The Lake Side Buoys Annual General Meeting, 2020

The Lake Side Buoys Society met tonight for their Annual General Meeting. One of the highlights of the annual meeting is to determine who will serve on the Board of Directors for the following year. The Lake Side Buoys are proud to present the following members who will serve on the board for 2021:

President:
Michael Geldreich

Vice President:
Ryan Arrowood

Secretary Treasurer:
Andrew Fitzsimmons

Members-at-Large:
Jacob Burnley
Dallas Killian Arrowood
Blake McStravick
Allison Armond

Pacific FC Re-Signs Star Player Marco Bustos

Victoria, BC (Thursday, December 10, 2020) – Pacific Football Club is pleased to announce the re-signing of attacker Marco Bustos for the 2021 season. 

“Bustos is a player who has tremendous ability and is working hard every day to become a better player,” said Pa-Modou Kah, Head Coach, Pacific FC. “He has shown qualities of an MVP player in this league and hopefully he will take the progress from this year into next season.”

The 24-year old had a stellar season at the 2020 Island Games on Prince Edward Island with five goals and 10 assists. He joined Pacific FC after a season of playing for his hometown of Winnipeg in 2019, the inaugural year of the Canadian Premier League. In his tenure with Valour, Bustos made 25 appearances and was the team’s top scorer.  

Known for his fitness and work ethic, Bustos has been capped six times for Canada and has a total of 100 professional appearances featuring for the Whitecaps, Whitecaps 2, Mexican Side Zacatepec and USL side Oklahoma City Energy. He is consistently a fan favourite.   

At 5-foot-6, Bustos is one of the quickest players on the pitch. Kah refers to him as an integral part of what Pacific is building as a club. He joins a full roster of new and re-signed players looking forward to the 2021 season.

2020 LSB Supporters' Choice Player of the Year

Update from the President

Hello everyone!

At the last meeting of the Lake Side Buoys board of directors, we discussed how the oddities of this year have affected our organization and came up with a few strategies that should help grow our membership and make it easier for our current members to stay members.

The board has decided to:

1. Roll all active 2020 Lake Side Buoys memberships into 2021 memberships
2. Lower the cost of membership dues for 2021 to $5 CAD
   (for people who weren’t paid members in 2020)

For the 2021 membership, we’re decoupling merchandise with memberships. A new member signing up in 2021 will receive just the Lake Side Buoys membership/Yates Street Taphouse discount card. (which will pay for itself after a visit or two) Scarves and stickers and whatnot will be available separately.

We’re hoping that lowering the price of admission will get more people interested in joining us and supporting local soccer. It will also bring us more in line with what other supporters’ groups in the Canadian Premier League are doing for their memberships.

2020 Annual General Meeting

For last year’s AGM, we rented a conference room at the Victoria Public Library and it was well attended – thank you to everyone who was able to be there! This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we’ve decided not to have an in-person gathering and will conduct a virtual meeting instead. Our Annual General Meeting is very important for determining what the board will look like the following year and we are counting on your participation.

The 2020 Annual General Meeting

of the Lake Side Buoys Society Board of Directors

has been scheduled to take place on

Saturday, December 12th, 2020

A link to join the meeting and an agenda will be sent to all members in good standing closer to the event. The time for the meeting is currently 4PM to 5PM (Pacific Standard) but that is subject to change at this time.

At the AGM, we elect the board of directors who are volunteers that do a lot of the heavy lifting that keeps our organization running. We are always looking for new faces and talent to represent our membership and we are currently accepting nominations for positions on the board. You can nominate yourself, or another member in good standing.

We are currently taking nominations for the following board positions:

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary Treasurer
• Director at-large (we’re looking for 4 people to serve as Directors at-large)

No prior board experience is necessary. You can nominate yourself for multiple positions if you’d like. If you are passionate about soccer and love supporting our teams, then you are more than qualified to be on our board.

The deadline for nominations for the board of directors is December 7th, 2020.

The earlier you get your nominations in, the better! All nominations must be submitted to before the deadline. The official list of nominees will be made available in our Facebook group as they come in.

Week In Review, Monday, August 31st 2020

Week In Review, Monday, August 24th 2020

Week In Review, Monday, August 17th 2020

Catch up with The Island Games on this week's Week In Review.

And Now, a Word From the President

We're back! (And so is the CanPL!)

Catch up with LSBTV with this special update from our Executive Producer, Jason Armond, as he describes what the run up to The Island Games have looked like here on Vancouver Island, and what the future may hold for the Lake Side Buoys.

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 

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.”

Pacific FC to start workouts in Langford

We're excited to hear that Pacific FC is starting training soon, likely in anticipation of the soon to be announced condensed season for the Canadian Premier League. Here is the official press release from Pacific FC:

Langford, BC – (June 1, 2020) Pacific Football Club has received approval from its provincial and municipal health authorities and the Canadian Premier League to return to training. The club will begin to hold voluntary workouts for players at the Island Training Centre starting June 1.

Island Training Centre - Langford, BC

As part of the CPL’s training protocol we have adopted a phased approach to training that will begin with non-contact individual or small group workouts and will allow the club to provide a secure, sanitary and controlled environment that ensures adherence to safety protocols and physical distancing measures for players and staff.

The priority of these protocols is the safety and the well-being of players, technical staff and employees, as well as their families, when they return to training.

The CPL and Pacific FC continue to monitor all input, guidance and direction provided by all levels of government and all football governing bodies.

Media will not be allowed any access to the training facility.  Any interviews will need to be arranged through the club’s media contact and conducted as per the club’s media policy.

Annual Pub Night Event - CANCELLED

Unfortunately, the upcoming Lake Side Buoys Annual Pub Night Event that was scheduled for Friday, March 13th has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 virus, in an effort to protect both players and fans. We'll try this event again hopefully in April should conditions improve. We apologize for the inconvenience. 

Annual Pub Night Event!

Come to the Yates Street Taphouse Bar&Grill this Friday between 4pm and 7pm for the Lake Side Buoys PUB NIGHT! Sign up to be a supporter of Pacific FC, have a few pints with fellow soccer fans, rub elbows with players and compete in our FIFA tournament!

Bring a friend!

Have You Paid Your 2020 Membership Dues?

Head over to our membership page to sign up for the 2020 season! 

Pacific FC Home Kit Reveal 2020

Check out Pacific FC's launch of their new home kit!

It looks like our editor got a little bored while putting this one together and started interjecting all kinds of stuff into it. Should make it more interesting.

Men's National Team Comes to Westhills Stadium

Are you ready for a massive party at Westhills Stadium? We sure are! Watch our latest video to find out why.

Pre-Season Rumour Roundup!

In this episode of LSBTV, Ted Godwin and Drew Shaw discuss Pacific FC signings, the new addition to the Canadian Premier League, the possibility of a player union, beer, and more!

New PFC Coach, New VHFC League!

Join Ted and Ryan as they discuss all the latest soccer news on Vancouver Island, including a brand new coach for Pacific FC and new league moves for the Victoria Highlanders.

Pacific FC announces new head coach Pa-Modou Kah

Victoria, BC (January 14, 2020) - Pacific FC is pleased to announce the appointment of Pa-Modou Kah as Head Coach, with the former Norwegian international earning his first role at the helm of a club.

Kah, who last worked as the Assistant Coach at MLS side FC Cincinnati and also played alongside Pacific FC player Marcel de Jong at Dutch club Roda JC. He joins the club in his first role as a Head Coach, having previously worked as an Assistant Coach with Whitecaps FC 2.  

"This Island has a proud soccer history, a place where you can create a great environment, and play a part in developing soccer in Canada,” said Kah. “It’s exciting to be part of a league that is giving kids a chance to play in their homeland and build toward the World Cup.” 

A former ten-time Norway national team member, Kah also featured at the club level with over 400 professional appearances playing throughout the top leagues of Norway, Sweden, Holland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, USA and Canada, most recently with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC - all qualifications that made him a first-choice candidate. 

“Pa is a leader with an impressive background on and off the field,” said Rob Friend, CEO, Pacific FC. “We are extremely fortunate to have secured someone of this profile, who understands the North American market, has international connections, and ultimately is very familiar with a majority of our players.” 

Joining Kah on Pacific’s technical staff will be James Merriman, who assumes the role of Associate Head Coach and Technical Director for the Trident Development Program. Joining Kah and Merriman will be Riley O’Neill as an Assistant Coach and Youth Staff Coach, while Neil Sedgwick will take over as the Manager of Youth Development.  

O'Neill, a product of Campbell River, represented Canada in the 2005 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, the University of Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA, German sides SV Wilhelmshaven and Eintracht Braunschweig before joining Finish outfit Myllykosken Pallo -47. O’Neill has been coaching locally in the VISL for Vic West FC and now joins the Pacific FC’s coaching team. 

“With the new coaching roster we have put together, we have some of the best player development coaches in the province, if not the country,” said Josh Simpson, President, Pacific FC.  “We are investing heavily in youth and we’re proud to be able to provide this level of professional coaching to aspiring players on the island.” 

Kah will continue to work with his team to build the club’s roster in the coming weeks and months ahead of the league’s kick-off in April.