Fall will feel like fall again with football in the air.
The Westshore Rebels and Vancouver Island Raiders will begin play in September in a 2021 B.C. Football Conference season reduced to eight regular-season games from the usual 10.
The 2020 BCFC season was cancelled due to the pandemic, a year of development lost for junior players aspiring to U Sports or the pro CFL.
“It’s been a tough grind for the kids and it’s exciting to get back on the field,” said Rebels president Rob Lervold.
“Everything was against us last year. But we got more optimistic this June when the province announced its new rules for gatherings.”
According to the guidelines for outdoor venues, half capacity will be allowed at Starlight Stadium in Langford for the Rebels and Nanaimo District Senior Secondary field for the Raiders.
“We’ll be fine with that,” said Lervold.
Rebels training camp will open Aug. 15 at Starlight Stadium. Lervold said the club will field a 70-player roster, half local players and half from elsewhere. Westshore’s first game is Sept. 11 at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna against the Okanagan Sun. The Rebels home opener is Sept. 18 at Starlight Stadium against the Fraser Valley Huskers.
The V.I. Raiders open Sept. 11 in Nanaimo against the Langley Rams.
The BCFC regular season concludes Oct. 30. The playoff semifinals are Nov. 6-7 with the fourth-place team visiting the top seed and the third-place team visiting the second seed. The Cullen Cup BCFC championship game is Nov. 13 or 14. The Cullen Cup champion will play in the national semifinals Nov. 20. The Canadian Bowl national junior championship game is Dec. 4.
An extra season of eligibility has been granted to players who would have graduated from junior football last year.
“It’s still tough, in other aspects, particularly in terms of sponsorships and billets,” said Lervold.
Supporters interested in helping with either can contact the club at [email protected] for sponsorships and [email protected] for billeting players.
