Straight answers.
The questions families ask most, answered plainly — including the ones where the answer is no.
Fit and commitment
Blizzard is built for committed athletes who want their soccer development to support their education.
The program runs across a 48-week year — technical, tactical, physical and goalkeeping work — alongside an exposure program of four annual showcases, ID clinics and a March university tour visiting up to 12 US university programs. Joe Parolini leads the university conversations himself.
Enquiries are welcome for all birth years.
Following an enquiry, the player attends a trial with Blizzard. Joining is then discussed with Joe. A place is not automatic — the trial is how the coaching staff see where a player is.
No. Players must leave their existing club to join Blizzard. The program asks for commitment to the full year, so a player moves across rather than adding Blizzard alongside another club.
This applies when joining — not before enquiring or arranging a trial.
Yes. School sports are permitted.
Questions about other activities, attendance and your player’s individual circumstances go to Joe. They are a normal part of the conversation, not a concession.
No. Showcases and the March tour are part of the program rather than services sold separately, and they only work when a player has done the training behind them.
Training days and times vary through the year. The training page shows an example week — Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Saturday and Sunday mornings.
For scheduling confirmation and training-location details, please contact us.
Joe Parolini is Director and Head Coach. Mirko De Francesco is Club Technical Director, Mark McKoy runs strength and conditioning, Jon Franco leads goalkeeping, and Davide Masciantinio and Chris Wright coach technical sessions.
Nikki Matarazzo, Lorenzo Redwood and Jason Mesa contribute subject to availability and their other commitments, so not every specialist is at every session. See the full coaching staff.
Across Toronto and the GTA. Please contact us for current training-location details.
Showcases and the annual March university tour involve travel, which is planned and communicated in advance.
Boys can train with Toronto Blizzard. Enquiries are welcome for all birth years, and Joe will confirm the training arrangement appropriate for your player.
Blizzard’s primary focus is the girls program, and the showcase calendar and March tour described on this site are part of it. See the boys program.
Independent development
Blizzard operates an independent, university-focused development program. Players participate in competitions such as iModel and Ontario Cup through partner club affiliations.
OPDL and Ontario Soccer affiliation are separate things — being outside one does not mean being outside the other.
It allows the year to be built around what develops a player: training hours, the right matches at the right time, and being present in front of university coaches on a planned calendar.
Other pathways develop players well and produce scholarships too. This is a different route, not a better-or-worse one.
No. Players join Blizzard directly, and competition access comes through the club’s partner affiliations.
No. The coaching staff hold UEFA B and Canada Soccer licences, and the program is built around measurable technical, tactical and physical development.
The standard that matters most is whether a player is ready for the level above, which is what university coaches assess when they watch her.
Players compete in Ontario Cup and iModel through partner club affiliations. Blizzard’s U21 women won the 2026 Ontario Cup.
Families who later want a different route are free to take it. Talk to Joe about timing.
It is Joe’s line, and it means the pathway is about finding the right institution for a player — academically, athletically and financially — rather than promising everyone the same outcome.
A place at a university, a place on the roster, and financial support are three separate things. Fit matters more than prestige.
Scholarships, costs and support
The annual program fee covers 48 weeks of programming. Two options are available:
$5,395 paid in full, or $5,695 on the instalment plan — $2,100, then $1,900, then $1,695.
Kit is additional, as are showcase travel, tournament charges, the summer league and Ontario Cup. The summer fee is $495, covering the summer league and Ontario Cup. See the full fee breakdown.
Trip charges carry both a Canadian and a US dollar component. A three-day trip is $395 CAD plus $485 USD; a four-day trip is $425 CAD plus $540 USD, each including the US tournament fee.
These are estimates based on a minimum of 34 attendees for bus and hotel costs. Parent bus seats, parent accommodation and incidentals are not included. See what is and is not covered.
Financial assistance can be discussed privately with Joe. No player is asked to explain her circumstances in public or be identified as a recipient.
The club does not promise a particular amount.
No. Blizzard commits to developing a player and seeking opportunity for her, but admission, roster places and scholarship funding are determined by the receiving institution. No outcome is guaranteed.
The club reports that 94% of its players received full or near-full scholarships. That is a club-reported outcome rather than an independently audited figure, and individual outcomes vary.
The club’s published graduate record names every player from 2018 to 2023 and where each one went. See the record.
Competitive matches played in front of university coaching staff, usually across a weekend. ID clinics are structured sessions where players are assessed directly.
A coach being present is not an endorsement of any individual player, and attending an event does not establish membership of the league that runs it.
Yes, and more than families often expect. Every university route needs the grades as well as the game, and a player’s academic record shapes which institutions are realistic for her.
Enquire, attend a trial, then discuss joining with Joe.
Call 416-805-1294 or send an enquiry. Tell Joe your player’s birth year, where she plays now and what she is aiming at.
Still deciding
Ask the question that isn’t on this page.
If something here does not answer what you actually need to know, Joe will.