Simcoe County Rovers have announced Canadian international star Cyle Larin has joined the Barrie-based club as a co-owner. 

Larin, a prolific attacking player for the Canadian national soccer team and Beşiktaş (Turkish Super League), has acquired a minority stake in Rovers Sports and Entertainment Group. 

Larin joins fellow Canadian soccer icon Julian de Guzman as co-owners in the Rovers group and several other individuals. De Guzman is Canada’s most capped senior men’s player and the first Canadian to play in Spain’s La Liga.  

De Guzman expressed his delight over Larin joining the club. He said: “We are hyper-focused on attracting a number of high-performing individuals to the club to promote our female and male programs. Cyle is playing at the highest level internationally with Canada and at club level with Beşiktaş. He is known through the international soccer world and will bring tremendous amounts of knowledge and experience to our players and a vast network for our club. Bringing in Cyle is a massive coup for Simcoe County, the Rovers, and Ontario’s youth soccer community.” 

Earlier in the summer, the Simcoe County Rovers FC were accepted in the Huronia District Soccer Association. The club has formalized youth affiliation agreements with top youth programs representing over 6,000 youth members: Aurora FC, Barrie Soccer, and Athlete Institute FC. 

The newly-formed club will also launch senior male and female programs in 2022, which could include a men’s side participating in League1 Ontario starting in 2022. 

Co-Founder Peter Raco told Georgian Sports News: “The club’s mission is to elevate our football standards across our communities, engage players and supporters across the County, and win trophies for our community. We expect to be contenders in our first year and qualify for the Canadian Championship tournament. We want to create a proper football culture and environment in area, and a club that fosters supporter engagement.”

The Rovers will announce additional owners and the complete technical and management team over the next three months. The club intends on announcing its league status in the near future. 

For more information on Simcoe County Rovers, visit: www.instagram.com/simcoeroversfc