CHALLENGE TROPHY
On May 24, 1912, the Amateur Athletic Union met in Toronto to determine a competition to crown a Canadian national champion.[1] That year, the executive of the Dominion of Canada Football Association invited the Duke of Connaught to become the Patron of the Association. The Duke donated the Connaught Cup to the FA, which became the championship of Canadian soccer; in 1926, the English FA donated a new trophy to replace it as the national championship named the Challenge Trophy.[2]
The inaugual competition in 1913 and the 1914 edition both featured four teams in a league format; both were won by Manitoba side Norwood Wanderers. From 1915 to 1955, the final was generally played as a best-of-three series between the champions of the west and the champions of the east.[1][3] The single-game final used today was first implemented in 1956.
In 1927, the previously amateur-only tournament opened to professional teams. Prior to 1940, fifteen finals were played at Carruthers Park in Winnipeg, (roughly halfway across the country) five in Toronto and one each in Vancouver and Montreal.[1]
From 1954 to 1961, the trophy was replaced by the Carling Cup. The original Challenge Trophy is now retired and on display at The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum in Vaughan, Ontario.[3]
The tournament acted as a men's national championship at the highest level in Canadian soccer in its early years, however, professional and semi-professional tournaments have taken on more importance in recent decades, including the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.
The 2009 Canadian Challenge Trophy will be contested in Saskatoon, SK from October 7th to 12th, 2009. The round robin group seedings are based on last years performance.
JUBILEE TROPHY
The Jubilee Trophy is awarded annually to Canada’s senior women’s national champion. Halifax City was just the second Nova Scotia club to win the championship, following in the footsteps of Halifax Athens United who won in 2003. The Jubilee Trophy has been awarded annually since 1982 and the Edmonton Angels are the top winners with nine championships.
The 2009 Canadian Jubilee Trophy will be contested in Saskatoon, SK from October 7th to 12th, 2009. The round robin group seedings are based on last years performance.