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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.