The epithet reads: RIP Victoria Highlanders. Born in 2008 in the USL Premier Development League. Died in 2024 in League1 B.C.
The Highlanders era in local soccer came to a close with the announcement this week that the club will cease operations immediately. The defending League1 B.C. champion Highlanders were set to play the professional club Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League in the all-Island opening-round derby in the Voyageurs Cup Canadian Championship, this nation’s version of the FA Cup, on May 1 at Starlight Stadium.
Canada Soccer will make a decision on that match this week with an option being to replace the Highlanders with the TSS Rovers of Burnaby, who were runners-up to the Highlanders last season in League1 B.C.
League1 B.C., described by some as “semi-pro” but in actuality amateur for most clubs, operates along with League1 Ontario and League1 Quebec at a level below the national top-tier CPL as the second-tier in the establishment of a proper Canadian soccer pyramid to match the pyramid systems used by nations around the world. (The Vancouver Whitecaps, FC Toronto and CF Montreal operate as ‘guest’ clubs of the top U.S. domestic pro Major League Soccer).
Both the Highlanders men’s and women’s teams will be shutting down. They were set to open their seasons April 24.
“Losing the Highlanders is a big loss in the community for soccer at that level for both men and women players,” Highlanders owner Brett Large told the Times Colonist.
“It’s very upsetting and we didn’t take the decision lightly.”
Large said he would have no further comment.
Canadian Soccer Business, a private company owned by CPL owners, bought League1 B.C. and League1 Ontario in December from their respective provincial associations. The model and fee structure then changed, according to a Times Colonist source who did not want their name revealed, and the new arrangement was not satisfactory for the way the Highlanders operate.
The club wrote an open letter on the Highlanders website “Despite our best efforts over the past two months we have been unable to reach an agreement with the new owners of League1 B.C. that would allow us to carry on the Highlanders and still maintain our mission of providing a volunteer driven, not-for-profit community team for women and men looking to take their next step in soccer. Our greatest satisfaction has come from seeing the many players and coaches who have gone on to successful careers in university or college and in various pro leagues in Canada and beyond.”
League1 B.C. seemed tailor-made as an avenue for players such as hometown Victoria star Michael Henman of the Highlanders, the 2022 Canada West MVP who set the conference scoring record that year with 19 goals for the UNBC Timberwolves. Henman, on his Instagram account Monday, wrote: “Shame on you, CSB. The berth in the Canadian Championship that we fought for and earned and the chance to play with friends in my hometown, you made not possible for a little extra cash. Spineless.”
A source, who wished to remain unidentified, told the Times Colonist the new League1 B.C. deal would have cost the Highlanders up to $15,000 more to operate in 2024 and that the club was not willing to take on that added financial burden.
The source added that most League1 B.C. teams have associated youth systems, or are affiliated with university of college programs in their areas, that could absorb that fee increase. The Highlanders are an independent, volunteer-run organization with local sponsors. The CSB believes it can bring in a more seamless approach with access to bigger, national sources of revenue to help build up the League 1 system.
The Highlanders team in the Vancouver Island Soccer League Division 1 and the Highlanders residency program, under Thomas Niendorf, will continue.
The Nanaimo Harbourside men’s and women’s teams will continue operating in League1 B.C.
