Greater Victoria is home to a number of world-class athletes. Whether you enjoying tossing a ball around, shooting a few pucks after work or cheering on your favourite players over a beer, Victoria has a team for you. The following are just a few of the teams that call Victoria home.
Since their 2013 inception in the West Coast League (WCL), the Victoria HarbourCats have been celebrated on and off the field. In each of their first four seasons, the HarbourCats increased their win total, leading to a WCL record-setting 40-win campaign in 2016. That campaign earned the team a berth to playoffs, the first playoff berth for a Victoria baseball team since 1952, as the WCL North Division’s half pennant winners. In 2017, the HarbourCats won their second half division pennant, eventually coming within one win of a title. During the last five seasons (2014-2018), Victoria has led the WCL in attendance. The team’s 2018 attendance of nearly 62,600 even set a league record. Counting exhibition games, the HarbourCats saw more than 78,000 people attend games and have eclipsed the 300,000 mark for total attendance during their six years of play.
The Pacific Football Club is a division of the brand new Canadian Premier League and has brought professional men’s soccer to Greater Victoria. Based out of Westhills Stadium, the team is playing its inaugural season in 2019 and is lighting up the field in purple and blue, taking on its opponents. The home opener in April saw a sold-out crowd and the team’s first win as it made Canadian soccer history. The games are for all ages with a family zone, food trucks and a beer garden.
A member of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Victoria Royals began to play during the 2011-2012 season after the league announced the relocation of the Chilliwack Bruins to Greater Victoria. It marked the return of the WHL to Vancouver Island 17 years after the departure of the Victoria Cougars to Prince George in 1994. The Royals won their first game in franchise history on Sept. 24, 2011, in front of a sold-out crowd in the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. The team went on to win the B.C. Division during the 2015-2016 season.
The Victoria Shamrocks, based out of The Q Centre, are looking for their 10th Mann Cup Championship in 2019. The team got its start in 1950 and has been a force in the local community for almost 70 years with one of the most impressive legacies in Greater Victoria. The club has nine Mann Cup Canadian Senior ‘A’ championship victories, won in 1955, 1957, 1979, 1983, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2015. But that’s not all. The club also has claimed 20 provincial championships, 19 league championships, and has been home to countless league scoring champions as well as league playoff MVPs. A number of big names are back in the roster for the 2019 season, which kicked off at home on May 24.
Evolving over the years with a number of different names, the Westshore Rebels football team officially made its move to Westhills Stadium in 2011. The team, which is part of the Canadian Junior Football League and plays in the B.C. Football Conference, has award-winning coaches and players. The Westshore Rebels have also been recognized for their sportsmanship and involvement in the community and are committed to the development of amateur football and community development across Vancouver Island.
