30 January 2025

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welcome Lorin Berballa and Emma MacKinnon

Berballa and MacKinnon have joined the League1 Ontario team as the new League Administrator and Registrar respectively.

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League1 Ontario recently welcomed two new people to the team behind the scenes, after a competitive and successful hiring process for two positions that opened in December.

Lorin Berballa has been appointed as the new League Administrator, and Emma MacKinnon has become the competition’s Registrar.

Berballa will work with league management and staff to schedule matches and develop the annual competition calendar, and ensure compliance to policies and procedures. The 35-year-old has plenty of experience in the local soccer scene having worked as a League Manager for Toronto Soccer Association, and more recently for Oakville Soccer Club.

Meanwhile MacKinnon will oversee all aspects of player and team official registrations, and process changes and transfers throughout the season. She started playing soccer when she was four years old and has been managing registrations for Caledon Soccer Club since 2022, after initially joining the club’s board of directors in 2017.

The two roles were created following the outstanding work from Melissa McKinnon who was the L1ON League Administrator for 10 years. She helped to establish the competition in 2014 and continued to play an integral part in the competition’s growth from an initial 10-team men’s division.

Now with 28 license holders operating at least one team in a three-tiered soccer pyramid, Berballa and MacKinnon will be aiming to hit the ground running as they prepare for the 2025 season.

“All the work you put in is going towards making a fantastic season for the players and wonderful people in the game,” said Berballa. “I have experience creating a product that looks professional and organized, and when I had come across the league before, they applied high standards to the way they do things.

“I have a true love of the game and a passion for competition; that’s what my focus is, and I want to help enable clubs and athletes to showcase their talents and try to be the best version of themselves.”

MacKinnon said: “I’ve been doing this job but on a much smaller scale, and I loved being a part of helping kids play soccer; it’s the best job in the world.

“It’s happened so frequently that people would play soccer at university and then stop as there wasn’t an elevated pathway for people. League1 Ontario has filled a huge void that existed in the province and helps them improve and stay in competition while at home in the summer.”

Everyone at League1 Ontario would like to thank Melissa for her dedication and hard work across the last decade, and welcome Lorin and Emma to what is a very exciting time in Pro-Am soccer.

Published On: 30 January 2025

League1 Ontario staff