Sunday January 9, 2022 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated 10 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Pacific FC (PFC) won the North Star trophy in December, in the third year of the Canadian Premier League (CPL). Only the inaugural year 2019 was played pre-COVID. Last year was played in a bubble in Prince Edward Island. This year was played in a combination of bubble and live games as public health protocols evolved.
In November it was announced that the Pacific zone would add a second team. The Pacific FC team is based in Langford with its eye on an all-island market. The new team will be launched in Vancouver in the 2023 season — with its eye on the large Vancouver Lower Mainland market — under the same ownership as the Langford-based Pacific FC (PFC) ownership. That was a gutsy but not surprising business move by the ambitious PFC ownership (which includes local Langford business and city interests heavily in the mix), and now underscored with losing two top players, poses a bit of a morale test for the hard-working PFC team.
Trading Campbell and Hojabrpour:
This weekend it was announced that Pacific FC has traded two of its top players — Terran Campbell and Alessandro Hojabrpour. And they’re heading over to Forge FC in Hamilton, the team that Pacific FC beat in the December 4 game. “If you can’t beat them, sign them” seems to be the philosophy in competitive sport.
Hojabrpour scored the nearly last-minute winning goal last month in the December 5 CPL final game as PFC defeated Forge FC 1-0 in the 2021 CPL championship game at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton. Prior to that, Forge FC had held a two-season reign as CPL champions.
Early in the inaugural season, Campbell showed his creative responsiveness on the field. Island Social Trends was the first media outlet in 2019 to put forth Campbell’s name as game MVP.
Campbell was the PFC’s all-time scoring leader with 25 goals, and Hojabrpour, named CPL Under-21 player of the year for 2021.
PFC Coach response:
“For our fans, obviously you never want to see players leave but that is part of the business we are in. We just wish them the best of luck with their move to Forge and what makes them happy,” said PFC Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah in a CPL news statement today.
“You know, if you can’t beat them, sign them. As a club we move on and we’ll be back stronger next year. We played a part in their growth and development and making them champions, that’s an everlasting bond that can never be broken,” said Kah.
The PFC team promote itself in social media with #ForTheIsle.
Parade:
After the December 5 game victory for PFC the City of Langford said it would host a victory parade this month.
That was later changed to February (after the current set of COVID restrictions during the Omicron wave, and time being taken off by players over Christmas and New Year), to celebrate the winning team.
Given the trades announced this weekend, that may again change.
===== Pacific FC profile:
Pacific Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Greater Victoria, British Columbia.
The club competes in the Canadian Premier League, playing home matches at Starlight Stadium located in Langford. Coach: Pa-Modou Kah | League: Canadian Premier League | Owners: SixFive Sports & Entertainment – Dean Shillington, President at Knightsbridge Capital; Josh Simpson and Rob Friend. | Stadium capacity: 6,200.
The stadium name was officially changed from Westhills Stadium to Starlight Stadium in spring 2021.
===== RELATED:
Pacific FC captures Season 3 North Star (December 5, 2021)
CPL Commissioner Clanachan weighs in ahead of 3rd-season final (December 4, 2021)
Soccer celebration: CPL awards coming after final game & on awards night (December 4, 2021)
Pacific FC in final CPL match Dec 5 (December 2, 2021)
Starlight Stadium naming now ceremoniously official (September 19, 2021)
COVID economics: Langford woos Starlight for recovery of stadium & team sport (January 19, 2021)
