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November 07, 2021 - 11:08 AM
Soccer fans will be able to get more kicks in Kamloops.
A semi-pro soccer league is starting up in B.C. and one of the seven inaugural teams will be the Rivers FC in Kamloops.
The new franchise in Kamloops was made possible by a group of local businesses, soccer enthusiasts and Thompson-Rivers University, according to a press release from Rivers FC on Nov. 5.
Some of Rivers FC's opponents will be the Vancouver Whitecaps and TSS Rovers in Burnaby. The other four teams in the league will be introduced on a weekly basis.
The league will have separate men’s and women’s divisions. It will run from May to July and the regular season will consist of 12 games.
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Rivers FC is recruiting players of all ages, genders and levels of competition. Players can be from anywhere in B.C. but locals are expected to make up the majority of the team. Tryouts begin early in 2022 and the dates will be broadly advertised.
The team is now registered as a non-profit and has a nine-person board of directors.
A location is still being decided. Rivers FC is in discussion with the city to decide if home games will be played at the Hillside Stadium or at McArthur Island #2 where enhancements would be needed.
“Soccer has rich history in Kamloops dating back to the early 1900s,” general manager Keith Liddiard said, in the press release. “But there has never been a semi-professional team in existence as there has not been a semi-pro league to play in.“
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