Ryan Gamble (soccer)

Ryan Gamble (born 22 November 1972) is a South African former footballer, and administrator in Strategy and Platform Development for Canada MetroStars in the Major Arena Soccer League.

Ryan Gamble

Ryan Gamble in 2005
Personal information
Full name	Ryan Gamble
Date of birth	(1972-11-22) 22 November 1972
Place of birth	South Africa
Playing position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994–1996	Toronto Italia
1997	San Francisco Bay Seals	4	(1)
1997	Toronto Lynx	1	(0)
2001–2002	Toronto Supra	25	(13)
2005	Oakville Blue Devils	7	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Early years and abroad

Gamble began his career within the Canadian National Soccer League in 1994 with Toronto Italia, where he led the league in scoring and was named the Rookie of the Year.[1][2] In 1996, he helped Italia claim the regular season championship by finishing first in the overall standings. In the postseason Toronto faced St. Catharines Wolves in the finals and won the series by a score of 11-0 on goals on aggregate with Gamble contributing goals to the victory.[3] In 1997, he signed with San Francisco Bay Seals of the USISL D-3 Pro League, where he helped San Francisco win the Western Division.[4]

At the conclusion of the USISL season, he signed with the Toronto Lynx of the USL A-League. He made his debut for Toronto on 24 August 1997 against the Long Island Rough Riders.[5] He helped the Lynx qualify for the postseason and featured in the first round playoff match against Montreal Impact, but lost the series by a score of 6-1 on goals on aggregate.[6]

CPSL

In 2001, Gamble signed with Toronto Supra of the Canadian Professional Soccer League.[7] He made his debut for the club on 25 May 2001 in a match against London City.[8] During the season he was selected for the CPSL All-Star roster which faced C.S. Marítimo.[9] He also helped the Supra finish third in the overall standings and secure a postseason berth. In the postseason, he featured in the semi-final match against league giants, the Toronto Olympians, where the Supra won the match by a score of 3-2.[10] In the finals Toronto faced St. Catharines Wolves, but lost to a score of 1-0.[11]

In 2005, he signed with expansion franchise Oakville Blue Devils, where he helped Oakville finish second in the Western Conference with the best offensive record in the division. Gamble featured in the CPSL Championship match against Vaughan Shooters, where he came off the bench to score the winning goal to claim the club's first championship.[12][13] After the championship match, Gamble announced his retirement from competitive soccer.[14]

Administrative career

In 2019, he was a staff member for the Canada MetroStars in the Major Arena Soccer League involved in the Strategy & Platform Development.[15]He announced the team's partnership with Marvel Comics, which would host the Marvel Super Hero Weekend sporting experience.[16]

Honours

Toronto Italia

• Canadian National Soccer League Regular Season Champions (1): 1996
• CNSL Championship (1): : 1996

Oakville Blue Devils

• CPSL Championship (1): : 2005

References

1. "CNSL Rosters and Alumni". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
2. "1994 Canadian National Soccer League". The Canadian National Soccer League. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
3. Glover, Robin. "October 27, 1996". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
4. "Ryan Gamble | SoccerStats.us". soccerstats.us. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
5. Glover, Robin. "A-League game Toronto Lynx vs Long Island Rough Riders". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
6. Glover, Robin. "A-League game Toronto Lynx vs Montreal Impact". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
7. "torontosupra.com". 6 June 2002. Archived from the original on 6 June 2002. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
8. Spiers, Bill. "CPSL Opener". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
9. Spiers, Bill. "CPSL All-Stars Roster-for Maritimo Game". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
10. Glover, Robin. "Saturday October 13, 2001 CPSL Toronto Olympians vs Toronto Supra". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
11. Glover, Robin. "Sunday October 14, 2001 CPSL St Catharines Roma Wolves vs Toronto Supra". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
12. "Blue Devils' Gamble pays off in CPSL final". InsideHalton.com. Burlington Post. 12 October 2005. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
13. Kuiperij, Jon (12 October 2005). "Oakville Beaver Sports" (PDF).
14. "October 10, 2005 CPSL Championship Final Vaughan Shooters vs Oakville Blue Devils (from CPSL website)". www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
15. "Staff - MetroStars Canada". www.metrostars.ca. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
16. "Metrostars Canada Launches 6-City Tour in Niagara & Hosts Marvel Super Hero Weekends". OurSports Central. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.