Part 3: A Football Canada Cup without British Columbia – will they return?

Football players from British Columbia presently are not eligible to participate on National Teams or participate in the Football Canada Cup Under-18 championship. After many, many inquiries from CFC fans we tasked CFC investigative journalist Adam Pacheco to find out what the reasons were for this unfortunate circumstance. This is the final part in a series of articles investigating the reasons.

Since the CFC first started investigating Football BC and there status of membership with Football Canada and the Football Canada Cup, many important facts have surfaced. The CFC has learned that it was in fact a fee’s issue that has kept Football BC out of the Football Canada Cup & the National junior team. After a further look into the fee’s Football BC had issued, there is uncertainty, especially with parents, as to where the money went.

Last year, players for Football BC had to come up with $1900 for them to attend the Football Canada Cup. From what these players had learned when they got to the tournament, is that other provinces had only payed $1200. The issue that parents are having, is the justification of the extra $700. For starters, Football BC players had traveled to the Football Canada Cup via bus, while other teams had done so via plane. When players had asked about the extra expenses, they were told it was due to the team spending some extra time at the University of Calgary at a pre-tournament training camp.

When parents had tried to contact Football BC to get an explanation of their own, they never heard anything. A sour note in what is believed to have been a very good experience for players. One mother went on to say her son “has nothing but good things to say about the coaches and the trip. He made numerous friends and that helped with the transition to university, as a few of them have committed to UBC as well.”

Recently, Football BC finally released a statement regarding their absence in this years Football Canada Cup. In a quick move, Football BC went on to explain that the program would not be apart of this years tournament, in the last line of a release regarding a Major Partnership. Football BC executive director Pat Waslen would never speak to us on the phone or return any emails.
Click here to read the release

It is optimistic that Football BC will be apart of the Football Canada Cup next year, as membership with Football Canada is back in the works. Both feel that what has happened can be vindicated, and both can work together in the future. Time will tell. The game and the players deserve it.

PART 1

PART 2

For information on this years Canada Cup, click here