History in the Making
Welcome to the new official website of the Markham Raiders. We are a non-profit organization established in 1987, representing the York Region and surrounding area residents interested in participating in tackle football. Our organization is run 100% by volunteers.
We provide football opportunities for player’s ages 6 – 19. We operate in several tackle football leagues throughout Ontario. Our organization runs our own grass roots house league development program for children ages 6 – 12 which is continually expanding. We are also represented by three teams in the Central Ontario Minor Football League ages 9 – 14, as well as the premier Ontario Varsity football League, ages 13 – 19.
A Closer Look at Our Programs
Spring / Summer House League Tackle Football
This is our grass roots development program and our most popular. This program is full equipment, full contact tackle football for boys and girls aged 6 – 12. Practices begin indoors in March / April during our very popular annual Free Skills Camp, and continue into April. Teams are selected and outdoor practices begin the first week in May with our season kicking off mid-May and running through to the third week in July.
In the Spring we hold our annual Free Skills Camp for ages 6 – 14 to encourage new kids to come out and try the sport with our experienced coaches. It is a huge success and seems to draw people from farther and farther away each year. It is a fun opportunity for all who participate and there is always a free gift for each participant to take home.
Spring / Summer Rep Program
Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL)—The premier league in Ontario with teams entered in the peewee under 15 age group, junior varsity under 17 age group, and senior varsity under 20 age group as well. For more information on this premier league visit our OVFL section on this site.
Fall Rep Program
Registration and tryouts begin in mid-July for the Central Ontario Minor Football League (COMFL) for youth ages 9 – 14. Players start practicing in early August and the season runs through to November. Check our our COMFL section on this site for more detailed information
Our main home field for all of our programs is Bill Crothers S.S. in Unionville, Ontario. Games are also played at Seneca field (Markham campus). View the maps section for directions provided by Google Maps.
All our Coaches are volunteers and are certified by the NCCP, as well as being required to provide police clearance certificates. The safety of our players is paramount and as such we have EMS on hand at all of our games supplied by Panno Therapeutic.
We hope you enjoy our new site, we have sections dedicated to each and every one of our programs. We all look forward to seeing you on the field soon!