It’s official: Vancouver Island is the new home of a Canadian Premier League (CPL) team.
The team, Pacific FC, is one of the inaugural teams alongside Hamilton, Winnipeg, York, Halifax, Edmonton, Ottawa and Calgary.
It was a full house at the launch party that took place at the Roundhouse at Bayview in Esquimalt.
Full house for the @CPLsoccer announcement, underway in 5 minutes! #CanPL #yyj #yyjevents pic.twitter.com/vW0IJ1S4XE
— Lindsey Horsting (@lindseyhorsting) July 20, 2018
A reveal video was shared with guests, showing how the CPL came up with the team name and brand. Given the Island’s passion for soccer, the team felt it was right to have a professional team close to home.
David Clanachan, Commissioner of the CPL, thanked Langford mayor Stew Young for helping get the team to the Island.
The crest is purple, blue and white, a slender design with a trident at the bottom.
Pacific FC crest#CanPL #yyj #yyjevents pic.twitter.com/cA9aYKhhiS
— Lindsey Horsting (@lindseyhorsting) July 20, 2018
The launch also included fans that paraded into the Roundhouse, chanting and cheering for the Vancouver Island team.
Bringing the Euro football spirit to the Island. This is what fans can expect at Pacific FC games. @GoldstreamNews #CanPL #yyjevents #yyj pic.twitter.com/HIWsBdxMAV
— Lindsey Horsting (@lindseyhorsting) July 21, 2018
Josh Simpson, Victoria native and founder of Pacific FC, is excited to have a place where soccer players can grow and not have to leave home to play professionally.
The club announced that “Member #1” of Pacific FC will be any 14-year-old on the Island in any given season who will automatically become a member of the club. This was to honour Simpson, as the 14-year-old boy realized he would have to leave his family in Canada to fulfill his dreams of playing soccer at the highest level. The club will be rolling out details in the coming months but it will mean special access and free tickets.
Westhills Stadium expansion renderings were on display at the event. Rob Friend, another founder of Pacific FC, said the club signed the papers right before the launch to go ahead with the Westhills Stadium expansion to ensure 5,000 seats for the inaugural season next April and after the full expansion will be able to accommodate 12,000 fans.