Vancouver Island FC

Last updated

Vancouver Island FC
Vancouver Island FC.png
Full nameVancouver Island Football Club
Founded2018
Head coachNeil Sedgwick
League WPSL
20192nd, Northwest
Website Club website

Vancouver Island FC was a Canadian women's soccer team based in Victoria, British Columbia that played in Women's Premier Soccer League. In 2021, the team merged with the male Victoria Highlanders to serve as the club's women's club in League1 British Columbia, where they will operate as the Victoria Highlanders Women.

Contents

History

In October 2018, it was announced that a women's soccer team in Victoria, British Columbia would be formed to compete in the US-based Women's Premier Soccer League. [1] They would be the league second Canadian franchise along with the TSS FC Rovers. [2] Women's soccer had previously existed in Victoria, with the Victoria Highlanders Women previously playing in the USL W-League in 2011 and 2012. [3] Despite having a different ownership from the professional men's team Pacific FC, which also began play in 2019, Vancouver Island FC chose a similar colour scheme to share common aspects, [3] [4] also playing out of the same stadium, Westhills Stadium. [5] [6]

They played their first exhibition match on May 12, 2019 against TSS FC Rovers winning 3-1. [7]

They made their official league debut on May 18 against the Spokane Shadow, [8] losing by a score of 2-0. [9]

In their second game of the season, they defeated the reigning champions Seattle Sounders Women by a score of 2-1 for the franchise's first official victory. [10] [11]

They finished their debut season with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses, finishing in second place in the Northwest Conference, scoring 17 goals, while conceding 11. [12] [13] At the end of the 2019 season, the club was named the WPSL's Franchise of the Year. [14] The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [15]

In 2021, it was announced that the club would be merging with the male Victoria Highlanders to begin play in the new League1 British Columbia women's division, under the Highlanders name, reforming the Victoria Highlanders Women who last played in 2014. [16] [17]

Seasons

SeasonLeagueDivisionTeamsRecordRankPlayoffsRef
2019 WPSL Northwest Conference96–0–22ndnone [18]
2020Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Premier Soccer League</span> Football league

The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the top amateur league for women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, below only National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The WPSL is the longest-running active women's soccer league as it enters its 25th season in 2023 – the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The WPSL is also the largest women's soccer league in the United States, North America and the world with 130 active teams as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swangard Stadium</span>

Swangard Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Central Park in Burnaby, British Columbia. Primarily used for soccer, rugby, football, and athletics, the stadium also used to be home to the Simon Fraser Clan football team and the Vancouver Whitecaps while they were in the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) and various US-based Division 2 leagues. It opened on April 26, 1969, and has a capacity of 5,288.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Vistas</span> Football club

The Victoria Vistas were a professional soccer team based in Victoria, British Columbia that competed in the original Canadian Soccer League. The Vistas joined the CSL for the 1989 season and folded after the 1990 season. Victoria All-star teams had been competitive with league champion Vancouver 86ers teams in pre-season contests during previous years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Highlanders FC</span> Football club

Victoria Highlanders FC is a Canadian soccer team based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The club was founded in 2008 and currently play in the League1 British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starlight Stadium</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Langford, British Columbia

Starlight Stadium is a 6,000 seat multi-purpose stadium in Langford, British Columbia, Canada. It is used by Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League for soccer, by Rugby Canada for various events, and by the Westshore Rebels junior Canadian football team. In an international context, its most notable usage is as the site of the Canada Women's Sevens, an event in the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series for national rugby sevens teams. The stadium also hosted the BC Bears of the Canadian Rugby Championship from 2009 to 2013, and the Victoria Highlanders soccer team from 2009 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Highlanders FC (women)</span> Football club

Victoria Highlanders FC is a Canadian women's soccer team based in Victoria, British Columbia that plays in League1 British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan de Fuca Plate (soccer)</span> Football tournament

The Juan de Fuca Plate is an annual trophy awarded by supporters to the best semi-professional team in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The trophy is currently awarded to the League1 British Columbia club who accrues the greatest number of combined points across the men's and women's divisions. From 2012 through 2019, it was awarded to the winner of the season series of matches played between British Columbian teams in the Premier Development League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Heard</span> Welsh footballer

Joshua David Heard is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League.

J. Kadin Brian Chung is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a full-back for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terran Campbell</span> Canadian soccer player

Terran Campbell is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays for Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Village</span> Canadian soccer coach and former player (born 1991)

Mark Village is a Canadian soccer coach and former player who currently serves as the goalkeepers coach for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TSS FC Rovers</span> Canadian soccer team

TSS FC Rovers are a Canadian soccer team based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada that play in League1 British Columbia. Established for the 2017 PDL season by general manager Will Cromack and head coach Colin Elmes, the Rovers are the under-23 team of the TSS Academy, one of the largest soccer schools in British Columbia's Lower Mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific FC</span> Canadian professional soccer club based in Langford, British Columbia

Pacific Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Greater Victoria, British Columbia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League, playing home matches at Starlight Stadium located in Langford.

Callum Montgomery is a Canadian soccer player who plays for Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC.

Zachary Thomas Verhoven is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Atlético Ottawa of the Canadian Premier League.

Nolan Wirth is a Canadian former professional soccer player.

Sean Young is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Pacific FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nautsa’mawt FC</span> Semi-professional soccer club

Nautsa’mawt Football Club is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in West Point Grey, Vancouver, British Columbia that plays in League1 British Columbia.

The 2022 League1 British Columbia season was the inaugural season of play for League1 British Columbia, a pro-am league in the Canadian soccer league system. The league is the highest level of soccer based in the Canadian province of British Columbia except for fully professional clubs in the Canadian Premier League and Major League Soccer. Seven clubs participated in the 2022 season in both the men's and women's divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbourside FC</span> Semi-professional soccer club

Harbourside Football Club is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Nanaimo, British Columbia that plays in League1 British Columbia.

References

  1. ↑ Horsting, Lindsey (October 4, 2018). "Victoria joins women's largest soccer league in the world". Vancouver Island Free Daily.
  2. ↑ Balzer, Jess (May 11, 2019). "Multiple UNBC women's soccer players making the jump from the den to the island". Prince George Citizen .
  3. 1 2 "Vancouver Island FC". Protagonist Soccer. July 22, 2019.
  4. ↑ Steiner, Ben (January 30, 2020). "Could professional women's soccer one day come to British Columbia?". Between the Sticks.
  5. ↑ Mowbray, Maxwell (April 19, 2019). "Interview with Vancouver Island FC Inaugural Signing Alexis McKinty". Northern Starting XI.
  6. ↑ Dheensaw, Cleve (June 14, 2019). "Vancouver Island FC women's soccer squad debuts at Westhills Stadium this weekend". Times Colonist .
  7. ↑ Mowbray, Maxwell (May 12, 2019). "Vancouver Island FC Announce Inaugural Rosters and Play TSS Rovers In First Friendlies". Northern Starting XI.
  8. ↑ Dheensaw, Cleve (May 17, 2019). "Vancouver Island FC takes first kick at Women's Premier Soccer League". Times Colonist .
  9. ↑ Dheensaw, Cleve (May 18, 2019). "Spokane tops Vancouver Island in women's soccer". Times Colonist .
  10. ↑ Murray, Nick (June 9, 2019). "Vancouver Island FC a magnet for women's soccer talent". Victoria News .
  11. ↑ Dheensaw, Cleve (May 27, 2019). "Vancouver Island FC beats women's soccer league champs for first franchise win". Times Colonist .
  12. ↑ "Vancouver Island FC ends debut season in dominant fashion". CHEK-DT . July 7, 2019.
  13. ↑ Balzer, Kyle (August 20, 2019). "UNBC soccer coach awarded for expansion efforts in women's professional league". Prince George Citizen .
  14. ↑ DeFrias, Mark (November 26, 2021). "Victoria Highlanders FC Join Newly-Formed League1 BC". Victoria Highlanders FC .
  15. 1 2 Clark, Travis (April 30, 2020). "WPSL cancels 2020 summer season". Top Drawer Soccer.
  16. ↑ "League1BC welcomes Victoria Highlanders as founding License Holder". British Columbia Soccer Association . November 26, 2021.
  17. ↑ Jacques, John (November 26, 2021). "Victoria Highlanders Begin New Chapter In League1 BC". Northern Tribune.
  18. ↑ "WPSL Northwest Conference 2019". Women's Premier Soccer League .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.