Understanding the organizational structure of sports can be a tedious process as details seem to vary from sport to sport, country to country, and even from competition to competition. That’s all before you add in any youth development pathways and how those all correlate to each other. Therefore, unless you’ve grown up in the system, it can be difficult to comprehend the vast network that is organized sports and the different avenues that are available to progress.
Prior to the turn of the century, men’s soccer pathways to a professional level in Canada, but specifically in B.C., were limited. The establishment of the Canadian Soccer League in 1987 saw the creation of Vancouver 86ers – the provinces’ first professional soccer team in the modern term – who played in the league until its demise in 1992.
In the new millennium, opportunities for B.C. players were even more limited in their home province until 2007 when the Whitecaps Academy (formerly Whitecaps Residency system) was established. This was the first direct pathway to professional soccer in the new century, giving players a chance to chase their passion in their hometown beyond youth ages.
Men’s competitive soccer was still alive and well in B.C. after 2000 through organizations such as the Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) and the Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL). However, professional soccer in this province was limited to the Whitecaps who were (are) a club established in a Canadian city playing in a United States league, similar to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB) or Toronto Raptors of National Basketball Association (NBA).
What used to be following the “White Brick Road,” the one-track path to professional soccer in B.C. through the Whitecaps, changed with the establishment of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) in 2019 and the creation of Pacific FC on Vancouver Island. A new generation of B.C.-born players were getting their chance to play professional soccer in their home province for the first time in decades, as evident with Pacific’s inaugural squad including 11 B.C.-born athletes.
Progress in B.C. thankfully hasn’t stopped there, even before the establishment of Vancouver FC in 2022. Back in 2013, Ontario introduced a new semi-professional league called League1 Ontario as a stepping stone in the pathway for professional soccer in that province. Fast forward to 2021 and our province created their own League1 BC, also a semi-professional organization that allows aspiring both men and women athletes a chance to progress in their playing careers.
The fact that League1 BC was even created is yet another example of opportunities for soccer in this province that previous generations weren’t able to have. On the women’s side, it is the highest level of soccer that athletes can compete in where previously B.C.-born athletes would have to give it the ‘ol college try or work towards the National Women’s Soccer League, a U.S.-based organization.
League1 BC has continued to expand since its inception in 2021 with seven current teams but recently announced the addition of two more. Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer Club (CMFSC) was granted a League1 BC team under the name Evolution FC on July 23 and the following day, Langley United Soccer Club (LUSA) – who has been a pillar in the local soccer scene since 1926 – was announced to participate in the league starting in 2025.
Finally, we bring it back to VFC, a B.C. team for B.C. athletes to play professional soccer in their home country. The 13 B.C.-born players on the current squad represent a variety of pathways and journeys from veterans of the game who are finally playing back at home to young stars having the chance to play professionally with their family in the stands to support them.
Even within Vancouver FC, there are new avenues that players can take their shot at professional soccer. The club has run Open Trials for the last two seasons which has identified hidden gems including James Cameron, TJ Tahid, and even Joey Buchanan. Buchanan, who was offered a Development contract from the 2024 Open Trials, has yet to make his professional debut but is experiencing first-team training environments and developing in an unique space that will prepare him for when his time comes.
The club has also recently introduced a U-19 team, which will compete in FVSL, and will host an identification combine on August 7 to August 9 to allow talented young players the chance to be seen in their backyard. Opposed to traveling the world for identification opportunities, VFC is offering them in our communities, for our communities.
It no longer has to be just one road that players will travel nor does the journey have to be in a place far, far away. Thanks to the commitment, dedication, and support of passionate, soccer-loving people, the future generations of B.C. players now have options to choose the path that’s right for them to chase their dreams in their community. Whether it is recreational adult soccer, League1 BC, Major League Soccer, or the CPL, the pathways have never been so well-lit for B.C. soccer.
The League1 BC Finals are set to take place this weekend on Sunday August 4th, at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. The Women’s final between Whitecaps FC Academy and Burnaby FC will kickoff at 1PM and the Men’s final between TSS Rovers and Altitude FC will take place at 4pm. VFC will be in attendance at the match looking to identify more B.C. based players with the abilities to make the jump to the pro ranks. Vancouver FC play their next home game on Sunday August 11th at 2PM against fellow B.C. based team Pacific FC, fans looking to attend the match can get tickets here.
