British Columbia Adult Soccer Championships the History of BC Soccer Adult Provincial Cups: 1892 to Date
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A BC Soccer History Series Report British Columbia Adult Soccer Championships The History of BC Soccer Adult Provincial Cups: 1892 to date BC Soccer Daily Province Cup Men’s Open Cup: 1922 to Date Fully Searchable: Use Ctrl-F to BC Soccer Heritage: February 2021 find any word/name British Columbia Adult Soccer Championships The History of BC Soccer Adult Provincial Cups: 1892 to date Introduction Men’s Open ‘A’ Cup The first BC Provincial Cup was held just three Since 1892, British Columbian adult amateur soccer years after the first recorded soccer club in BC was teams have competed to be crowned provincial formed in Victoria in August 1889. Vancouver champions. The history of the Provincial Cup covers Island was soccer’s first hotbed, as Victoria’s naval the story of the growth and development of the base was home to many British sailors and the sport in the province over the last 125 years. Until Nanaimo district coalfields attracted European 1979, all competitions were for men. miners, who brought association football with This report covers the history of the ten adult them. The first BC Provincial Cup took place just 20 provincial championships held annually, men’s and years after the first FA Cup in England. women’s, of different ages and calibres. It has been From 1892 to 1904, the trophy for provincial play completed to compile and preserve the history of was the “Nanaimo Football Association Grand BC’s Provincial Cup play. Winning provincial Challenge Cup”, which the Nanaimo district had championships is a tremendous achievement, and commissioned for its own championship in 1891. In this report is designed to preserve and help 1891, four Nanaimo region clubs founded the “BC recognize these teams, players and game officials. Football Association”. This was not a provincial Contents governing body, its only role being the organising committee for a provincial championship which 1 Introduction and History of BC Soccer Pages two to six teams entered each year. The Coal City Adult Open Championships 2 – 3 clubs ensured control of the tournament by initially 2 Most Titles, Streaks, Margins, Medals and 4 – 5 neglecting to advise clubs from other cities of Scorers meetings and decreeing all AGMs and the Final 3 BC Provincial Cup Timeline 6 4 Listing of Open (A Cup) Winners 7 – 8 must be held in Nanaimo. The Nanaimo Challenge 5 History of other BC Soccer Championships 9 – 10 Cup was presented as the trophy. 6 Listing of All B Cup and Age-Limited Cup 11 – 13 In this 13 year period, Island teams won every Winners championship, perhaps due to their strength, but 7 Research Notes, Credits, Contact Us 14 perhaps also due to Mainland disenchantment that 8 Full Details of all Open Final Matches – 15 - 37 Men’s and Women’s competition was not open and fair. In the first year, (Date, venue, teams, score, winning team (New) Westminster AFC entered and won their list and scorers, and game officials) semi-final 4-0 at home. Following a protest that the goalposts were too tall, a replay in Nanaimo was The report is complete in terms of the winners of ordered by the (Nanaimo) executive. Westminster Provincial Cups, and Open Cup finals dates, venues, refused to play, and no other mainland team teams and scores. However there are information entered for eight years. However, there is no doubt gaps, particularly in the record of the Final other clubs were invited to enter, and the Island Matches, for which we have not yet found winning had strong teams. Nanaimo Rangers won the first teams’ full player list and scorers and the game cup, and three in total, with Wellington, Victoria officials in some years. See page 4 if you can help AFC and Garrison (Esquimalt) also repeat winners. fill information gaps. This report will be updated as Island supremacy was demonstrated in an 1899 more information comes to light. invitational tournament in Vancouver, with 2 Wellington Rangers, Nanaimo Thistles, Vancouver Since 1961, the men’s A Cup has doubled as the AFC and Kamloops. Wellington, then the provincial qualifier for the Canadian men’s club national champions, defeated Vancouver 4-1 in the final. championships, which BC teams have won 40 times since Nanaimo’s win in 1923. In 1904, the Rev. William Bolton of Victoria proposed a new inclusive association be formed to Women’s Open (A) Cup govern soccer in BC. This BC Football Association Women’s soccer leagues were instituted in the included both Island centres and the mainland. mid-1970s, but they initially played outside BC Soccer was also played widely in the Interior at the Soccer. The Women’s Open A Cup was instituted in time and since. However, due to distance, 1982 when women’s leagues joined the population, and especially different playing Association. seasons and entry regulations, BC’s Open Cups been almost entirely coastal competitions. The first recorded women’s soccer game in BC had been in 1933, between two Nanaimo softball The responsibilities of soccer’s first governing body teams, the Northfield Wideawakes and the Brechin in BC included arranging the “BC Cup” from 1905, Dodo Kids. Northfield won that game and a which Vancouver Island teams won the next five rematch a month later, with goals from Dot Beban. times. In 1911, Sir Richard McBride, BC’s Premier, presented the “McBride Shield”, which was the Girls’ soccer was recorded in some BC schools in Provincial Cup trophy through to 1921. Regional the 1950s, but the 1970s saw female soccer firmly honours were split. Victoria West won in 1911, established. A First Nations women’s tournament Cumberland United won in 1920 and 1921, but was won by Alert Bay in 1974, a mainland women’s Coquitlam Ranchers won twice (1912,1915) for the league first played in 1973-1974, the BC Girls mainland’s first victories. The Shield was not Soccer Association was formed in 1975 and varsity awarded four times in those 11 years due to women’s soccer was established. disputes or protests over ineligible players. After rapid growth, in 1981 two lower mainland In 1922, the “Daily Province Cup” (named for the women’s leagues joined BC Soccer and became Vancouver newspaper) was presented to the BC eligible for provincial and national championships, Football Association by its publisher, Walter Nichol, followed by Island women’s teams in 1982. the Lieutenant-Governor. This trophy, on display in The inaugural Women’s Open ‘A Cup’ was won by BC Soccer’s office, has been emblematic of the Burnaby Edmonds in 1982. Richmond teams won men’s provincial championship for nearly 100 three of the first five competitions, following which years. Multiple winners have included the most- two dynasties dominated the Provincial Cup. UBC storied teams in BC’s soccer history: Westminster Alumni, whose players included Andrea Neil and Royals, St. Andrews, North Shore United, Victoria Silvana Burtini, won five successive years from West, Gorge, Firefighters and Columbus. 1996 to 2000. In 2004 Surrey United started their The mainland has dominated since 1935, except remarkable run of 11 straight championship from 1975 to 1984 when the Island won seven victories through to 2014. The champions times. In total, mainland teams have been represent BC in Canada Soccer’s national champions 83 times; the Island has won 40 times. championship, the Jubilee Trophy, BC teams All winning teams are from Greater Vancouver, winning ten times since 1987. Greater Victoria and the mid-Island coalfields. In forty years of high level provincial women’s However, runners-up have come from Powell River soccer competition, BC players have risen to great (Elks 1927, Villa 1995), Duncan (Native Sons, 1933) prominence nationally and internationally. 47 and Kamloops (Merchants, 1984). Aldergrove Utd. British Columbia women have played for Canada’s (2017) was the easternmost Fraser Valley finalist. senior national team. More than half of these While competition has been for amateur teams, national team players, 27, also won a BC Soccer some teams, notably the Pacific Coast League in Women’s Open Championship Gold Medal with the 1940s-1960s, were openly semi-pro teams. their clubs. 3 Most Titles, Streaks, Margins, Medals and Scorers 54 clubs have their names engraved on BC’s Open Longest Consecutive Winning Streaks Championship trophies. The men’s A Cup has been won 123 times, by 41 different clubs. 13 clubs have Surrey United won eleven straight women’s won women’s titles in the 38 years the competition championships from 2004 to 2014, an achievement been held. Which clubs have won the most? Who that no-one has come close to matching. UBC has scored hat-tricks in the final Matches? Alumni women recorded five straight wins in the 1990s. The longest men’s winning streak is held by All-Time Most BC Open Championships Victoria West with four wins from 1979 to 1982. Among the teams winning three straight titles, the Surrey United women’s team has the record for first was Victoria AFC in 1900 to 1902. the most BC Open Championship titles, with 13 since 2004. The men’s leaders are Vancouver 11 Surrey United Women 2004-2014 Firefighters with 12 between 1954 and 1998 and 5 UBC Alumni Women 1996-2000 North Shore United with 11 between 1933 and 4 Victoria West Men 1979-1982 1966. Vic West holds the record for the longest 3 Victoria AFC Men 1900-1902 winning span, their seven titles being won over the 3 Garrison Men 1904-1906 74 years from 1911 to 1984. Columbus men and 3 Westminster Royals Men 1929-1931 UBC Alumni women each have six titles to their 3 North Shore United Men 1944-1946 name, and another 18 clubs at least three victories.