League1 British Columbia

Canadian soccer league

Football league

League1 British Columbia

Organising body| BC Soccer Association
Founded| October 5, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-10-05)
First season| 2022
Country| Canada
Confederation| CONCACAF
Number of clubs| 9 (men's)
9 (women's)
Level on pyramid| 3
Domestic cup(s)| Canadian Championship (men)
Interprovincial Championship (women)
Current champions| TSS Rovers FC (men)
Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite (women)
(2024)
Current Juan de Fuca Plate| Whitecaps FC Academy
(2024)
Most championships| TSS Rovers FC (2, men),
Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite (3, women)
Most Juan de Fuca Plates| Whitecaps FC Academy (3)
TV partners| Telus TV
Website| league1bc.ca
Current: 2025 League1 BC season

League1 British Columbia (L1BC) is a semi-professional men's and women's soccer league in British Columbia, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the BC Soccer Association as a Division III Pro-Am league in the Canadian soccer league system.

In the Canadian soccer league system, the men's division is behind the Canadian Premier League (CPL). It is part of League1 Canada, the national third tier with regional division, with L1BC equaivalent to Ligue1 Québec (L1QC), League1 Ontario (L1ON), and League1 Alberta (L1AB). The men's league champion qualifies for the Canadian Championship, the domestic cup championship, for the following season.

The semi-professional league was created to fill in the gap between the top amateur leagues in the province, such as the Pacific Coast Soccer League, Fraser Valley Soccer League, Vancouver Island Soccer League and Vancouver Metro Soccer League, with the professional top tier Canadian Premier League.[1][2]

## History

[edit]

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 began on May 22, with the Championship Final occurring on August 1 (British Columbia Day), with seven clubs participating in the first season.[13][14] It was announced that with the creation of the league, the Juan de Fuca Plate, which was previously awarded to the top BC-based Premier Development League team in head-to-head matches, would now be awarded to the League1 BC club that accrued the greatest number of points across both the men's and women's divisions in an aggregate table.[15][16] In addition, a cedar trophy was created to be awarded to both the men's and women's division champions.[17] In November 2022, it was confirmed that the league winner would qualify for the following season's Canadian Championship, the national cup tournament.[18] For the 2023 season, the league announced its first expansion club (Harbourside FC) bringing the league up to eight clubs.[19]

On December 1, 2023, Canadian Soccer Business acquired L1BC from BC Soccer. CSB have owned League1 Ontario since 2018 and now oversee the day-to-day operations of both leagues.[20] For the 2024 season, another expansion club joined, however, two original clubs withdrew from the league, bringing the total back to seven. For 2025, two additional clubs joined, bringing the league to nine clubs.[21]

## Competition format

[edit]

The L1BC regular season lasts approximately two months, from late May to late July. Teams play each other team home and away for a total of 12 matches in 2022. The regular season champion and runner-up advance to a single match final where the winner is crowned finals champion.

## Results

[edit]

### By year

[edit]

League1 BC trophy winners  Season  | Teams  | Men's division  | Women's division  | Juan de Fuca Plate

|
|
|
|

League champions  | Regular season winner  | League champions  | Regular season winner
2022 | 7  | TSS Rovers FC | Varsity FC | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Varsity FC | Varsity FC
2023 | 8  | Whitecaps FC Academy | Victoria Highlanders FC | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Whitecaps FC Academy
2024 | 7  | TSS Rovers FC | TSS Rovers FC | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Whitecaps FC Academy

### By club

[edit]

Titles won by L1BC clubs  Club  | Combined  | Men  | Women

|
|
|

LC | RS | IP | Total  | LC | RS | Total  | LC | RS | IP | Total
Whitecaps FC Academy | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | – | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6
Varsity FC | – | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1
TSS Rovers FC | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | –
Victoria Highlanders FC | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | –

Note: This table only includes titles within the League1 Canada system.

## Clubs

[edit]

### Current teams

[edit]

Nine teams are members of the league, of which six are based in Greater Vancouver, one on Vancouver Island, and one in the province's interior. All teams compete in both the men's and women's divisions of the league.[22]

Team | City | Stadium | First season

|
|
|

Altitude FC | North Vancouver | Kinsmen Field South  | 2022
Burnaby FC | Burnaby | Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West | 2024
Evolution FC | Coquitlam | Percy Perry Stadium | 2025
Langley United | Langley | Willoughby Community Park | 2025
Kamloops United FC[a] | Kamloops | Hillside Stadium | 2022
Nanaimo United FC[b] | Nanaimo | Nanaimo District Secondary School | 2023
TSS Rovers FC | Burnaby | Swangard Stadium | 2022
Unity FC | Surrey | Cloverdale Athletic Park  | 2022
Whitecaps FC Academy | Vancouver (UBC Campus)[c] | Thunderbird Stadium | 2022

1. ^ Kamloops United FC was known as Rivers FC from 2022 to 2024
2. ^ Nanaimo United FC was known as Harbourside FC from 2023 to 2024
3. ^ Based on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The campus is part of the unincorporated Metro Vancouver Electoral Area A and is located just west of the City of Vancouver proper.

Nanaimo

Kamloops

Metro Vancouver

class=notpageimage|

Location of teams for the 2023 League1 BC season.
Current teams
See Metro Vancouver inset

Whitecaps

TSS Rovers

Altitude

Burnaby FC

Evolution

Langley

Unity

class=notpageimage|

Location of Men's Division teams in Metro Vancouver for the 2023 League1 British Columbia season.
Current team

### Timeline

[edit]

### Former teams

[edit]

Team | City | Stadium | First season | Last season

|
|
|
|

Nautsa’mawt FC[a] | UBC Campus[b] | Thunderbird Stadium | 2022  | 2023
Victoria Highlanders FC | Saanich | Centennial Stadium | 2022  | 2023

1. ^ Nautsa’mawt FC was known as Varsity FC in 2022
2. ^ Based on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The campus is part of the unincorporated Metro Vancouver Electoral Area A and is located just west of the City of Vancouver proper.

## L1BC clubs in other competitions

[edit]

### Men

[edit]

| Season | Club | Competition | Result | Record

|
|
|
|

2022  | No competition held
2023  | TSS Rovers FC | Canadian Championship | Quarter-finals | 1–0–1
2024  | TSS Rovers FC[a] | Canadian Championship | Preliminary round | 0–1–0
2025  | TSS Rovers FC | Canadian Championship | TBD | TBD

1. ^ Victoria Highlanders FC originally qualified but withdrew before the tournament began.

### Women

[edit]

| Season | Club | Competition | Result | Record

|
|
|
|

2022  | Varsity FC | Interprovincial Championship | 4th | 0–1–1[a]
2023  | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup | W | 1–3–1[b]
Inter-provincial Championship | W | 2–0–0
Unity FC | Inter-provincial Championship | 3rd | 1–0–1
2024  | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Inter-provincial Championship | W | 1–1–0[c]

1. ^ The 1 draw was a penalty shoot-out loss.
2. ^ The 3 draws include 2 penalty shoot-out wins in the knockout stages.
3. ^ The 1 draw was a penalty shoot-out win.

## See also

[edit]

* Canada portal
* Soccer portal

* Canadian soccer league system
* League1 Canada

## References

[edit]

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. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
12. ^ Jacques, John (October 5, 2021). "League1 BC Officially Announced, Launching Next Year". Northern Tribune.
13. ^ @League1BC (February 11, 2022). "100 DAY COUNTDOWN! League1BC kicks off its inaugural season on May 22, 2022!" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
14. ^ Jacques, John (October 6, 2021). "Six Big Things To Know About League1 BC". Northern Tribune.
15. ^ "About the Juan de Fuca Plate". Juan de Fuca Plate. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
16. ^ Steiner, Ben (July 9, 2022). "L1BC Weekend Preview and Power Rankings". 49 Sport.
17. ^ "League1 BC presented by HALL unveils trophies for August 1st Finals". BC Soccer. July 27, 2022.
18. ^ Jacques, John (November 3, 2022). "League1 BC Announced As New Entrant In Canadian Championship". Northern Tribune.
19. ^ "League1 BC welcomes Harbourside Football Club as newest license holder, and first ever expansion team". League1 BC. October 19, 2022.
20. ^ "League1 BC acquired by Canadian Soccer Business". Canadian Premier League. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
21. ^ "No longer the "White Brick Road": League1 BC providing pathways for aspiring local players". Vancouver FC. August 3, 2024.
22. ^ "League1 BC". League1 British Columbia.

## External links

[edit]

* BC Soccer Association
* BC Soccer Regional Tier 3 League Operations Manual (2016)

* v
* t
* e

League1 British Columbia

* League1 Canada
* Canada Soccer
* BC Soccer
* Juan de Fuca Plate

Clubs|

| Current|

* Altitude FC
* Burnaby FC
* Evolution FC
* Kamloops United FC
* Langley United
* Nanaimo United FC
* TSS FC Rovers
* Unity FC
* Whitecaps FC Academy
* men
* women

|

Former|

* Nautsaʼmawt FC
* Victoria Highlanders FC
* men
* women

Seasons|

* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* v
* t
* e

League1 Canada

* Canadian Soccer Association

Leagues|

* League1 Alberta
* League1 British Columbia
* League1 Ontario
* men
* women
* Ligue1 Québec
* men
* women

Secondary competitions|

* Coupe L1QC
* Juan de Fuca Plate
* L1 Cup
* men
* women

National competitions|

* Women's Inter-Provincial Championship

Seasons|

* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

* v
* t
* e

Soccer in Canada

* Canadian Soccer Association
* League system
* Seasons
* Hall of Fame
* Clubs
* Champions
* Club honours
* Stadiums
* Women's soccer in Canada
* Player of the Year award

Men's national teams|

* Senior
* results
* players
* records and statistics
* U-23 (Olympic)
* U-20
* U-17
* Beach soccer
* Futsal

Women's national teams|

* Senior
* results
* players
* U-20
* U-17

Men's outdoor leagues|

| Tier 1|

* Canadian Premier League
* Playoffs
* Finals
* Major League Soccer
* Playoffs
* MLS Cup

|

Tier 3|

* League1 Canada
* Alberta
* British Columbia
* Ontario
* Québec
* MLS Next Pro

Below tier 3|

* United Premier Soccer League
* Alberta Major Soccer League
* Ligue de soccer élite du Québec
* Manitoba Major Soccer League
* Ontario Soccer League
* Pacific Coast Soccer League
* Vancouver Metro Soccer League

Non-FIFA|

* Canadian Soccer League
* Finals

Women's outdoor leagues|

| Professional|

* Northern Super League

|

Pro-am|

* League1 Canada
* Alberta
* British Columbia
* Ontario
* Québec
* United Women's Soccer

Indoor and futsal competitions|

* MASL
* Futsal Canadian Championship

Cup competitions|

| Pro / pro-am|

* Canadian Championship
* Finals
* Voyageurs Cup
* Women's Inter-Provincial Championship

|

Amateur|

* National championships
* Challenge Trophy
* Jubilee Trophy
* Provincial championships
* BC
* NL
* ON

Other competitions|

* Soccer at the Canada Games
* Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament

College and university soccer|

* U Sports men's
* Championship
* U Sports women's
* Championship
* CCAA Soccer National Championship

Defunct Canadian leagues|

* Canadian Professional Soccer League (1983)
* Canadian Soccer League (1987–1992)
* National Soccer League
* Pacific Coast Soccer League (1939–1973)
* Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League
* Western Canada Soccer League
* Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League

Defunct American leagues|

* United Soccer Association
* National Professional Soccer League (1967)
* North American Soccer League (1968–1984)
* Soccer Bowl
* Western Soccer Alliance
* American Professional Soccer League
* A-League
* Finals
* USL First Division
* Finals
* USSF Division 2 Professional League
* North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
* Soccer Bowl
* North American Soccer Football League
* USL W-League

Related American leagues|

* USL Championship
* USL League One
* USL League Two
* Women's Premier Soccer League

Defunct cup competitions|

* Inter-Provincial Cup
* Mainland Cup
* Open Canada Cup
* Victoria Challenge Cup
* WFA Challenge Cup
* Women's Voyageurs Cup

Other|

* Canadian clubs in American leagues
* Canadian clubs in international competitions

Associations|

* AB
* BC
* MB
* NB
* NL
* NS
* NT
* NU
* ON
* PE
* QC
* SK
* YT
* Historical: DFA (1877–1881)
* WFA (1880–1940)

* v
* t
* e

Third-tier association football leagues of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean (CONCACAF)

North America|

* Canada
* Alberta
* British Columbia
* Ontario
* Quebec
* Mexico
* United States
* USL1
* NISA
* MLS Next Pro

Central America|

* Costa Rica
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Honduras
* Panama

Caribbean|

* Barbados
* Puerto Rico
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Suriname

* v
* t
* e

Canadian Soccer – Division 3 seasons (CSA & USSF)

Canadian Soccer League|

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013

League1 Canada|

| Ligue1 Québec|

* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

|

League1 Ontario|

* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

League1 British Columbia|

* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

League1 Alberta|

* 2024
* 2025

USSF (U.S. based leagues)|

| USL Championship|

* 2015
* 2016

|

USL League One|

* 2019
* 2021

MLS Next Pro|

* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Note: There is no clear information from CSA about tier of U.S. based leagues which have Canadian clubs. In terms of historical information, they have been deployed as tier 3 league as USSF have done.
*[LC]: League championship
*[RS]: Regular season
*[IP]: Inter-provincial championship
*[Record]: Wins, draws (including matches that go to penalties), losses.
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template