Victoria United

Victoria United is also the name of a defunct Scottish soccer team, see Victoria United F.C..
Victoria United
Full name Victoria United
Nickname(s) United
Founded 1904
Dissolved 2014
Stadium Royal Athletic Park
Stadium
capacity		 4,247
Manager Steve Scott
League Pacific Coast Soccer League
2014 7th
Website Club home page

Victoria United was a Canadian soccer team based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. With lineage to clubs founded in 1904, the team played in the Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid featuring teams from British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America.

From 1994 through 2012 Victoria played its home matches at Royal Athletic Park. Because of conflicts with the newly introduced semi-professional baseball team at Royal Athletic Park, United played the 2013 and 2014 seasons at Braefoot Park in Saanich. The team's colours were blue and white.

On October 1, 2014, the team announced that it would be dissolved.[1]

History

The team was formed in 1904 as a merger of two Victoria teams, Victoria Association Football Club, and Victoria Capitals. Until its dissolution, Victoria United was one of the oldest surviving sports clubs in North America. They were also one of the more successful clubs in the PCSL, having been champions on five occasions in the modern era.[2]

The formation of the USL Premier Development League's Victoria Highlanders starting in the 2009 season reduced Victoria United's success on and off the field. Former United stars such as Tyler and Jordan Hughes joined the Highlanders, the fanbase gravitated to the higher-level PDL side, and the once-formidable United fell in the standings, even finishing behind the Highlanders reserve team in 2010.

Beginning in 2011 the Highlanders shared United's ground at Royal Athletic Park, while United also had to split time with baseball's Victoria Seals and HarbourCats. The shortage of stadium time and added competition eventually compelled United to move to smaller Braefoot Park in 2013, and was noted as a reason for the team folding at the end of the 2014 season.[3]

Players

Notable alumni of the team include senior Canadian internationals Josh Simpson, Adam Straith, and Simon Thomas. National Basketball Association star Steve Nash, who played youth soccer in Victoria, appeared in one league game with Victoria in 2001 and recorded an assist.[4]

Year-by-year

The Pacific Coast Soccer League champion is the premier team with the most points at the end of the season. The top four men's premier teams or the Host team and the top three compete in a single game knockout tournament to decide the playoff champion.

The top Canadian team in the Pacific Coast Soccer League is also eligible to compete in a tournament against the top amateur teams from Washington State and Oregon State. This competition includes the league champion (or next highest placed team) as a host team and is a single game knockout tournament.

The Victoria Highlanders and Victoria United maintain a friendly relationship and play a charity match each preseason around July 1.

Year Division League Reg. Season Playoffs Open Canada Cup GP W D L GF GA Pts
1995 4 PCSL 1st N / A 181332721642
1996 4 PCSL 2nd n/a12822371426
1997 4 PCSL 2nd n/a12813251425
1998 4 PCSL 3rd not invited16916452428
1999 4 PCSL 5th not invited18927353029
2000 4 PCSL 4th not invited14734372424
2001 4 PCSL 3rd not invited16934432630
2002 4 PCSL 1st not invited18124246740
2003 4 PCSL 2nd not invited151122461235
2004 4 PCSL 1st not invited161042432334
2005 4 PCSL 1st, South Champions not invited161132541736
2006 4 PCSL 5th not invited14824422326
2007 4 PCSL 1stDNQnot invited181062502736
2008 4 PCSL 1st n/a181332602142
2009 4 PCSL 6th DNQ n/a16736352624
2010 4 PCSL 5th DNQ N / A16628362920
2011 4 PCSL 5th DNQ N / A125072542815
2012 4 PCSL 5th DNQ N / A16718313722
20134PCSL5thDNQN/A14446172816
20144PCSL7thDNQN/A14437323415

Honours

Pre-PCSL Honors

Head coaches

Stadium

References

  1. ↑ http://www.victoriaunited.com/news.php?NID=279
  2. ↑ http://www.pcsl.org/
  3. ↑ http://www.victoriaunited.com/news.php?NID=279
  4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20011211230321/http://www.victoriaunited.com/archive/01news.html
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