League1 British Columbia (L1BC) is a
semi-professional
Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a cons ...
men's and women's
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
league in
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the
Canadian Soccer Association
The Canadian Soccer Association (; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, a ...
and the
BC Soccer Association as a Division III Pro-Am league in the
Canadian soccer league system
The Canadian soccer league system, also called the Canadian soccer pyramid, is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in Canada. The governing body of soccer in the country is the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), ...
.
In the Canadian soccer league system, the men's division is behind the
Canadian Premier League
The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; ) is a professional Association football, soccer league in Canada and the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system. The league comprises eight teams, from five of provinces and territories of ...
(CPL). It is part of
League1 Canada
League1 Canada (L1C; ) is a national pro–am Association football, soccer organization in Canada. It consists of four regional leagues; League1 Alberta, League1 British Columbia, League1 Ontario, and Ligue1 Québec with each league operating m ...
, the national third tier with regional division, with L1BC equaivalent to
Ligue1 Québec
Ligue1 Québec (L1QC) is a Semi-professional sports, semi-professional men's Association football, soccer league in Quebec, Canada. Founded in 2011 as the Première ligue de soccer du Québec, the league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Asso ...
(L1QC),
League1 Ontario
League1 Ontario (L1ON) is a semi-professional men's soccer league in Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association.
League1 Ontario consists of three tiers – League1 Premier ...
(L1ON), and
League1 Alberta
League1 Alberta (L1AB) is a semi-professional men's and women's soccer league in Alberta, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the Alberta Soccer Association as a third division pro–am league in the Canadi ...
(L1AB). The men's league champion qualifies for the
Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...
, 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
The Pacific Coast Soccer League is an amateur Association football, soccer league, currently featuring teams from British Columbia. In the past, clubs from Washington (state), Washington and Oregon have competed. The Pacific Coast Soccer Leagu ...
, Fraser Valley Soccer League, Vancouver Island Soccer League and
Vancouver Metro Soccer League
The Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) is a men's Association football, soccer league operating in British Columbia, Canada primarily in the Lower Mainland area.
History
The league is an amateur league, and does not compete against or promote ...
, with the professional top tier
Canadian Premier League
The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; ) is a professional Association football, soccer league in Canada and the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system. The league comprises eight teams, from five of provinces and territories of ...
.
History
BC Soccer
BC Soccer is the governing body of adult and youth soccer in British Columbia, Canada. They are the head association for all FIFA affiliated soccer associations in BC. BCSA is located in Vancouver, British Columbia's largest city. There are diff ...
originally looked into the possibility of starting a "Regional Tier 3" league in their 2016 Strategic Plan, with the goal of beginning in 2018 with eight teams. However, nothing came to fruition due to insufficient interest from clubs.
In June 2019, they announced their intention to begin play in 2021 with at least six clubs.
Teams would need to commit for three years minimum and field teams in both the male and female divisions.
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.
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
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
club
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...
. On October 5, 2021, the league was officially announced by BC Soccer to begin play in May 2022. 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. 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
USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...
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.
In addition, a cedar trophy was created to be awarded to both the men's and women's division champions. In November 2022, it was confirmed that the league winner would qualify for the following season's
Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...
, the national cup tournament. For the 2023 season, the league announced its first expansion club (
Harbourside FC
Nanaimo United Football Club (formerly Harbourside Football Club) is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Nanaimo, British Columbia that plays in League1 British Columbia.
History
Nanaimo United was first formed in 1903.
The semi ...
) bringing the league up to eight clubs.
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. 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.
Competition format
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
By year
By club
Note: This table only includes titles within the League1 Canada system.
Clubs
Current teams
Nine teams are members of the league, of which six are based in
Greater Vancouver
Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term ''Greater Vancouver'' describes an area that is roughly coterminous with the r ...
, one on
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
, and one in
the province's interior. All teams compete in both the men's and women's divisions of the league.
Timeline
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width:20 textcolor:white shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:m
bar:1 color:Active from:01/01/2022 till:end text:Altitude FC
bar:2 color:Active from:01/01/2022 till:12/31/2024 text:Rivers FC
bar:2 color:Active from:01/01/2025 till:end text:Kamloops United FC
bar:3 color:Active from:01/01/2022 till:end text:TSS Rovers
bar:4 color:Active from:01/01/2022 till:end text:Unity FC
bar:5 color:Former from:01/01/2022 till:12/31/2022 text:Varsity FC
bar:5 color:Former from:01/01/2023 till:12/31/2023 text:Nautsa’mawt FC
bar:6 color:Former from:01/01/2022 till:12/31/2023 text:Victoria Highlanders
bar:7 color:Active from:01/01/2022 till:end text:Whitecaps Academy
bar:8 color:Active from:01/01/2023 till:12/31/2024 text:Harbourside FC
bar:8 color:Active from:01/01/2025 till:end text:Nanaimo United FC
bar:9 color:Active from:01/01/2024 till:end text:Burnaby FC
bar:10 color:Active from:01/01/2025 till:end text:Evolution FC
bar:11 color:Active from:01/01/2025 till:end text:Langley United
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text:
Former teams
L1BC clubs in other competitions
Men
Women
See also
*
Canadian soccer league system
The Canadian soccer league system, also called the Canadian soccer pyramid, is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in Canada. The governing body of soccer in the country is the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), ...
*
League1 Canada
League1 Canada (L1C; ) is a national pro–am Association football, soccer organization in Canada. It consists of four regional leagues; League1 Alberta, League1 British Columbia, League1 Ontario, and Ligue1 Québec with each league operating m ...
References
External links
BC Soccer AssociationBC Soccer Regional Tier 3 League Operations Manual (2016)
{{Canada D3 soccer seasons
Soccer leagues in Canada
Women's soccer leagues in Canada
Canada, British Columbia
2021 establishments in British Columbia
Sports leagues established in 2021
Soccer in British Columbia
Sports leagues in British Columbia
League1 Canada