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League1 British Columbia

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League1 British Columbia
FoundedOctober 5, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-10-05)
First season2022
CountryCanada
ConfederationCONCACAF
Number of clubs7
Level on pyramid3 (proposed)
Domestic cup(s)Canadian Championship
Websitewww.bcsoccer.net/League1BC

League1 British Columbia (L1BC) is a semi-professional men's and women's soccer league in British Columbia, Canada, scheduled to begin play in May 2022. The league is expected to be sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the BC Soccer Association as a pro-am league in the Canadian soccer league system.

L1BC will operate at the same level as League1 Ontario and the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec. The semi-professional league will fill in the gap between the top amateur leagues, such as the Pacific Coast Soccer League and Vancouver Metro Soccer League, with the professional top tier Canadian Premier League.[1][2]

History

BC Soccer originally looked into the possibility of starting a "Regional Tier 3" league in their 2016 Strategic Plan,[3] with the goal of beginning in 2018 with eight teams.[4] However, nothing came to fruition due to insufficient interest from clubs.[5][6] In June 2019, they announced their intention to begin play in 2021 with at least six clubs.[7] Teams would need to commit for three years minimum and field teams in both the male and female divisions.[5] The proposed league would be open to professional clubs fielding reserve sides, provided they are not branded with "Reserves" or "U-23" in their team name.[8][9]

In January 2021, the league was rumoured to be launching later that year with six or eight teams, including a development team from the Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC.[10] On October 5, 2021, the league was officially announced by BC Soccer to begin play in May 2022.[11][12] The inaugural league will begin in May with the Championship Final occurring on August 1 (British Columbia Day), with seven clubs participating in the first season.[13]

Current clubs

The following teams are members of the league for the 2022 season in both the male and female divisions.

Team City Stadium Joined Ref.
Altitude FC North Vancouver Fen Burdett Stadium 2022 [14]
Rivers FC Kamloops Hillside Stadium 2022 [15]
TSS Rovers FC Burnaby Swangard Stadium 2022 [16]
Unity FC Langley Chase Office Field 2022 [17]
Vancouver Whitecaps Academy Vancouver National Soccer Development Centre 2022 [18]
Varsity FC Vancouver Thunderbird Stadium 2022 [19]
Victoria Highlanders FC Saanich Centennial Stadium 2022 [20]
class=notpageimage|
Location of teams for the 2022 League1 BC season.
Current teams See Vancouver inset
Vancouver area clubs
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
5km
3miles
Whitecaps
Varsity
Altitude
.
TSS Rovers
Current teams

Possible expansion

Okanagan FC has expressed an interest to join League1 BC by the 2024 season in their 2020 Five-year Strategic Plan.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ Doyle, Jeff (April 15, 2020). "The future of the BC soccer pyramid". Away From the Numbers.
  2. ^ Gray, Shawn (March 8, 2017). "BC Regional Tier 3: March Update". Northern Starting XI.
  3. ^ Gray, Shawn (January 17, 2017). "BC Soccer RT3: New Division-3 coming to BC". Northern Starting XI.
  4. ^ Gray, Shawn (April 4, 2017). "BCRT3: Where do BC's PDL teams stand?". Northern Starting XI.
  5. ^ a b Notenboom, Rob (January 21, 2020). "League 1 BC Approaching Critical Moment". Northern Starting XI.
  6. ^ "BC Soccer Provides Update on Proposed Regional Tier 3 League". British Columbia Soccer Association. June 27, 2019.
  7. ^ Jacques, John (June 29, 2019). "What We Know About BC's Proposed New League So Far". Northern Tribune.
  8. ^ "League One British Columbia (L1BC)" (PDF). BC Soccer. British Columbia Soccer Association. June 27, 2019.
  9. ^ Rupert, Alex (February 23, 2021). "L'avènement d'une nouvelle ligue : La BC League 1" [The advent of a new league: The BC League 1]. Culture Soccer (in French).
  10. ^ Jacques, John (January 30, 2021). "Is League1 BC Starting This Year?". Northern Tribune.
  11. ^ "BC Soccer officially launches League1 British Columbia". BC Soccer. October 5, 2021.
  12. ^ Jacques, John (October 5, 2021). "League1 BC Officially Announced, Launching Next Year". Northern Tribune.
  13. ^ Jacques, John (October 6, 2021). "Six Big Things To Know About League1 BC". Northern Tribune.
  14. ^ "League1BC welcomes Altitude FC as founding License Holder". BC Soccer Association. November 15, 2021.
  15. ^ "League1BC welcomes Rivers FC as a founding License Holder". BC Soccer Association. November 5, 2021.
  16. ^ "League1BC welcomes TSS Rovers as a founding License Holder". BC Soccer Association. November 1, 2021.
  17. ^ "League1BC welcomes Unity FC as founding License Holder". BC Soccer Association. November 22, 2021.
  18. ^ Jacques, John (October 22, 2021). "League1 BC Announces Vancouver Whitecaps As Founding License Holder". Northern Tribune. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  19. ^ "League1BC welcomes Varsity FC as founding License Holder". BC Soccer Association. December 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "League1BC welcomes Victoria Highlanders as founding License Holder". BC Soccer Association. November 26, 2021.
  21. ^ "OFC 5 Year Plan" (PDF). Okanagan FC.
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