The Laval Comets () 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.
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. The club was set up as a non-profit organization owned by the 3 partners, to assure the long-term survival of the team.
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.(French)La courte histoire des comètes, http://www.lavalcometes.com/lavalcometes.com/Equipe.html 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.Photo:
Year-by-year YearLeagueDivisionRegular seasonPlayoffs2006USL W-LeagueNorthern Division3rdDid not qualify2007USL W-LeagueNorthern Division3rd (French) Match nul à Toronto, http://www.lavalcometes.com/lavalcometes.com/Nouvelles/Entrees/2007/7/21_Match_nul_a_Toronto.html First round (French)Saison 2007 terminée, http://www.lavalcometes.com/lavalcometes.com/Nouvelles/Entrees/2007/7/25_Saison_2007_terminee.html 2008USL W-LeagueNorthern Division3rd (French) Victoire contre Toronto, http://www.lavalcometes.com/lavalcometes.com/Nouvelles/Entrees/2008/7/23_Victoire_contre_Toronto.html Conference Semifinals2009USL W-LeagueGreat Lakes Division5th (French) Grosse commande pour les Comètes, (French) Défaite pour terminer la saison, http://www.lavalcometes.com/lavalcometes.com/Nouvelles/Entrees/2009/7/21_Defaite_pour_terminer_la_saison.html Did not qualify2010USL W-LeagueGreat Lakes Division3rd (French) Les Comètes qualifiées pour les séries, http://www.lavalcometes.com/lavalcometes.com/Nouvelles/Entrees/2010/7/19_Les_Cometes_qualifiees_pour_les_series.htmlFirst round (French) Saison des Comètes terminée : Bilan positif, http://www.lavalcometes.com/lavalcometes.com/Nouvelles/Entrees/2010/7/23_Saison_des_Cometes_terminee__Bilan_positif.html 2011USL W-LeagueGreat Lakes Division2ndConference Semifinals2012USL W-LeagueCentral Division3rdConference Semifinals2013USL W-LeagueCentral Conference1stlost in Championship2014USL W-LeagueCentral Conference3rdConference Semifinals2015USL W-LeagueNortheastern Conference1stNational 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).(French) Sept (7) joueuses à la qualification de la Coupe du Monde U20 féminin, http://www.lavalcometes.com/lavalcometes.com/Nouvelles/Entrees/2010/1/20_Sept_(7)_joueuses_a_la_qualification_de_la_Coupe_du_Monde_U20_feminin.html 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
Coaching staff 2014 Head Coach: Cindy WalshCindy Walsh to lead Comets Assistant Coach: Chantal Daigle
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.(French) (French) http://www.rds.ca/soccer/chroniques/299880.html(French) Several former players on the Comets played for the Amiral SC.(French) Guillaume Dumais, Amiral SC: des comètes filent à Québec, http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/sports/soccer/200905/19/01-857968-amiral-sc-des-cometes-filent-a-quebec.php(French) 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.(French) Les Comètes visent un premier championnat dans la W-League, http://www.courrierlaval.com/Sports/Soccer/2007-03-24/article-1129554/Les-Cometes-visent-un-premier-championnat-dans-la-W-League/1 After a disappointing season in 2009 (French) Les Comètes écartées des séries éliminatoires, (where the average gate was between 800 and 900 people), the attendance to the matches fell to 266 persons a match in 2010.Taking Attendance, 8/2/2010, http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?p=3455
The all-time single-game high was the 952 fans in attendance against Ottawa Fury Women on Friday, July 4, 2008.(French) http://www.lavalcometes.com/lavalcometes.com/Nouvelles/Entrees/2008/7/4_Les_Cometes_sincline_devant_le_Fury.html
External links Officiel web site of Laval Comets/Comètes de Laval Laval Comets on USL Soccer
References