Kamloops will be getting a new semi-pro soccer team which will start play in the spring.
Rivers FC will be one of seven teams in the new League1 BC ahead of its inaugural season which begins in May of 2022.
Mark Pennington will coach the women’s team, with John Antulov in charge of the men’s team. Pennington and Antulov are currently coaches of the TRU WolfPack women’s and men’s soccer teams, respectively.
Team President Nick Rinaldi told NL Sports it is an exciting day for the soccer landscape in Kamloops.
“Young players that are ambitious, they are always on the road elsewhere, playing elsewhere, outside of that university season. The local kids that can make this team, they can stay home, they can do their schooling at home,” he said.
“It will help the university programs attract more quality players to the community and it’s a win-win for everyone.”
Antulov, a Kamloops native, agreed.
“I think first and foremost it gives a real platform for young players not only in Kamloops but in the Interior. This is something that we’ve wanted here for a long time,” he said. “We’re seeing the growth of soccer just really explode in Canada and we wanted to be a part of that. Being from Kamloops, to see where we are and how we are growing soccer in Kamloops is huge.”
League1 BC aims to fill a gap between amateur leagues in the province like the Pacific Coast Soccer League and the top-tier Canadian Premier League. Premiere Ligue de soccer du Quebec and League1 Ontario already operate at the same semi-pro level as League1 BC will.
“I think this announcement is fantastic for women’s soccer in the area,” Pennington said. “Being a part of League 1 BC shows that we are serious about the development of the women’s game, and the men’s game, in the area.”
Gabriel Assis, the Director of Operations for BC Soccer, says they were impressed by the application from the Kamloops team, which will be run by a non-profit society with its own board of directors.
“They are bringing expertise from the university. They are bringing their technical staff and they are looking at the operations of this league differently. That is what we want within our licence holders is to really understand the business of soccer. And understand that it takes a level of standard and a level of organization to operate at this level,” he said.
“We are happy that Rivers FC understood what the vision of the league and that they are willing to work with us and to collaborate to achieve that.”
Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian says the new team will help grow the sport not just in the City, but in the Thompson and Nicola regions.
“Kamloops is a great spot for this with our moniker of Canada’s Tournament Capital because we believe that after we get past this pandemic, this is the way that we are going to return Kamloops to its rightful place,” he said. “Rivers FC is going to be a great addition to the sport menu in Kamloops.”
Each team in League1 will play six home games and six away games over the course of the season between May and July. The top two teams will then play a one-game final to determine the league champions.
According to the General Manager, Keith Liddiard, it will cost about $150,000 a year to run the team, with most of that money going towards travel to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. The team expects to generate money for its operations through local businesses, sponsorships, grants, gate receipts, and TRU itself.
There is no cap on the age of players or where they can be recruited from. The league will be open to amateur and professional athletes, though Rivers FC staff say the majority of players are expected to be from the Kamloops area. There will be tryouts in the new year although details haven’t been worked out yet.
“Soccer has rich history in Kamloops dating back to the early 1900s but there has never been a semi-professional team in existence as there has not been a semi-pro league to play in,” Liddiard said.
Rivers FC has two potential home venues in Hillside Stadium and McArthur Island Field 2, with some enhancements.
Joining Rivers FC as part of League1 BC are TSS Rovers of Burnaby, and the Vancouver Whitecaps. They will be joined by four more expansion teams, which will be revealed in the coming weeks.
#Kamloops is getting a new semi-pro soccer team, Rivers FC, which will be one of the founding members in the new League1 BC.
They will begin play in May, 2022. pic.twitter.com/3Y7wi6h4Ib
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) November 5, 2021
Hello #Kamloops. pic.twitter.com/VPzXkbxzjx
— Rivers FC (@goRiversFC) November 5, 2021
