Victoria United (Canada)

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{Other uses|Victoria United (disambiguation)|Victoria United}}

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Victoria United
Victoriaunited.png
Full nameVictoria United
Nickname(s)United
Founded1904
Dissolved2014, reconstituted 2020
Stadium Royal Athletic Park
Capacity4,247
Manager Steve Scott
League Pacific Coast Soccer League
20147th
Website Club website

Victoria United is a Canadian soccer team based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. With lineage to clubs founded in 1904, the team plays in the Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL), a provincial amateur league featuring teams from British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

From the 1930s through 1970s, Victoria United FC played in the old Pacific Coast League, notably winning five league championships and one playoff tile (Top Star Trophy). In 1967, they won the Pacific Coast International Championship for the J.F. Kennedy Trophy. [1]

From 1994 through 2012 Victoria played its home matches at Royal Athletic Park. Because of conflicts with the newly introduced semi-professional baseball team at Royal Athletic Park, United played the 2013 and 2014 seasons at Braefoot Park in Saanich. The team's colours are blue and white.

On October 1, 2014, the team announced that it would be dissolved. [2] It was reconstituted in 2020 and was scheduled to re-join the PCSL for the 2020 season, but this was delayed until 2022.

History

The team was formed in 1904 as a merger of two Victoria teams, Victoria Association Football Club, and Victoria Capitals. Until its dissolution, Victoria United was one of the oldest surviving sports clubs in North America. They were also one of the more successful clubs in the PCSL, having been champions on five occasions in the modern era. [3]

The formation of the USL Premier Development League's Victoria Highlanders starting in the 2009 season reduced Victoria United's success on and off the field. Former United stars such as Tyler and Jordan Hughes joined the Highlanders, the fanbase gravitated to the higher-level PDL side, and the once-formidable United fell in the standings, even finishing behind the Highlanders reserve team in 2010.

Beginning in 2011 the Highlanders shared United's ground at Royal Athletic Park, while United also had to split time with baseball's Victoria Seals and HarbourCats. The shortage of stadium time and added competition eventually compelled United to move to smaller Braefoot Park in 2013, and was noted as a reason for the team folding at the end of the 2014 season. [2]

Players

Notable alumni of the team include senior Canadian internationals Josh Simpson, Adam Straith, and Simon Thomas. National Basketball Association star Steve Nash, who played youth soccer in Victoria, appeared in one league game with Victoria in 2001 and recorded an assist. [4]

Year-by-year

The Pacific Coast Soccer League champion is the premier team with the most points at the end of the season. The top four men's premier teams or the Host team and the top three compete in a single game knockout tournament to decide the playoff champion.

The top Canadian team in the Pacific Coast Soccer League is also eligible to compete in a tournament against the top amateur teams from Washington State and Oregon State. This competition includes the league champion (or next highest placed team) as a host team and is a single game knockout tournament.

The Victoria Highlanders and Victoria United maintain a friendly relationship and play a charity match each preseason around July 1.

YearDivisionLeagueReg. SeasonPlayoffsGPWDLGFGAPts
19954PCSL1st181332721642
19964PCSL2nd12822371426
19974PCSL2nd12813251425
19984PCSL3rd16916452428
19994PCSL5th18927353029
20004PCSL4th14734372424
20014PCSL3rd16934432630
20024PCSL1st18124246740
20034PCSL2nd151122461235
20044PCSL1st161042432334
20054PCSL1st, SouthChampions161132541736
20064PCSL5th14824422326
20074PCSL1stDNQ181062502736
20084PCSL1st181332602142
20094PCSL6thDNQ16736352624
2010 4PCSL5thDNQ16628362920
2011 4PCSL5thDNQ125072542815
20124PCSL5thDNQ16718313722
20134PCSL5thDNQ14446172816
20144PCSL7thDNQ14437323415

Honours

More Honors

Head coaches

Stadium

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References

  1. ↑ "O'Keefes: 50 years since 'Wrong Team' won". 9 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Unknown".[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Home". pcsl.org.
  4. ↑ "2001 PCSL Season". www.victoriaunited.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2001. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
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