MLS Vancouver Whitecaps FC

EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League Kicks off this Weekend

Published on September 15, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC News Release


VANCOUVER, BC - In preparation for the first full season of competition commencing March 2012, the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League will kick off an inaugural "mini-season" this weekend.

"It is hard to believe that over a year and half of hard work by some of the most committed soccer minds in the province has now taken us to the opening kickoff of the new EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League," said David Haber, interim president of the BC Soccer Premier League Board of Governors. "Particularly refreshing has been the genuine cooperation of many of the key stakeholders in British Columbia's soccer community. We see this as a critical first step towards improving our effectiveness of talent development and delivering a clear pathway to competing on the national and international stages."

A full weekend of league fixtures in Abbotsford, Surrey, Vernon and Victoria starts with Magnuson Ford Mariners FC taking on Surrey United Soccer Club in U-13 boys action on Saturday, September 17 at Exhibition Park in Abbotsford, BC. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. PT. The full league schedule can be found at www.bcsoccerpremierleague.net.

"We'd like to acknowledge the huge amount of hard work that everyone involved has undertaken to get us to this point," said Steve Allen, BC Soccer director and chair of the BC Soccer High Performance Committee. "This weekend is destined to be a real milestone in terms of soccer development in BC and the unique partnerships that were developed to get here."

The EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League features eight founding franchises representing more than 80 per cent of the BC population with boys and girls divisions at the U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16 and U- 17 and U-18 age groups. The league is designed to support player development through increased competition for top soccer athletes. In conjunction with the club model developed by league partner Vancouver Whitecaps FC, this new structure will create a deeper talent base at the provincial, professional and national team levels, while also simplifying and facilitating scouting for colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada, as well as for Major League Soccer clubs and other professional soccer organizations from around the world.

"We're very excited to see everyone's hard work finally come to fruition as we get set to launch the inaugural season for the EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier League," said Matt Bilbey, vice president and general manager of soccer, EA SPORTS. "With Whitecaps FC preparing to move into BC Place Stadium, and FIFA Soccer 12 set to launch in a week, it's a great time to be a soccer fan in British Columbia."

Leading the league's eight franchises are a number of experienced technical directors, including former Whitecaps FC players Jeff Clarke (Surrey United), Jason Jordan (Fusion FC) and Dale Mitchell (Coquitlam Metro-Ford), with Mitchell and Clarke having also represented Canada at the senior international level. Also having played for the Canadian men's national team is Frank Ciaccia (Mountain United FC), while Greg Berry (South Fraser Soccer Club) and Ian Knight each played professionally in England. Rounding out the group are Dante Zanatta (Thompson Okanagan FC), who is a former BC Soccer and Canadian Soccer Association Training Centre staff coach, as well as Andrew Latham (Vancouver Island Wave), who has experience as an academy coach with Sheffield United Football Club in England.

"We're thrilled to see the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League kick off its inaugural campaign," said Paul Barber, chief executive officer of Vancouver Whitecaps FC. "This represents another significant step in the growth of soccer throughout not only the province, but across Canada."

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