Nautsaʼmawt FC
 | |
| Full name | Varsity Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 |
| Stadium | Thunderbird Stadium, Rashpal Dhillon Track & Field Oval |
| Head Coach | Mike Mosher (men) Jesse Symons (women) |
| League | League1 British Columbia |
| 2022 | L1BC, 1st; Playoffs, Finals (men) L1BC, 1st; Playoffs, Finals (women) |
| Website | Club website |
Varsity Football Club is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in West Point Grey, Vancouver, British Columbia that plays in League1 British Columbia.
History
The club was officially unveiled on December 3, 2021, as an inaugural licence holder for the first season of the new semi-professional League1 British Columbia in 2022.[1] The team was formed in partnership with the University of British Columbia and their Thunderbirds sports teams with the head coaches of both the UBC men's and women's soccer teams serving as the club's inaugural head coaches.[2] In addition, Varsity's home stadium will be UBC's Thunderbird Stadium[3] with select games being played on the field at the Rashpal Dhillon Track & Field Oval, also located on the UBC campus.
Their inaugural matches, for the male and female teams, occurred on May 26 against Unity FC, with both sides winning their matches 2-0.[4][5] Their home debut occurred on June 4, with the men defeating the Victoria Highlanders 3-0,[6] while the women defeated the Highlanders 3-2.[7] They won the 2022 Juan de Fuca Plate as the League1 BC club with the greatest number of combined points between the men's and women's divisions during the regular season.[8] Varsity finished atop the regular season standings for both the men's and women's divisions in the debut season, advancing to the championship finals.[9] In the women's final, Varsity was defeated by Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite,[10] while the men were defeated by TSS Rovers FC in a penalty shootout.[9] Despite losing in the finals, the women's team represented L1BC at the League1 Canada Interprovincial Championship, as the Whitecaps were unable to attend,[11] where they finished in 4th place, following defeats to PLSQ side AS Blainville in the semi-finals[12][13] and losing in a penalty shootout to League1 Ontario side Alliance United FC in the third-place match.[14]
Seasons
Men
| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | League1 British Columbia | 7 | 9–1–2 | 1st | Finalists |
Women
| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | National / Other | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | League1 British Columbia | 7 | 11–0–1 | 1st | Finalists | Interprovincial Championship | 4th | |
Notable players
The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the League1 BC team:
Men
Women
References
- ^ "League1BC welcomes Varsity FC as founding License Holder". BC Soccer Association. December 3, 2021.
- ^ Jacques, John (December 4, 2021). "League1 BC Reveals Varsity FC As Final Launch Club". Northern Tribune.
- ^ McColl, Michael (May 5, 2022). "The Grounds of League1 BC: Thunderbird Stadium, UBC, Vancouver – Home of Varsity FC". Away from the Numbers.
- ^ McColl, Michael (June 2, 2022). "League1 BC Women: Unbeaten Whitecaps looking strong while Varsity start their season with a victory and TSS get road win". Away from the Numbers.
- ^ McColl, Michael (June 4, 2022). "Varsity FC proud to be part of League1 BC and what they hope will be a "massive revolution" for soccer in the province". Away from the Numbers.
- ^ McColl, Michael (June 10, 2022). "League1 BC Men: Unbeaten Varsity continue strong start to the season with six point haul". Away from the Numbers.
- ^ McColl, Michael (June 9, 2022). "League1 BC Women: Three horse race developing as top two set to clash this weekend". Away from the Numbers.
- ^ @JuanDeFucaPlate (July 10, 2022). "Taking all 12 points from a tough back-to-back on the road, they can no longer be caught and are the 2022 Juan de Fuca Plate champions!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "League1 BC season concludes with two dramatic finals". BC Soccer. August 2, 2022.
- ^ McColl, Michael (August 2, 2022). "Whitecaps stun Varsity with late comeback to win first League1 BC women's championship". Away from the Numbers.
- ^ Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (August 11, 2022). "Team Previews: 4 teams compete in League1 Canada Women's Inter-Provincial Championship". Canadian Premier League.
- ^ "Une victoire convaincante de l'AS Blainville contre Varsity" [A convincing victory for AS Blainville against Varsity]. PLSQ (in French). August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Confident AS Blainville score two past Varsity". League1 Canada. August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Alliance United finish third after beating Varsity on penalties". League1 Canada. August 15, 2022.
