The Sauga City Collective is a group of supporters who are trying to encourage an ownership group to establish a Canadian Premier League club in Mississauga, but that doesn’t mean the CPL has the entirety of the group’s attention: the group supports local football at all levels, and that’s where the newly-announced Credit River Cup comes into play.

The new fan-made trophy is named after the river that flows through the Peel Region, connecting its cities and towns together. In fact, the name Mississauga is derived from the Anishinaabe word for ‘those at the great river mouth’, so it made a lot of sense to name the fan-made trophy after the Credit River.

So, who competes for the trophy? The Credit River Cup is contested between three Mississauga-based League1 Ontario sides: North Mississauga SC, ProStars FC, and Sigma FC. The direct head-to-head results between all three teams will determine the winner by points total followed by goal difference. In essence, it’s a process that will be familiar to Canadian Premier League fans who saw the league’s interim three-team CONCACAF League qualification system this year.

The final game between the three clubs will play on August 16 at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre, where North Missisauga SC will play Sigma FC. A win, draw, or one goal loss will see North Mississauga become the first team to lift the Credit River Cup, while a win by two or more goals will see Sigma FC jump up from last place to snatch the trophy.

We spoke with Sauga City Collective co-founder Mark Guilherme following the announcement of the cup, and he revealed that the supporters’ group went through a month-long process looking for a cup that would do the Credit River justice. A local trophy shop worked with the group to design the rippled silver cup shown above, which features a plated marble base with a design created by one of the Sauga City Collective’s own members.

Here’s an excerpt from our chats with the SCC co-founder:

How closely have you worked with the league itself regarding the trophy?

We have a close relationship with League1 Ontario Commissioner Dino Rossi and North Mississauga’s Operations Manager, Chris Keem. We spoke briefly with both to ensure there wouldn’t be any issues arising from the creation of the Credit River Cup but being a supporter-driven initiative, this project was done without much league involvement. We’re working with the league to have the August 16th match live-streamed as well and should have confirmation on that soon. Since our group’s inception, both Dino and Chris have been solid advocates of our cause. Being a Mississauga native, we know Dino is just as proud to see the progress made in our city.

If Mississauga does get a CPL club, what will be the process of determining the winner of the Credit River Cup?

We’re launching the Credit River Cup as a competition aimed at the grassroots level of soccer in Mississauga. When we get a Canadian Premier League club we’ll still be committed to that cause and the legacy it will have hopefully created.

From our group’s beginnings in 2017, it’s been our mission to support local soccer at all levels. We believe the talent produced by our city is among the best in the country and many have gone on to represent Canada at the national level. With that in mind, we couldn’t think of a better time to create a new legacy that is exclusively Mississauga, a tradition that the supporters of our city can rally behind every year.

When it comes to a potential Canadian Premier League expansion club, it looks like Mississauga can certainly support such a venture: Canada’s sixth-most populous municipality is home to over 700,000 people, with the city playing host to some 80,000 registered indoor and outdoor soccer players. The biggest roadblock that Mississauga faces is simply finding a suitable location for a stadium, though it’s a problem for which the city is actively seeking a solution. The city is expected to complete a stadium feasibility test in the near future, which might offer the solution that prospective ownership groups have been looking for.

In the meantime, the Credit River Cup is a great way to celebrate the city’s sports at the grassroots level. Mississauga sporting history will be made later this month thanks to the fan initiative, and we can only hope that the soccer movement in Mississauga continues to grow. With the help of fans like Guilherme and the rest of the Sauga City Collective, the future is looking bright.

Guilherme also confirmed that the group would be revealing more details about the cup later this week.

Image Credit: Sauga City Collective