Die hard footballers play on hay, too.
If you’re looking to move your sports group to a better platform than Whatsapp, Email chains, Meetup or Facebook, or you’re looking to start a new group, visit OpenSports. OpenSports (web, iOS & Android) is the gold standard for managing sports groups with a full suite of premium tools for managing your events, attendees, and payments. And it’s free to use! If you are a player looking to play more pickup soccer, check out upcoming games at www.opensports.net/discovery
These are some of the best places to play pickup soccer in Toronto, sorted primarily by REGION (Downtown, Scarborough, Mississauga, Etobicoke, North York, Easy York, Vaughan).
Need a field right away? Last Minute Bookings
You can see if a handful of fields are available on the City of Toronto’s Parks and Recreation last minute booking site (you can book if the event is within 14 days): https://booking.toronto.ca/booking/Facilities/FacilitiesSearchWizard.asp?SearchForReset=Y&SearchFor=B
Toronto’s Core Fields
#1 Central Tech Stadium
Outdoor in the summer; The Dome goes up Mid-October every year
Location: Right off the subway at Bathurst and Bloor. 725 Bathurst St.
Central Tech: Toronto’s most central indoor and outdoor facility!
Central Tech (CT) is one of Toronto’s newest indoor and outdoor sports spaces. The dome usually goes up in October, and comes down at the end of April, meaning it is an outdoor turf in the summer. A huge track surrounds the field, making it a perfect spot to walk/run around if you just want cardio.
Weekly drop-in pickup soccer: 8pm to 10pm Saturday pickup soccer session every week for $10 a session (check the links to see if this has changed).
Surface: Turf
Parking: is located on the street or behind the school on Borden Field.
Location: a two minute walk from Bathurst Subway Station, and close to a LOT of bars and restaurants in Bloor Street’s famous Annex strip, for some eats and drinks after a game.
Equipment: Cleats and indoor shoes are allowed. Hooray!
Want to rent a field at Central Tech Stadium? Contact paul@monarchparkstadium.ca and specify what date range, time, and amount of space you need. Note: For a 7v7 game you will rent 1/4 of the whole field.
Rates: can range from $100–225 for one hour on 1/4 field, depending on the time of year. Weekday evenings are usually sold out, while mornings, daytime, and Saturday evenings are usually available. Rates are usually lower on long weekends. A sample rate in the winter is $225+tax/hour for 1/4 field on Saturday between 5- 10pm.
#2 Monarch Park Stadium
Outdoor in the summer; the dome goes up mid-October every year
Location: 7 minute walk from Coxwell subway station. 1 Parkmount Rd, Toronto.
Weekly Drop-in Pickup: Monarch Park Stadium is known for its superior turf quality. The spot hosts a few pickup sessions on the weekends for $10 per person (check the links to see if this has changed).
Surface: Turf
Parking: Yes, free at the facility.
Equipment: Cleats and indoor shoes are allowed.
Want to rent a field at Monarch Park Stadium? Contact paul@monarchparkstadium.ca and specify what date range, time, and amount of space you need. Note: For a 7v7 game you will need 1/3 of the whole field.
Rates: can range from $100–225 for one hour on 1/4 field, depending on the time of year. Weekday evenings are usually sold out, while mornings, daytime, and Saturday evenings are usually available. Rates are usually lower on long weekends. A sample rate in the winter is $225+tax/hour for 1/3 field on Saturday between 5- 10pm.
#3 SoccerWorld
Always indoor
Location: South East of downtown Toronto; not very TTC accessible; 176 Cherry St.
SoccerWorld has a fairly nice complex, with a heated dome, a bar (pints) and free parking. We’re still not convinced that their bar is ever open. Their two indoor turf fields are perfect for 6v6 or 7v7 matches. They also have an outdoor mini pitch, perfect for 3v3 or 4v4 pickup games that they host!
Weekly Drop-in pickup: Friday, Saturday and Sunday for $10 per person (check the links to see if this has changed).
Surface: Turf
Location: SoccerWorld is quite difficult/frustrating to get to via public transit, but still accessible. There is about 10–15 minutes of walking from the closest bus stop.
Parking: At the facility, free.
Want to rent a field at Soccerworld? Contact coordinator@soccerworldcentral.ca and specify what date range, time, and amount of space you need.
Rates: can range from $100–200 for one field, depending on the time of year.
#4 University of Toronto’s Varsity Stadium
Outdoor in the summer, and then the dome goes up around Oct/Nov every year
Located right outside of St. George Subways Station in the heart of Toronto, this Football size turf field is exceptional! They usually only rent it out to UofT students for an incredibly high price.
Want to rent a field at Varsity Stadium? Contact intramurals@utoronto.ca
Rate is around $261/hr (with tax) for 1/3 field.
#5 St. Patrick Secondary School
Outdoor in the summer, then the Dome goes up mid October every year
Location: 49 Felstead Ave, Toronto, ON
There is a brand new FIFA-Standard turf soccer field at St. Patrick’s Catholic Secondary School. After 6 p.m., local groups can rent the field, which is open to the community the rest of the time.
Want to rent a field at St. Patrick Secondary School? Contact matts@monarchparkstadium.com
#6 Allan A. Lamport Stadium (Outdoor in the summer, then the Dome goes up mid-October every year)
Address: 1151 King St. W. (King and Dufferin, just east of Dufferin)
From November 1 to April 30 each year Allan A. Lamport is leased by the City to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). The City does not staff or operate the facility during this time. For information regarding rentals during business hours, contact Denise McIntyre, from MLSE at 905–264–9390, ext. 224.
From April 30-November 1, contact the City of Toronto to permit this field: 416–392–8188 .
#6 The University of Toronto — Back campus
Location: Downtown Toronto; Harbord and Hoskin; St. George Subway Station
UofT Back Campus Turf — Where we found our community.
The back campus turf fields at the University of Toronto, St. George Campus, are almost as good as it gets for free pickup. They have been hosting “supervised” drop-in soccer on Back Campus, M-F, 4:30–7:30, starting May 1st 2017. This means you can just show up there and there will be games to join.
Spanning two professional sized fields that are also split into smaller sections with white lines, this is convenient for smaller games when all you need to use is 1/4 of the field and don’t have your own pylons. The University does run the field with their own programming so sometimes it is booked. Back campus fields are home to a lot of pickup soccer games that are run during the spring and summer on weekday and weekend mornings.
Location bonuses: Close to St. George Station, and Tim Hortons.
Tip #1: No cleats allowed here.
Tip #2: Lights go off at around 10pm so make sure you start your game on time. There is also a lot of pickup after 5pm EVERY day of the week in the summer, so you can usually just show up and join some local players.
Want to find out if the back campus fields are booked? E-mail intramurals@utoronto.ca
#7 The University of Toronto — Front campus
Location: Downtown Toronto; Harbord and Hoskin; St. George Subway Station
UofT Front Campus Grass — Where everything is green and beautiful.
The front campus grass at the University of Toronto is also a great place for pickup soccer, as well as other recreational sports. The university cuts the grass and maintains this park space until the fall. It can be muddy so don’t go after a night of rain (no underground vacuums here!)
Location tip: You can usually find a fairly large patch of grass in this large open space, but watch out for convocation times! UofT uses this large space to pitch their massive convocation tent(s) and they will not let your footy game get in the way of their academics graduating, even if you plea that this is for exercise and the health of the city (we’ve tried!!)!
#8 Christie Pits Park
Location: Downtown Toronto; Bloor and Christie Pits; Christie Pits Subway Station
Mixed Sports Areas: Playing soccer next to softball games, all summer long!
Christie Pits, one of Toronto’s most well known park spaces, is very busy on a Saturday morning. There’s always communities of Torontonians playing different sports like baseball and frisbee, plus friends and couples frolicking in the sunshine on the surrounding hills. There’s frequently a pickup soccer game going down in the summer, which you can usually just join in on. We also list games and work with other organizers who post games at this spacious location.
Location bonus: This is a public space that’s right next to Christie Pits Subway Station.
Location tip: If all of the field spaces are taken with baseball, ultimate frisbee, and soccer players, there are some nearby spaces like Bickford Park and Palmerston Avenue Jr Public School that you can bring your pickup crew to.
#9 North Toronto Collegiate Institute
Location: Midtown Toronto; Yonge and Eglinton; Eglinton Subway Station
Don’t want to play? You can always go for a jog around the track!
North Toronto Collegiate High School boasts a really fresh soccer/football field (turf). Since NTCHS is a high school, it’s off-limits during traditional school hours, but it’s great to plan a pickup game at on weekends in the spring/summer, when it’s normally not overly busy. Sometimes, local soccer organizers plan pickup soccer games here or you can organize one on the OpenSports app (people are eagerly waiting to join your game).
Location bonus: Close to the Eglinton subway station at Yonge and Eglinton (5 min walk). If you’re anything like me, you can grab your Tim Hortons and Cinnabon on your way home, or pop by the Cineplex to watch a film with friends from your game.
#10 Jesse Ketchum
Location: Downtown Toronto, Bay & Davenport; Bay Subway Station
A beautiful turf in a beautiful location.
Jesse Ketchum Public School is located at Bay and Bloor St. near Yorkville Village, but don’t let it’s pristine location deter you. Ketchum’s mid-town location and close proximity to multiple subway stations (Bay, Bloor) makes it a good option for people in most areas of the city. So your friends have no excuse! Local Toronto soccer organizations like XTSC and TSSC host plenty of leagues on this glorious turf.
In terms of pickup soccer…it is difficult to know when leagues and locals are not taking up space on this turf. The TDSB (Toronto District School Board) permits this field out.
_How to get a permi_t: You need to create an account on TDSB’s facility rental platform called ebase. Then, you can use their tools to see which schools have available gyms or fields. Here’s the link: https://tdsb.ebasefm.com/rentals/welcome
#11 Regent Park Athletic Fields
Location: Downtown Toronto; Dundas and River St.; 480 Shuter St
This gem of a turf field will make you think any claims about Regent Park being a priority neighbourhood are outrageous. As this space continues to gain popularity, your chances of finding a chunk of space to play on will decrease, but the good news is there are some grassy fields nearby that you can walk to, like the Regent Park Aquatic Centre at Sumach and Dundas.
#12 Canoe Landing Park
Always outdoors
Location: 95 Fort York Blvd, CityPlace, Toronto
Canoe Landing Park is a public space often played on by locals who peer out of their condo windows and join pickup games.
Note: Canoe Landing is basically booked out all summer long, so if you are looking to secure a permit, you’re probably better off to look elsewhere. Your best bet is just to show up and see if theres already a game going on, or to hope that there is some empty space to set up a game on.
Surface: Turf
#13 Cherry Beach Sports Fields
Always outdoors
Location: South East end of downtown; 275 Unwin Ave
Cherry Beach is a great spot in the summer. It i home to two regulation-sized elite turf sports fields. There’s a lake so you can practically smell the water, and go swimming after to cool off on hot days (there really is a fun little beach near by). The Cherry Beach Soccer Club offers leagues for adults while the fields at 275 Unwin Ave are owned by the city and open for public use. It’s first come first serve or you can reserve the field via the city of Toronto’s parks and recreation website.
Location: Not too far from SoccerWorld, Cherry beach is not the most TTC friendly location (we recommend car pooling).
Want to rent Cherry Beach fields? Use the City of Toronto booking system here, and find some last minute deals on field time HERE.
#14 Eglinton Flats
Location: Etobicoke; Jane and Eglinton
The South East Eglinton Flats grounds has 3 fields (seen above)
Eglinton Flats is split into two complexes, with completely separate parking lots. The North West area has six soccer fields, while the South East area has three fields (everything is grass). The three south east fields are are under flood lights so it’s a popular spot at night for outdoor soccer teams playing in proper leagues. The fields are historically poorly maintained. But, it’s still a big, clean (by Toronto standards), free space. If you venture out to this area, between the 9 fields, you are bound to find empty space for a pickup soccer game.
Location: Busses will bring you to the exact intersection of the fields. However, this is an area where you’ll prefer to get a ride to, as it is relatively far from any subway station.
#15 Earlscourt Park
Always outdoors
Location: Midtown; St. Clair West and Lansdowne
Earlscourt Park, located at St. Clair West and Lansdowne, houses a gorgeous turf soccer field with bleachers and all. South of that field is a less beautiful but fully functional grass field surrounded by a concrete track and an area to shoot some hoops too. In general, there is a lot of grass space for pickup soccer, even if you are not right on the areas delineated for soccer.
The internet warns that the public bathroom isn’t always open so plan ahead.
Location bonus: Earlscourt is right in Corso Italia, aka Little Italy, so there are plenty of local bakeries (such as Nova Era right across the street) and restaurants to fill up on carbs after your game.
Want to rent Earlscourt field? Use the City of Toronto booking system here, and find some last minute deals on field time HERE.
North York Fields
#1 The Hangar
Has all-season indoor fields, and some outdoor turf fields in the summer
Location: 75 Carl Hall Rd, North York, ON
The Hangar is one of the most popular sports complexes in the city with over 600,000 people making use of the facility annually. The Hangar is a go to for indoor soccer with plenty of fields. Make sure to reserve the field ASAP as it fills up quick.
Want to rent a field at The Hangar?: Contact DownsviewBookings@comcastspectacor.com or call 647–260–1560
Rates:
#2 Toronto SoccerPlex
Always Indoor
Location: Not very TTC accessible. 101 Railside Rd, North York, ON.
This place is like an arena- turned-soccer facility!
Toronto SoccerPlex lives up in the northern part of Toronto. It has an on-site bar, foosball and pong tables and sitting area to watch. The four turf fields are a bit smaller than your average indoor pitch (best for a 5v5, or max 6v6 match).
Surface: Turf
Weekly drop-in pickup: They have organized pickup soccer times from 2pm to 4pm each Saturday and Sunday for $10 (check the links to see if they have changed).
Parking: At the facility, free.
Want to rent a field at Toronto SoccerPlex? Contact alexm@torontosoccerplex.com and specify what date range, time, and amount of space you need.
Rates: can range from $80–150 for one field, depending on the time of year. A sample rate is Saturday evenings in the winter $120/hour from 5pm and on.
East York
#1 Toronto City Sports Centre
Location: 32 Curity Ave Toronto, Ontario
“(TCSC) is a state-of-the-art indoor training facility. An air-supported dome covering a 118 x 200-foot artificial-turf playing field that serves as a venue for a wide range of recreational programs with a fully equipped, adjoining clubhouse.”
Want to rent a field at Toronto City Sports Centre? Contact paulm@torontocitychurch.com or call 416–751–9800
Rates: Prime Time Field Rental time is $180/hour, and Non Prime Time rates are $150/hour.
Scarborough
#1 Metro Golf Dome
Location: 125 Milner Ave, Scarborough, ON
Don’t be fooled by the name, Metro Golf Dome is much more then just one of the largest indoor driving ranges in the city. It also offers new state of the art artificial turf fields perfect for indoor soccer.
Surface: Turf
Want to rent a field at Metro Golf Dome? Call 416–321–9331
Rates: Oct-Apr $180 (quarter field rental), $320 (half field rental)
May-Sep $80 (quarter field rental), $160 (Half field rental)
Etobicoke
#1 Lakeshore Collegiate Institute
Outdoors in the summer, then the dome goes up in the winter
Location: 290 Birmingham Street, Etobicoke, ON, Canada
Parking: Free, on site.
Surface: Turf
Want to rent a field at Lakeshore Collegiate? Contact info@lcisportscentre.com or phone 647–466–3410
#2 Centennial Park
Grass; Always outdoors
Location: 256 Centennial Park Road, Etobicoke.
Centennial Park is a massive multi-sport park and has seven soccer fields.
Want to rent a field at Centennial Park? Use the City of Toronto booking system here, and find some last minute deals on field time HERE.
#13 Centennial College
Always outdoors; No dome in the winter
Location: 941 Progress Ave, Scarborough, ON
This artificial turf sports field is available for rentals, at a cost.
Surface: Turf
Want to rent a field at Centennial College? Contact Kevincampbell@centennialcollege.ca .
Mississauga
Location: 560 Courtneypark Drive W., Mississauga, L5W 1L9
Mississauga Stadium is home to a state-of-the-art synthetic turf sports field. It is a full size field which can host regulation soccer and football games as well as smaller games and events when broken into mini-fields
Rentals: The field is available for rental 365 days of the year. Contact info@mississaugastadium.com for rates and availability.
#2 Invader Sportsplex
Location: 6765 Invader Crescent Mississauga, ON
“Invader Sportsplex is perfect for team-centric indoor practice, instruction and game play for ‘turf-sports’ such as soccer, lacrosse, or any other ‘turf-based’ sport such as rugby, field hockey, ultimate frisbee, …Invader Sportsplex boasts an 20m x 40m indoor field, (second field coming soon) equipped with the latest generation of synthetic turf that looks, feels and plays like real grass and uses a non-toxic infill.”
Want to rent a field at Invader Sportsplex?: Contact info@invadersportsplex.com or call 905–565–0500
Rates: Contact above for rates!
#3 Canlan Sportsplex
Location: 3360 Wolfedale Rd, Mississauga
Canlan Sportsplex is Canada’s newest and one of the most highly recognized indoor sports complexes in the GTA. Located in Mississauga, it is a little bit outside the city but definitely worth the drive for it’s two full sized soccer fields with FIFA recognized turf!
Want to rent a field at Canlan Sportsplex?: Rates vary on times and dates visit https://www.canlansports.com/Mississauga/field.aspx for more information, or call 905–366–1057.
Vaughan
#1 Trio Sportsplex
Location: 601 Cityview Boulevard, Vaughan
Located in the middle of the suburbs just north of the city, Trio Sportsplex is a massive sports complex perfect for indoor soccer. Equipped with SIX turf fields, thats right SIX FIELDS! Trio Sportsplex has everything you need to get amazing games together.
Want to rent a field at Trio Sportsplex? Call (905)-417-3700
Rates:
Note: We are not charge of booking these fields. If you need help moving your pickup/drop in sports group from email, messenger, or meetup to OpenSports, email us at support@opensports.ca!