Notes from the AGM

Besides enjoying some tasty seasonal ales and good food we did a bit of business @ the Bard & Banker on Saturday. Thanks to all who were able to show up and endure far more business than was reasonable including adopting a charter, joining the ISC and giving our blessing to the formation of a supporters trust.

Formal minutes are available thanks to Brett but a quick summary is below the cut.

Holiday Pints (and some business)

Over on the Facebook we posted an event for this Saturday: our third annual Christmas Pints at the Bard & Banker. Come join us for a seasonal get together as we remember the highs and lows of the past season and look forward to a glorious new year.
Time: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Date: Saturday Dec 3rd, 2011

Besides enjoying some seasonal cheer, fine food and fortifying beverages we will be doing a bit of business which should not cut too deeply into drinking time.

Own the Club

Once upon a time there was a group of people who loved their game and wanted to enter a team that would represent their community by competing against other communities . They formed a club, appointed a coach and signed players. And one day they grew up to be FC Barcelona. Or the Green Bay Packers. Or the Saskatchewan Roughriders. And now, here in sleepy little Victoria the return to grassroots ownerships has now come to our own Highlanders Football Club.

Reynolds Soccer Centre Under Fire

Update November 17, 2011 - Thank you to all those who spread the word and affirmed your support for the Reynolds Centre for Soccer Excellence. Dave Ravenhill, program director has asked that the original email be removed and so I have removed the entire text and follow up responses.

The reason is that it appears the CSE enjoys wider support than previously thought. The previously published list of candidates was not complete and so it has been removed.

From the LSB perspective we can hope this was simply a misunderstanding/miscommunication in the heat of an election campaign and we look forward to continued support for the CSE at the school board.

Make Some Noise at the Game

Tonight UVic takes on Universite de Montreal in the quarterfinals of the CIS Men's National Soccer Tournament. Not only is this an opportunity to support our local varsity athletes but it is also a chance to communicate the threat to Royal Athletic Park to the soccer community.

To aid in spreading the word, and have some fun, a song sheet/flyer has been created. Feel free to download the .pdf file and bring as many copies as you can to Centennial Stadium. Kick-off is @ 7:00 pm.

SOS Responses

Responses to Save Our Stadium from candidates will be posted here without editorial comment in their entirety in the order they arrive (no matter how difficult that may be.)

RAP an Election Issue?

[Update: Responses are being posted.]

The exciting launch of a new era for the Highlanders (more on that later) has been tempered by the recent revelations about the future of Royal Athletic Park as a venue for summer events after 2012 (see T-C Article)

It was a recently made public in another T-C article that a "Vancouver businessman" is trying to bring a West Coast League team to Victoria starting in 2013.  According to that article by Cleve Dheensaw, negotiations have been going on for over a year and yet there has been no public discussion of the most startling and controversial proposal from this potential team. It has been proposed that this team be given exclusive use of RAP for the whole summer.

From the Front Office: Special Event

 If you are available one week from next Monday it might be worth your while to respond to the invitation below from the FO.

No real rumours yet but there is a lot of speculation that the fate of the Women's team will be announced after the financially poor season this year.

Pre-History of the Buoys - Part 1

OK, really this is just an excuse to post a mildy amusing picture of some of us in the days before the Highlanders were even a small gleam in Alex's eye.

What you see here is a shot from the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament for the 2001 FIFA Youth World Championship held at UVic in late February - Early March 2001. The highlight for me was seeing Ian Hume for the first time - been a fan ever since. The second highlight was the "Mr Canoehead" supporters hats. Only Drew is wearing his in the picture - I had one as well.

I was reminded of this old Voyageurs meme when we recently began tossing around something Steven Hart (current MNT coach) said that has taken on an odd life of it's own: Taste the Soup. As in give our mens national team games a try, it is a mix of odd ingredients, but you might get a taste for it.

-Ted

Time for a Supporters trust?

With the recent news of poor off-field results there has been some discussion of what we could do. One of the ideas floated is that of a supporters trust as a way to financially contribute to the club and at the same time gain some control of the club as a group of supporters.

Wallpapers

I was inspired by some wallpapers I saw for Portland and Vancouver and so I whipped up something for the Highlanders based on a map from c. 1861 and "bird's eye view" from c.1878.

Logan's Pub for Next Game

As we prepare to take on our favorite opponents (Portland Timbers) this Saturday we will be trying out Logan's Pub on Cook St staring around 5:00 pm. Kick-off this Saturday is again 7:30 so that gives us lots of time especially when RAP is practically across the street!

SUPPORT THE FORT

In a show of solidarity for New England Revolution Fans, who recently have been harassed, ejected and even arrested for making noise in "their" supporters section, The Fort, The Lake Side Buoys raised signs and observed a minute of Silence at the 12th minute mark on July 9th, 2011 during the VHFC match at Royal Athletic Park.

The LSB's would also like to acknowldge the positive relationship we have with VHFC ownership and front office.

March to RAP

Join the march to our new home!

Sweet Deal for a Single Game @ RAP

 Thanks to SwarmJam and the team a sweet deal on a ticket and scarf combo is available for the remaining 2011 league games @ RAP.

For $14 you can get a scarf and a ticket for one of the July 16, 23 or 24th games. Not applicable for this Saturdays RAP opener (see FB event) or the Port Vale friendly, but a great idea for bringing a friend and getting a new scarf (or letting your friend have it.)

Tickets for RAP and New Songs

Julie from the FO has sent out information for season ticket holders including the Bravehearts package. Tickets can be picked up tonight at the Charity Shield match vs Vic United, at the Highlanders office starting tomorrow (Thursday) or at the first game @RAP.

NEW SONGS
We had a couple of great new ones last weekend thanks to the banana-boys in their yellow pussy suits. Well done all but especially Sara(sp?) who was clearly cheering for two.

Six Points and what's next

Its was a spectacular 6-point weekend as the lads overcame two opponents in as many days which earned them second place in the division standings. Kitsap, with 2 games in hand and a five-point lead look like a good bet for first in the division but the Highlanders, with only one away game left would appear to have a great shot at our first taste of the PDL playoffs.

AWAY JULY 1st
The last remaining away game is this Friday, Canada Day, in Richmond @ Minoru Park. With kick-off @ 4:00 pm it looks to be an easy day-trip. We will be finalizing plans on Wednesday but according to the transit site we can take city buses from Tswassen to the park in app 45 minutes with only one transfer.

FRIENDLY WEDNESDAY
The annual Highlanders - United charity match is on for this Wednesday evening. A mid-week friendly is a tough sell but a worthwhile cause and a club with  along local history and many connections to the Highlanders past and present.

Stand Up for Fans Everywhere

 [A reminder that the following is the opinion of one man and may or may not reflect the views of the Lake Side Buoys as a group.]

On the same day we were enjoying a 4-0 thumping of Redmond (home of Micro-softies!) fans in Boston were being arrested for supporting their team.

Return to the Bard

Halfway through the season the lads are 2 points behind Portland for a playoff spot. We will be meeting @ the Bard & Banker to catch the shuttle to the match versus Redmond (aka Washington Crossfire).

Beer, burger and bus ticket deal for $20 is the only option. We have been told that no bus tickets will be sold separately. With only four more games in Langford it was felt that we can deal with the Bard for the remaining matches so we will be at the B&B starting around 4:30 (bus leaves @ 6:00).

Canada v Guadeloupe: Gold Cup 2011

Shake off the disappointing result from Tuesday and come watch Canada take on the mighty "Not-in-FIFA-sorta-France".

LOCATION: Soprano's Sports Bar & Grill, 730 Caledonia St
DATE: Saturday June 11th
KICK-OFF: 3:00 pm

With the ritual spanking over with, the team can take the positive play they started to show in the second half and go for a win on Saturday.

USA v Canada: Gold Cup 2011

Trade in your black and gold for red and white for an evening of national team action!

LOCATION: Soprano's Sports Bar & Grill, 730 Caledonia St
DATE: Tuesday June 7th
KICK-OFF: 5:00 pm

For those who could not make the pre-season "fact-finding tour" this will the pub for pre-match festivities when the Highlanders move to RAP.

Gold Cup Anyone?

So the Gold Cup, the biennial nations championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) is starting next week. Canada won this in 2000 and this year looks like the best team yet.

Game one is against the host United States (Tuesday, June 7th, 5:00PM PST) and is being carried on Sportsnet One.

Anyone interested in trying to get together for a viewing party?

Home Opener is Upon Us

Tomorrow, Saturday May 21, is our home opener for 2011 and I know I am getting excited.

As usual the team has already played several games on the road with mixed results but one stunning achievement: we ended the Portland Timbers unbeaten run that saw them top the division last year and win the Premier Development League championship.

• Remember to buy your ticket for the shuttle early and head over for the pre-match pint @ Garrick's Head. There will be a bunch of Southsiders coming from Vancouver so the bus may be fuller than usual.
• Some black and gold flags are still available - $15 for 3'x5'. Those who reserved flags I will have them for you.
• Our season 3 songbook (3.0) will be available. Not many changes but a couple of new ones to check out and maybe one or two more for version 3.1.

See you tomorrow!

-Ted

Goupon Offer for Home Opener

If you need a single game ticket(s) for the Home Opener from Groupon:

For $17, you get one ticket to the men's first team regular-season home opener vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps reserves on Saturday, May 21, at 7 p.m., plus an official Highlanders scarf (up to a $35 value).

 Great value with options as you can buy two. Take a friend and keep the scarf if you like or give it to them as a sign they are now a Braveheart. :)

And yes, these tickets will get you into the Bravehearts End where you can join the Lakeside Buoys for a song or two.

Update for this weekend's game.

Update to Pre-Season Friendly Announced

This Sunday's pre-season friendly will be $5 all seats (general admission). There will be no Bravehearts End as in past exhibition matches and this match is not included in the season ticket packages which are still being sold.

Get your Bravehearts Package today and join the Lake Side Buoys for a summer of love!

Fact Finding Tour

The Fact-Finding Tour is on for this Thursday! Come join us as we check out the contenders for our i pre-match pub for the move to Royal Athletic Park.

NEW LOGO?

There will also be some discussion of a new logo for the Buoys thanks to some great submissions which can be viewed in our Facebook Gallery.

Pre-Season Friendly Announced

The Front Office has announced a pre-season friendly for May 1st against the former Yakima Tossers who have moved closer to the civilized world:

The Victoria Highlanders have announced that they will kick off the 2011 PDL season with a home friendly versus the newly minted North Sound Sea Wolves on Sunday, May 1^st at Bear Mountain Stadium at 1:30pm.

The Sea Wolves will be playing their first season in North Sound, moving from Yakima after last season; a move they hope will improve the fortunes of the former Reds club that missed out on the playoffs in the PDL’s Northwest Division each of the last two years.

No word on if this will be included in the season-ticket or what ticket prices might be.

Highlanders U21 side win George Smith U21 Cup

On a wet and cold Saturday evening at Braefoot Park, the Victoria Highlanders FC U21 team beat a Bays United FC Gunners U21 side 4-0 emphatically to win the 2011 George Smith U21 Cup. Highlander goals were scored by Kevan Brown, Dylan Iruretagoyena, Daniel Jones, and Kurt Macauley with fellow Highlander GK Brock Reed picking up the clean sheet.

Highlanders FC U21 side went undefeated (12-2-0) topping the VISL U21 Graduate B League earning them a George Smith U21 Cup Final berth against Bays United FC Gunners U21. The Final was originally to be played at RAP with a kickoff at 12.00. But with the heavy amounts of rain that had fallen on Victoria for the last 48 hours and standing water on the pitch (safety concerns by VISL), the game was switched to Braefoot Park. Excellent win by the Highlander lads to cap off a great winter season and to kick off the 2011 Highlanders FC program into high gear. Here is to hoping to see some of these Reserve side members playing First Team minutes in the 2011 PDL season. Well deserved!

Important Dates

So here are some important dates for the men and women first teams in the build up of the start of the USL PDL and W-League seasons:

April 2 - Prospects vs Gunners - U21 Cup Noon RAP

April 5 – Local First, Reserves an Prospects players report to PDL training camp

April 11/12 – Open Trials for W-League prospects

April 20 – Local, Reserves and Prospects players report to W-League training camp

April 25 – Recruits and Imports report to PDL and W-League training camp

May 1- PDL and W-League Exhibition Double-Header (to be confirmed)

Highlanders Moving Downtown in July

Exciting news:

From the Highlanders Front Office (FO):  
Highlanders Announce July Move - Thursday, March 31, 2011 - The Victoria Highlanders FC's continued growth and expansion along with some scheduling conflicts at Bear Mountain Stadium in Langford has created the need for the club to play half their 2011 season at the downtown Victoria Royal Athletic Park (RAP) this summer. [/quote]

and the Times-Colonist:
Highlanders moving downtown - SHARIE EPP - March 31, 2011 - The Victoria Highlanders are moving out of Langford and into Victoria. At a press conference on Thursday, the Highanders announced the men’s team, which plays in the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League, would move from City Centre Park and take up residence at Royal Athletic Park this July.

Now the fun begins: selecting a nearby pub from which to march. :)

Bravehearts Passes Price Finalized

After some back and forth the club front office has clarified the pricing for Braveheart Pass renewals (without swag or beverages, just a ticket). The full package with scarf (new, really cool design for 2011) and jersey is also available for $185.

From our Communications Director: 

The Braveheart Season Ticket price is going to be $100 (including HST) for 10 matches (8 PDL and 2 friendlies) with no swag. That's a pretty good deal as it's going to cost $12 per gameday ticket in the Braveheart Section. The club just updated their website with the new look as well as prices.  

So head on over to the VHFC Website and get your ticket.

Here we go...

here we go, here we go!

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