Hamilton Thunder
Encyclopedia
The Hamilton Thunder were a soccer team located in Hamilton, Ontario
, playing in the Western Conference of the Canadian Professional Soccer League.
The team was founded in 2001 and played its home fixtures at Brian Timmis Stadium
until a rent dispute with the city caused home games to be moved to Vaughan
midway through the 2005 season. The Thunder won the regular season Western Conference championship each season from 2003 to 2005, but lost in the Rogers Cup
semifinal each of those years. During the 2005 playoffs, the Hamilton Spectator revealed that Italo Ferrari, thought to be the owner of the team, was involved in personal bankruptcy
proceedings with no assets, and debts of $
2 million; Ferrari claimed to in fact not be the owner. Two weeks after the semifinal loss, the league announced the revocation of the franchise.
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, playing in the Western Conference of the Canadian Professional Soccer League.
The team was founded in 2001 and played its home fixtures at Brian Timmis Stadium
Brian Timmis Stadium
Brian Timmis Stadium is a stadium in Hamilton, Ontario. The stadium was built in 1968, and seats 5,000 people. The stadium currently hosts association football teams Hamilton Croatia, a Canadian Soccer League club, and the Hamilton Avalanche, a club that plays in the W-League of the United Soccer...
until a rent dispute with the city caused home games to be moved to Vaughan
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
midway through the 2005 season. The Thunder won the regular season Western Conference championship each season from 2003 to 2005, but lost in the Rogers Cup
Rogers Cup (soccer)
The Canadian Soccer League championship final is the final play-off game of the Canadian Soccer League and its predecessor the Canadian Professional Soccer League...
semifinal each of those years. During the 2005 playoffs, the Hamilton Spectator revealed that Italo Ferrari, thought to be the owner of the team, was involved in personal bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
proceedings with no assets, and debts of $
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
2 million; Ferrari claimed to in fact not be the owner. Two weeks after the semifinal loss, the league announced the revocation of the franchise.