Throwback: The history of professional sports at Varsity Stadium
In commemoration of Messi’s Inter Miami visiting UofT, we look at the other professional athletes that have spent time on campus.
Last Saturday, I visited BMO Field for their penultimate regular-season MLS game against our Toronto Reds, where a late strike by Leonardo Campana, assisted by the legendary Luis Suarez, won Inter Miami the game and ended any hopes for TFC at the playoffs. Of course, it was Lionel Messi who stole the show despite only being on the pitch for 29 minutes. Many were eager to catch the Argentine legend in action, with a whopping 30, 217 fans nearly selling-out the 30,991-seat stadium. His brilliance in continuing to captivate casual spectators and seasoned fans had tickets selling for a minimum price of $245. However, some UofT students were able to catch glimpses of Inter Miami’s magic — not from the stadium, but from their classrooms.
Faded dream
With Inter Miami securing the Supporter’s Shield days before they clashed with TFC, their place in the playoffs was not vulnerable in the slightest. Contrarily, TFC entered the matchday sitting in 9th place, one spot shy of a post-season birth. With this loss, the Reds were eliminated from playoff contention, marking four years since TFC’s last playoff appearance, and five since their last MLS Cup final.
Visitors at Varsity Stadium
Though there was little to celebrate on the field, off it was a different story for UofT students! Our facility at the St. George campus, Varsity Stadium, welcomed Inter Miami for their pre-matchday training session on the October 4. According to Inter Miami’s official social media platforms, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets did not attend team training.
Multiple images reportedly surfaced on X, but it was difficult to tell which other Miami stars were practicing at Varsity Stadium. However, this was not the first time professional athletes were reportedly seen at Varsity Stadium.
In 1986, a group of international friendly matches occurred before the World Cup in Mexico. One of these matches was Canada vs Wales. The nations played each other twice in the span of nine days—one in Toronto and the other in Vancouver. The Toronto fixture was played at Varsity Stadium, and the Canadians managed a 2-0 victory over the Welsh. A photograph of Canadian footballer, Paul James, and Welsh player, Neil Slatter, was taken at the stadium before their matchup.
In September 2023, Jimmy Butler, small forward for the NBA’s Miami Heat, visited Toronto during his off-season. He had been around the city to celebrate his birthday and to meet up with Toronto’s most famous celebrity, Drake. Butler was training at Drake’s private facilities to prepare for the start of the new NBA season, but was also spotted at Varsity Stadium working on his conditioning.
And of course, Inter Miami of the MLS attended their pre-matchday training session at Varsity Stadium. Regarding other soccer teams, there were a number of occasions where it was speculated that both the men’s and women’s Canadian national teams visited Varsity for training, but these were never documented.
As the winter season approaches, we are unlikely to see any outdoor professional athletes coming to visit. But when the new season begins, keep an eye out, because you never know which of your favourite athletes might be coming to UofT!
