# League1 British Columbia

League1 British Columbia (L1BC) is a semi-professional men's and women's soccer league in British Columbia, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association and the BC Soccer Association as a Division III Pro-Am league in the Canadian soccer league system.
In the Canadian soccer league system, the men's division is behind the Canadian Premier League (CPL). It is part of League1 Canada, the national third tier with regional division, with L1BC equaivalent to Ligue1 Québec (L1QC), League1 Ontario (L1ON), and League1 Alberta (L1AB). The men's league champion qualifies for the Canadian Championship, the domestic cup championship, for the following season.
The semi-professional league was created to fill in the gap between the top amateur leagues in the province, such as the Pacific Coast Soccer League, Fraser Valley Soccer League, Vancouver Island Soccer League and Vancouver Metro Soccer League, with the professional top tier Canadian Premier League.

## History

BC Soccer originally looked into the possibility of starting a "Regional Tier 3" league in their 2016 Strategic Plan, with the goal of beginning in 2018 with eight teams. However, nothing came to fruition due to insufficient interest from clubs. In June 2019, they announced their intention to begin play in 2021 with at least six clubs. Teams would need to commit for three years minimum and field teams in both the male and female divisions. The proposed league would be open to professional clubs fielding reserve sides, provided they are not branded with "Reserves" or "U-23" in their team name.
In January 2021, the league was rumoured to be launching later that year with six or eight teams, including a development team from the Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC. On October 5, 2021, the league was officially announced by BC Soccer to begin play in May 2022. The inaugural league began on May 22, with the Championship Final occurring on August 1 (British Columbia Day), with seven clubs participating in the first season. It was announced that with the creation of the league, the Juan de Fuca Plate, which was previously awarded to the top BC-based Premier Development League team in head-to-head matches, would now be awarded to the League1 BC club that accrued the greatest number of points across both the men's and women's divisions in an aggregate table. In addition, a cedar trophy was created to be awarded to both the men's and women's division champions. In November 2022, it was confirmed that the league winner would qualify for the following season's Canadian Championship, the national cup tournament. For the 2023 season, the league announced its first expansion club (Harbourside FC) bringing the league up to eight clubs.
On December 1, 2023, Canadian Soccer Business acquired L1BC from BC Soccer. CSB have owned League1 Ontario since 2018 and now oversee the day-to-day operations of both leagues. For the 2024 season, another expansion club joined, however, two original clubs withdrew from the league, bringing the total back to seven. For 2025, two additional clubs joined, bringing the league to nine clubs.

## Competition format

The L1BC regular season lasts approximately two months, from late May to late July. Teams play each other team home and away for a total of 12 matches in 2022. The regular season champion and runner-up advance to a single match final where the winner is crowned finals champion.

## Results
### By year

League1 BC trophy winners :
| Season | Teams | Men's division | Men's division | Women's division | Women's division | Juan de Fuca Plate |
| Season | Teams | League champions | Regular season winner | League champions | Regular season winner | Juan de Fuca Plate |
| 2022 | 7 | TSS Rovers FC | Varsity FC | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Varsity FC | Varsity FC |
| 2023 | 8 | Whitecaps FC Academy | Victoria Highlanders FC | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Whitecaps FC Academy |
| 2024 | 7 | TSS Rovers FC | TSS Rovers FC | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Whitecaps FC Girls Elite | Whitecaps FC Academy |

### By club

Titles won by L1BC clubs :
| Club | Combined | Combined | Combined | Combined | Men | Men | Men | Women | Women | Women | Women |
| Club | LC | RS | IP | Total | LC | RS | Total | LC | RS | IP | Total |
| Whitecaps FC Academy | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | – | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Varsity FC | – | 2 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| TSS Rovers FC | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
| Victoria Highlanders FC | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
Note: This table only includes titles within the League1 Canada system.

## Clubs
### Current teams

Nine teams are members of the league, of which six are based in Greater Vancouver, one on Vancouver Island, and one in the province's interior. All teams compete in both the men's and women's divisions of the league.
| Team | City | Stadium | First season |
| Altitude FC | North Vancouver | Kinsmen Field South | 2022 |
| Burnaby FC | Burnaby | Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West | 2024 |
| Evolution FC | Coquitlam | Percy Perry Stadium | 2025 |
| Langley United | Langley | Willoughby Community Park | 2025 |
| Kamloops United FC | Kamloops | Hillside Stadium | 2022 |
| Nanaimo United FC | Nanaimo | Nanaimo District Secondary School | 2023 |
| TSS Rovers FC | Burnaby | Swangard Stadium | 2022 |
| Unity FC | Surrey | Cloverdale Athletic Park | 2022 |
| Whitecaps FC Academy | Vancouver (UBC Campus) | Thunderbird Stadium | 2022 |
* ↑ Kamloops United FC was known as Rivers FC from 2022 to 2024
* ↑ Nanaimo United FC was known as Harbourside FC from 2023 to 2024
* ↑ Based on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The campus is part of the unincorporated Metro Vancouver Electoral Area A and is located just west of the City of Vancouver proper.

### Former teams

| Team | City | Stadium | First season | Last season |
| Nautsa’mawt FC | UBC Campus | Thunderbird Stadium | 2022 | 2023 |
| Victoria Highlanders FC | Saanich | Centennial Stadium | 2022 | 2023 |
* ↑ Nautsa’mawt FC was known as Varsity FC in 2022
* ↑ Based on the campus of the University of British Columbia. The campus is part of the unincorporated Metro Vancouver Electoral Area A and is located just west of the City of Vancouver proper.