Since 1969 the Royals have won over 100 cups, leagues and tournaments at the senior level. These impressive accomplishments have been achieved without the use of paid players.

Everyone who plays for the Royals is a true amateur participant, proof that the best players have always wanted to play for this club. Over the years the Royals have produced a number of premier calibre players. A glance at the roster of the current first division team gives you an insight into the reasons for the team's current success streak.

Memorable names from past premier teams give you a sense of the club's rich heritage. Names such as Billy MacQueen, John Gillespie, John Marshall, Hugh Campbell, John Mulligan, Hugh McColl, Ray Riddel, Vince Tyndal, Kevin Keeling, Jimmy Kerr and most notably a young player by the name of Lyndon Hooper.

Lyndon first joined the club as a fifteen year old and played a number of years with the first team before going on to represent Canada as a member of the national soccer team. (Note: John Gillespie also represented Canada but prior to his arriving in Ottawa.)

For thirty years the Royals have been the premier soccer club in Eastern Ontario and through the dedication, affection and pride of its members it will continue to flourish.