Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Pacific FC Kicks Off Supporter Week

PFC is taking this week to highlight some of their super fans, and they've started with the Lake Side Buoys own Steve Hemphill:

VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC – Pacific FC starts this week highlighting the amazing supporters who are so essential to the game. As Supporters Appreciation Week kicks off, three different stories will be told of supporters and their unique journeys with the Canadian Premier League (CPL).

We start the week off focusing on the incredible story of Steve Hemphill, an avid supporter in the inaugural season of the Canadian League. Hemphill, born in Glasgow, Scotland, began his soccer journey a few days before his family’s team, Celtic, were the first British team to win the European Championship. 
Fast forward to 2014 Hemphill was helping lead his son’s team, Saanich Fusion, to win Provincials. As Pacific FC began in 2018, Hemphill joined one of the supporters groups, The Lake Side Buoys. 
With some free time on his hands, Steve decided to plan a 7,000 km road trip on his motorbike across Canada coinciding with the inaugural season of the CPL.
“As well as enjoying the soccer,” explained Hemphill, “the sheer vast size of this incredible country was something to experience.  You don’t get the same sense flying over in a jet.”
Hemphill had the opportunity to experience games in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, York, Hamilton and Halifax.
Check out the full article here:

https://pacificfc.canpl.ca/article/supporters-appreciation-week-featuring-steve-hemphill 

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Pacific Football Club takes leadership of Vancouver Island Wave Soccer

Here's an exciting press release from Pacific FC:

LANGFORD, BC (July 2, 2020) - Wave soccer has transitioned to be ‘Powered by Pacific FC’ as Pacific Football Club takes the youth program under their guidance. Wave High Performance is a Tier 1 program that represents players on Vancouver Island between the ages of 13 – 18, for both boys and girls, and an opportunity for youth to take their game to the next level.

“We are taking this program forward and looking to provide a competitive development environment for the players,” said James Merriman, Associate Head Coach and Technical Director, Pacific FC. “Our goal is for the Wave program to provide youth with National Team experiences, post-secondary opportunities and overall be a center of excellence.”

The Wave program provides players with an opportunity to play at the highest level of soccer available in the province. The program consists of a competitive training schedule, with highly motivated players, working towards their highest potential, trained by top qualified coaches including current Pacific Football Club players Marcel de Jong and Jamar Dixon and former professional players Riley O’Neill, Mark Village and Ryan McCurdy. 

“Vancouver Island has a strong soccer community and we are particularly excited about the variety of coaching staff we have for our players in this program,” said Merriman. “We’ve assembled a roster of more than 20 of the top coaches on the Island and our players are going to benefit from their expertise.”