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Regional Tier 3 League

forest1979

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A dumb question...but I,m on the island...if the VMSL FVSL and VISL amalgamated one top league, and for arguments sake, VMSL have 6 teams, and 3 each for FVSL and VISL what would be the longest travel distances. On the island currently you would have one Victoria (so ferry no problem) one Nanaimo (again own ferry) the long trip would be Cowichan, kind of mid island.....I would simply put every teams fees up $50 for the year,throughout the leagues,(that's less than $4 per player) quick maths, VISL 100 teams x50, VMSL 140x50...not sure how many teams in FVSL..travel costs done!..but if anyone ever wants football here to get better its got to happen....and whoever keeps ranting on about university football, if you aint got the idea by 21 you aint gonna get it....and PLEASE stop with the womens thing, its all very nice but really, sort what matters out and the rest will follow.....or we stay as we are 3 or 4 decent teams in each league.
 

Canucks4Ever

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It continues to be discussed. The problem with the "joint league" idea is control. VMSL insists that it be the ones to govern it, BC Soccer wants control over their "Tier 3" initiative etc.

Latest I heard on this Tier 3 was BC Soccer was striking a committee to review the possibilities of a 6-8 team U23 summer league spread throughout the Province. All very preliminary. How that would look in the context of CPL and PDL (or USL2 or whatever they are calling it now) remains to be seen.
 

Dude

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What's frustrating is the infrastructure, clubs, players, and people to make this happen are already in place. Why reinvent the wheel when all you need to do is pull from what already exists. It's bloody diabolical they can't figure it out. How long ago did this pop up as the super league? 5 years ago now? More?
 

Canucks4Ever

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This probably needs its own thread but since we already began discussing it here I will offer some updates on what I have learned on this new BC Soccer Tier 3 league.

  • Play is set to begin next April with 7-8 "franchises"; runs through August
  • The league has significantly scaled back its franchise requirements from the previous attempt to create this league a few years ago
    • No longer are there projections/requirements for stadium ticket revenue, concession revenue, merchandise revenue, etc.
  • Intention is for the champion to be given a berth in the Canadian Championship - still TBC by CSA but confirmation is expected
  • Players will initially NOT BE PAID in the league, with the intention to potentially move towards eventually becoming a semi-professional league within 5 seasons
  • Similar agreement with USports (formerly CIS) as CPL which will allow college players to participate in this league before being returned to their college teams; NCAA (SFU) players not likely to be eligible
  • No information on if players will be eligible to play in VMSL/FVSL/VISL outside of the Tier 3 season or on whether signing in this league will have any effect on their amateur status
  • TSS Rovers and Victoria Highlanders have apparently verbally committed to joining the league assuming the CSA, as expected, approves a spot for the league in the Canadian Championship
    • Note - TSS and Highlanders must inform USL D2 (formerly PDL) if they are returning to that league by November; if they do remain in USL they must sign a 3 year commitment
    • I am told that BC Tier 3 WILL LAUNCH regardless of if TSS and Highlanders join or not; though obviously the preference is for them to be there
  • Ideally BC Soccer would like to stream at least some of the league's matches live online in order to try and help grow the reach of the league
So basically it sounds like a bit of a glorified summer league, at least to start. From everything I have heard BC Soccer is bound and determined to start this league next season, no matter what. One of the big catalysts I am told is Peter Schaad, who is now head of Marketing and Communications at BC Soccer. This should, ostensibly, finish off the PCSL; whether or not it has any major effect on the VMSL/FVSL/VISL is yet to be seen. One of the major impediments to this league getting off the ground last time around was the adult leagues not being onside. This time around I have reason to believe that the FVSL is on board with this endeavor but that the VMSL has been just about kept out of the loop on developments. Again, we will see what sort of impact that may or may not have.

Initial franchises I am told will be:
  • Whitecaps U23
  • Vancouver 86ers
  • Tri-Cities
  • Surrey/Langley
  • TSS Rovers*
  • Victoria Highlanders*
  • Nanaimo+
  • Kamloops+
  • Kelowna/Penticton/Okanagan+
*Pending CSA approval of Canadian Championshp berth
+Unconfirmed ownership

Rumours regarding the franchises that I have heard are that Schaad himself is in someway involved with owning the "86ers" trademark and is driving the bus on this league in order to have somewhere for this franchise to play. I am told that there is already an understanding that this "86ers" incarnation would play out of Swanguard with TSS agreeing to move to Richmond. Not sure how that would split the allegiances of the "Swanguardians". Personally I was surprised when I was told that TSS had agreed to move given the roots they have laid down, but likely there is also significant financial benefit to not playing at Swanguard.

Elsewhere, Whitecaps are apparently keen to have a league for their development squad to play regular football in; presumably games would be based at UBC. The Tri-Cities franchise is apparently in the hands of none other than Thomas Mills, while Surrey/Langley also has confirmed ownership. Apparently "Okanagan" put a franchise in PCSL this year with the sole intention of being in this new league next year, but exactly what that would potentially look like and where they would play is not known. There is also purportedly interest from Kamloops and Nanaimo, but whether or not either make it for year one is unclear. Likely a bigger push to get one or both in if TSS and Highlanders do not end up getting on board.
 

dezza

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Referee = $80 per match Assistant Referees = $40 per match

So VMSL/FVSL Premier will pay refs more? :banhappy:
 

Jigsaw

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Why do they have to start a "New League"?
Wouldn't it make more sense to improve gradually a league that already exists?
The VMSL is a well established league, with good teams already competing at a decent level.
Or, having each BCPL club having a Senior team to give youth players a place to play after their youth days are over.
I would suggest that making the current teams in the VMSL a little more "Professional" by introducing improvements to the way the teams and the league is run, with a different item each year to make them run more proficiently.
For instance: Make each team play in a small Community Stadium.
Swangard, MAP, Rotary, Chilliwack. There are stadium's in each municipality?
Following year, Have each team provide a "social media" person, to advertise games & inform locals about their teams.
I'm sure that gradually improving teams by having guidelines to follow would give them a chance to organize better & not run the risk of investors having to step up to fund a new league.
Your thoughts?
 

FC Red Star

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"In 2017, BC Soccer invited expressions of interest to establish franchise clubs to join the league, however, there was not sufficient interest to proceed. A new way forward was needed to meet the strategic objective. In 2019, BC Soccer began the process of engaging with groups and organizations that were already experienced in operating semi-professional to professional environments. "

1. Who did they meet with?

2. Which groups and organization already experienced operating semi-professional to professional environments?
 

Regs

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I'm guessing TSS... you know, the group that tried to lawyer up at one time :)

I just read through the documents. Wish I hadn't.

Someone is going to make a nice salary overseeing this operation. That would make a nice "community story".

Who are you trying to fcuking kid here?
 

Jigsaw

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"In 2017, BC Soccer invited expressions of interest to establish franchise clubs to join the league, however, there was not sufficient interest to proceed. A new way forward was needed to meet the strategic objective. In 2019, BC Soccer began the process of engaging with groups and organizations that were already experienced in operating semi-professional to professional environments. "

1. Who did they meet with?

2. Which groups and organization already experienced operating semi-professional to professional environments?
I was on that Committee.
I stepped down, when I realized that the direction they were headed, was doomed for failure.
Investors will not risk their hard earned money to start "new leagues".
It sounds like a great idea, but when it gets down to who will actually pays for it, everyone takes a step backwards.
That's why I believe enhancing already established leagues is a safer way to go.
Instead of starting a "Brand New League", just make the existing league a little bit more professional, gradually.
It might take longer to get where we want to be, but it will have a better chance of survival!
 

Canucks4Ever

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@Regs - Any way to transplant my other posts about this league from the TSS board onto this one?

As for the idea of making an existing league better, the problem is control. BC Soccer wants control of this league. The VMSL already has a governance structure and, historically, the FVSL and VMSL have not exactly been the best of friends. Then there is the Island. Making the VMSL "better" significantly limits the geography of the league and, from what I understand, BC Soccer wants this to be Province wide.

On a side note, I am to understand that the given the years of turnover in management on both the VMSL and FVSL boards respectively, a very informal conversation about created a "super league" has been had recently. It is a long way off but if this new Tier 3 league is successful it may be the way forward.
 

Regs

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@Canucks4Ever can you post the link here for the TSS-related post and I'll move into this thread? I can't remember where it was.

Thanks!

a very informal conversation about created a "super league" has been had recently

What's the point now? What problem will it solve now that BC Soccer has this thing going?
 

Regs

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The new league is only slated to run May though July.

It is also a U-23 league.
I dunno, seems like a waste now to try and "compete" with BC Soccer initiative. The May through July time period is, while short, the better time period than "winter". I'm not so bothered by the U23 concept as the document(s) lay out... 6 starters need to be U23, the rest can be O50 if so desired (put me in coach!).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of the BC Soccer plan as too many fingers in the pie (CSB puts me off)...
 

Dude

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Why do they have to start a "New League"?
Wouldn't it make more sense to improve gradually a league that already exists?
The VMSL is a well established league, with good teams already competing at a decent level.
Or, having each BCPL club having a Senior team to give youth players a place to play after their youth days are over.
I would suggest that making the current teams in the VMSL a little more "Professional" by introducing improvements to the way the teams and the league is run, with a different item each year to make them run more proficiently.
For instance: Make each team play in a small Community Stadium.
Swangard, MAP, Rotary, Chilliwack. There are stadium's in each municipality?
Following year, Have each team provide a "social media" person, to advertise games & inform locals about their teams.
I'm sure that gradually improving teams by having guidelines to follow would give them a chance to organize better & not run the risk of investors having to step up to fund a new league.
Your thoughts?

Nope.

Makes way too much sense.
 

Dude

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@Regs - Any way to transplant my other posts about this league from the TSS board onto this one?

As for the idea of making an existing league better, the problem is control. BC Soccer wants control of this league. The VMSL already has a governance structure and, historically, the FVSL and VMSL have not exactly been the best of friends. Then there is the Island. Making the VMSL "better" significantly limits the geography of the league and, from what I understand, BC Soccer wants this to be Province wide.

On a side note, I am to understand that the given the years of turnover in management on both the VMSL and FVSL boards respectively, a very informal conversation about created a "super league" has been had recently. It is a long way off but if this new Tier 3 league is successful it may be the way forward.

This is it, right here.

Don't people get sick of fighting? Fcuk me, we're all old now. Hand over the leadership to younger people who have more vested interests, and who don't have the ugly history of butthurtness. Seriously, this whole thing has to stop, the players deserve better than status quo. We are now 20 years behind Ontario FFS.
 

Dude

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I dunno, seems like a waste now to try and "compete" with BC Soccer initiative. The May through July time period is, while short, the better time period than "winter". I'm not so bothered by the U23 concept as the document(s) lay out... 6 starters need to be U23, the rest can be O50 if so desired (put me in coach!).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of the BC Soccer plan as too many fingers in the pie (CSB puts me off)...

I'd say make it like PDL. I don't think they have limitations of age, it just so happens most players that want to pursue the professional game are of university age or younger. You may have a few guys that can still play at that level into their 30s, but they are fewer and fewer.

Tweak the rules; maybe allow up to 7 roster players to be over 23, or a combination, U25 w/ 7 over age players. A good mix of young and young veterans.
 

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