Laval Comets
Former women's soccer team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Laval Comets (French: Comètes de Laval) was a Canadian women's soccer team established in 2006 in the city of Laval, Quebec, Canada, a northern suburb of Montreal. The team was a member of the W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada.
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| Full name | Laval Comets | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Les Comètes | ||
| Founded | 2006 | ||
| Dissolved | 2016 | ||
| Stadium | Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne, Laval, QC | ||
| Capacity | 800 | ||
| Chairman | Philippe Ciarlo | ||
| League | W-League | ||
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The team played its home games at the Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne. The club's colours were light blue and dark blue.
History
The Comets were founded in 2005 by Pierre Marchand, a Laval businessman, following the demise of the Montreal Xtreme (2004) and Dynamites de Laval (1997-2001). Marchand was joined by 3 partners, the Montreal Impact, Centre Sportif Bois-de-Boulogne, and Soccer Québec, who assured the operation of the team for a minimum of three years.[1] The club was set up as a non-profit organization owned by the 3 partners, to assure the long-term survival of the team.[2]
In October 2005, contacts were established with the W-League, and a new franchise was granted to the group for the city of Laval. In November 2005, a competition was started for a name for the new team; hundreds of names were submitted. The club management selected the name Comètes de Laval.[3] In January 2006, the club confirmed its first major team sponsor, Grolsch beer. The team's official colours, uniforms and the first players under contract were presented on March 8, 2006.[4][5]
Year-by-year
| Year | League | Division | Regular season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | USL W-League | Northern Division | 3rd | Did not qualify |
| 2007 | USL W-League | Northern Division | 3rd [6] | First round [7] |
| 2008 | USL W-League | Northern Division | 3rd [8] | Conference Semifinals |
| 2009 | USL W-League | Great Lakes Division | 5th [9][10] | Did not qualify |
| 2010 | USL W-League | Great Lakes Division | 3rd [11] | First round [12] |
| 2011 | USL W-League | Great Lakes Division | 2nd | Conference Semifinals |
| 2012 | USL W-League | Central Division | 3rd[13] | Conference Semifinals |
| 2013 | USL W-League | Central Conference | 1st | lost in Championship |
| 2014 | USL W-League | Central Conference | 3rd | Conference Semifinals |
| 2015 | USL W-League | Northeastern Conference | 1st | National Semifinals |
Players
The Comets had a wide range of talent, some from university and high school teams, and others that have played for the Canadian National Team (7 Comets players in the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship).[14] Seasons were brief since most players played at Canadian and American universities, therefore these were designed to accommodate their schedules, ending the first week of August.
Squad 2014
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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Coaching staff 2014
- Head Coach: Cindy Walsh[16]
- Assistant Coach: Chantal Daigle[17]
Former head coach
Mohamed Hilen (2006-2008)- Lyonel Joseph (2009-2012)
Former assistant coach
- Owen Braun (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
Former assistant coach
- Jimmy Patsilivas (2014 & 2015)
Rivalries
The Comets had a major rivalry with Quebec City Amiral SC.[18][19][20] Several former players on the Comets played for the Amiral SC.[21][22] In matches between the two teams, it was common for supporters to travel between Montreal and Quebec City to watch the teams.
Supporters
At the gate, the Comets had average crowds of 500 fans.[23] After a disappointing season in 2009 [24] (where the average gate was between 800 and 900 people), the attendance to the matches fell to 266 persons a match in 2010.[25]
The all-time single-game high was the 952 fans in attendance against Ottawa Fury Women on Friday, July 4, 2008.[26]