For much of its history, Toronto was a deeply Protestant and very Irish city.
A century ago, the city’s most popular soccer team was known as Ulster United or the Red Handers – names that reference to Northern Ireland – and attracted a fiercely Protestant fanbase to Ulster Stadium in the east end. Today’s soccer scene is much more inclusive. When Toronto Football Club (TFC) was founded in 2007 as part of Major League Soccer (MLS), the Reds welcomed a more diverse set of fans than the Red Handers ever did, connecting people across a multicultural city deeply proud of its diversity.
