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The Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) has a long and venerable history playing men’s amateur soccer. It was organized in 1895 with eight teams and, in 2020, celebrates its 125th Anniversary with 85 senior men’s teams from Powell River/Campbell River south. That’s 125 years of witnessing communities grow and the sport becoming a staple within them!
When the VISL started operations in 1895, there was a large mid-Island presence, highlighted by teams from Cumberland, Ladysmith and the Nanaimo Wanderers who, in 1923, became the first BC team to win a National Championship. Nanaimo and Ladysmith still have teams in the league and are valued members of the VISL. In 1968, the Victoria O’Keefes won the Kennedy Cup – a Mexico, USA, Canada tournament – and VISL teams won five further National Championships in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
The storied Vic West Football Club has been in operation almost as long as the league itself. The VISL Sir John Jackson Cup Championship has been played almost continuously since 1915 and Vic West has won it over 17 times, along with multiple Division I Garrison Cups, BC Soccer Provincial Cups and four Canadian Challenge Cup Championships in one eight-year stretch.
As the league grew with more clubs and youth organizations being created, so did Island soccer overall. The Island was very fortunate to host many touring British teams throughout the years, including Chelsea, Fulham and Glasgow. Giving the visiting clubs a good match was always a priority. Sir Stanley Matthews played at Royal Athletic Park in 1950 and, in 1951, the Victoria All Stars became the first Canadian team ever to beat a touring English team, winning 1-0 over Fulham.
Canada qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever in 1986. A large VISL contingent led the Canadian team onto the worldwide stage with Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame (GVSHOF) inductee George Pakos scoring twice in the qualifying rounds – goals described as the two most important goals in Canadian soccer history.
Now in the new millennium, the VISL continues to produce quality soccer players and formidable teams, such as Gorge Football Club which has set local records for consecutive Garrison Cup and Sir John Jackson Cup victories.
At least 20 VISL alumni, including players, teams, organizations and builders have been inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and both soccer and the league continue to grow ever more popular on the Island. A detailed history of the VISL is displayed in the GVSHOF on the concourse at Save-On Foods Memorial Centre.
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While the dictionary defines “ambassador as a “representative” or “promotor,” in Pat Hall’s case ambassador means a-person-a-sport-could-not-do-without. The sports of field hockey and softball have been played for generations, but without Pat Hall, these two sports would not have thrived in this province to produce the top-quality athletes the way they have today.
Pat began by playing field hockey and was an active player in the Vancouver Island Ladies Field Hockey Association (VILFHA) for 27 years, from 1961 through 1988. She began coaching in 1970 and umpiring in 1973, co-founding the South Island Field Hockey Umpires Association in 1988. Although retiring as an umpire in 2000, Pat continues to this day to coach teams in various divisions.
Pat’s list of contributions is endless! In addition to her many years as player, coach and umpire, Pat served on the executive of the VILFHA for over 40 years. She has been Victoria or BC representative with Field Hockey BC, Field Hockey Canada, the South Island Umpires Association and the Victoria Junior Field Hockey Association.
Pat has received numerous awards over the years. She was honoured four times with VILFHA’s most prestigious award, the Christine Trophy, for combining sportsmanship, service and playing ability. She was also honoured by Field Hockey BC with their Barbara Schrodt Award for those who have made a difference, the Gold Pin Volunteer Award and Sport BC President’s Award. In 1983, Pat was named Victoria Sports Person of the Year. In 1993, she was awarded with VILFHA Life Membership and, in 2013, the VILFHA introduced the Pat Hall Officials Development Award.
Her contributions to softball are almost as numerous. She started in 1960 with Stuffy McGinnis as scorekeeper for the Independent Athletics Association softball league at MacDonald Park. By 1963, she was scorekeeper, announcer and statistician for the league. In 1975, when the league moved to Central Park to amalgamate with the Victoria Major Men’s League, Pat became President of the newly-formed league and served in that position until 1993. She helped draw up the new constitution for the MacDonald Park Men’s Softball League in 1995.
From 1986 through 2006, Pat was Senior Coordinator, District 1 for Softball BC, organizing men’s, women’s and mixed district and provincial tournaments in Victoria or Duncan. She continued to hold various executive positions with MacDonald Park until retiring from softball in 2010.
A dedicated mom, Pat was scorekeeper for the Maverick Men’s Baseball League as her son, Marty, played. She now takes pride in watching her grandson, Tyrus, compete in baseball, soccer, basketball and track and her granddaughter, Taleesha, compete in volleyball and track.
Pat has spent a lifetime as a volunteer dedicated to ensuring the sports of softball and field hockey were strong administratively and competitively in this province. She has the ability to not only celebrate the past but encourage those following in her footsteps to challenge the future. She is a unique individual who has passed on her knowledge and expertise and, in doing so, created a legacy that continues to this day.
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