Burnaby FC join League1BC for 2024
- Dean Petriw
- Feb 7, 2024
- 2 min read
Burnaby FC are set to join League1BC for 2024. Here is a quick look at what we know about the team going into their inaugural season
Burnaby FC is the combination of five historic youth teams from Burnaby; Cliff Avenue, Wesburn, Burnaby Girls, BDMS, and Mountain United. The teams united on Boxing Day of 2022, and teams officially started play at the youth and adult levels in 2023. The team has already proven to be successful at high levels as both their boys and girls U-17 sides won gold at the national championships last fall. At the adult levels they are also performing well. Their MWSL side is currently second in the premier division and in the VMSL they sit second in the U21 division.
The team is set to officially replace Nautsa’mawt. The side owned by Hope and Health decided to go in a different direction in early November last year. Nautsa’mawt were knocked out in the women's semifinal and failed to make the men’s playoff in 2023. League1BC expansion committee chair Chris Keem states that “We would like to thank Nautsa’mawt for the important part they played in the L1BC journey, and wish Burnaby FC a warm welcome to the league. We look forward to seeing them on the field in the men’s and women’s divisions this year.”
Burnaby are set to play at Burnaby Lake West this season. While the ground has a solid amount of seating, they will probably have to add more temporary bleachers to create the desired competitive atmosphere. The club plans to hold player evaluations before the season starts in late April and will be releasing League1BC specific kits as well.
The addition of Burnaby FC is an interesting choice since the TSS Rovers already play at Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium. But further expansion in Burnaby was a target during the 2023 season expansion process according to formerly public documents from BC Soccer. Other cities on that list included Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, Kelowna, Prince George, Nanaimo, and Surrey. Of course, with the formation of Harbourside FC for 2023 and the recent relocation of Unity to Surrey leaves only five more target areas on the BC Soccer list. With league operations now controlled by League1Canada, these target areas may have changed.
Burnaby FC helps bridge the gap between youth football and the professional game. Many other clubs have established connections to youth clubs such as the Unity-Surrey United deal and the Rivers-Kamloops YSA deal. Very few teams have youth clubs of their own and it is great to see the league progressing towards having these youth club operated teams.
