As we enter uncharted territory here on the Island, specifically, trying to figure out how to grow our small Supporters' Group from our PDL roots to our Canadian Premier League future, it's important to learn from those who have gone before.
Lake Side Buoys TV sent a crew down to Minnesota to see if we could learn anything from the Dark Clouds, an SG with a similar history to our own, who are now supporting a pro team.
Here's what we found out:
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
A Letter from the President
For over nine years, the Lake Side Buoys have had the great honour to support local soccer in Victoria the best way we know how: loudly, vocally and with great enthusiasm.
Our goal is and has always been to foster excitement for the sport we're passionate about. We bring our friends to the pitch and make new ones while we're there, uniting fans under our banner to support our team. We have always taken every opportunity available to grow our numbers and our voice with varying degrees of success over the years.
In keeping with that spirit, we are very excited to support the newest addition to Victoria's soccer landscape - the new Canadian Premier League team, Pacific FC.
Playing at Langford's Westhills Stadium - the very same pitch where the Lake Side Buoys were formed and home of the "lake" that gave us our name - Pacific FC promises to provide an experience that Vancouver Island has been lacking: a professional sports team of our very own.
Going forward, the Lake Side Buoys will be the broad tent that welcomes everyone, doing all we can to further supporter culture and enhance the game day experience. The Board of Directors have been hard at work restructuring our organization in preparation for the inaugural CanPL season and we'll have many exciting announcements to make in the near future. Does this mean that the Lake Side Buoys will be discontinuing our organized game day support of the Victoria Highlanders?
While the USL Premier Development League may have just been re-branded as the USL League Two, the Lake Side Buoys are still very committed to the idea of #Path2Pro. Our soccer fortunes, as an island, a region and a country, will rise or fall based on our ability to foster and develop the talent within our communities. For years, the Lake Side Buoys have organized our Supporters' Choice Player of the Year Award, contributed to (and occasionally held on to) the Juan de Fuca Plate competition, provided noise, chants, tifo, smoke and support, all for the benefit of our beloved Highlanders.
While every fan on Vancouver Island is greatly anticipating Pacific FC's kickoff early next year, it is my pledge as President of the Lake Side Buoys to continue our commitment to supporting local soccer by never allowing us to forget where we came from. It is our privilege to be the home of supporters for both Pacific FC and the Victoria Highlanders, following our teams as they lead us into a new future.
You are invited to join us.
Our goal is and has always been to foster excitement for the sport we're passionate about. We bring our friends to the pitch and make new ones while we're there, uniting fans under our banner to support our team. We have always taken every opportunity available to grow our numbers and our voice with varying degrees of success over the years.
In keeping with that spirit, we are very excited to support the newest addition to Victoria's soccer landscape - the new Canadian Premier League team, Pacific FC.
Playing at Langford's Westhills Stadium - the very same pitch where the Lake Side Buoys were formed and home of the "lake" that gave us our name - Pacific FC promises to provide an experience that Vancouver Island has been lacking: a professional sports team of our very own.
Going forward, the Lake Side Buoys will be the broad tent that welcomes everyone, doing all we can to further supporter culture and enhance the game day experience. The Board of Directors have been hard at work restructuring our organization in preparation for the inaugural CanPL season and we'll have many exciting announcements to make in the near future. Does this mean that the Lake Side Buoys will be discontinuing our organized game day support of the Victoria Highlanders?
Absolutely not.
While the USL Premier Development League may have just been re-branded as the USL League Two, the Lake Side Buoys are still very committed to the idea of #Path2Pro. Our soccer fortunes, as an island, a region and a country, will rise or fall based on our ability to foster and develop the talent within our communities. For years, the Lake Side Buoys have organized our Supporters' Choice Player of the Year Award, contributed to (and occasionally held on to) the Juan de Fuca Plate competition, provided noise, chants, tifo, smoke and support, all for the benefit of our beloved Highlanders.
While every fan on Vancouver Island is greatly anticipating Pacific FC's kickoff early next year, it is my pledge as President of the Lake Side Buoys to continue our commitment to supporting local soccer by never allowing us to forget where we came from. It is our privilege to be the home of supporters for both Pacific FC and the Victoria Highlanders, following our teams as they lead us into a new future.
You are invited to join us.
- Jason Armond
President, Lake Side Buoys
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Lake Side Buoys Hold Annual General Meeting
Though the Lake Side Buoys has been a Victoria supporters' group since 2009, on Sunday the group had their first formal Annual General Meeting of the Board of Directors.
As a result of that meeting, a new board was elected and a set of objectives were put in place to complete for the remainder of 2018. Here is the new board (a lot like the old board):
Not pictured (because I forgot to take a picture) is Mike Schlodder, who will retain his position as Past President.
In addition to electing a board of directors, the attendees approved a few objectives for the remainder of 2018:
The Board of Directors will be meeting on a monthly basis to address these objectives. Reports from those meetings will be made available to the membership.
As a result of that meeting, a new board was elected and a set of objectives were put in place to complete for the remainder of 2018. Here is the new board (a lot like the old board):
 |
| Jason Armond President |
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| Ted Godwin Vice President |
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| Allison Armond Secretary / Treasurer |
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| Julian Anderson Director of Communications |
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| Drew Shaw Director of Community Outreach |
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| Blake McStravick Tifo Coordinator |
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| Ryan Arrowood Game Day Experience Coordinator |
Not pictured (because I forgot to take a picture) is Mike Schlodder, who will retain his position as Past President.
In addition to electing a board of directors, the attendees approved a few objectives for the remainder of 2018:
1. The Board of Directors shall draft and approve a charter, by-laws and / or articles as required.
2. The Board of Directors shall secure such banking devices as deemed appropriate and necessary.
3. The Board of Directors shall research and pursue incorporation and / or status as a non-profit society according to the definitions within British Columbia law.
4. The Board of Directors shall establish an official membership roll and define membership status along with all applicable dues, benefits and responsibilities.
The Board of Directors will be meeting on a monthly basis to address these objectives. Reports from those meetings will be made available to the membership.
Interviews With the New Head Coach
On Monday, Pacific FC held a press conference at the Westhills Stadium, directly in front of the small settling pond that gave the Lake Side Buoys their name. During this conference, the new Head Coach of Pacific FC was introduced: Michael Silberbauer. His previous coaching gig was as an assistant at Swiss Super League club FC Luzern in 2016. He remained with the club through the 2018–19 Swiss Super League season.
You can catch the highlights of the conference and our interviews with Silberbauer and PFC President Josh Simpson here:
You can catch the highlights of the conference and our interviews with Silberbauer and PFC President Josh Simpson here:
Saturday, August 11, 2018
We Could All Use a Little More Swag
Pacific FC is doing a Facebook Promo, check it out on their page:
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