Rivers FC
Full nameRivers Football Club
FoundedNovember 5, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-11-05)
StadiumHillside Stadium
Kamloops, British Columbia
Capacity1,060
Head coachJohn Antulov (men)
Jost Hausendorf (women)
LeagueLeague1 British Columbia
2023L1BC, 6th (men)
L1BC, 8th (women)
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Rivers FC is a Canadian semi-professional football club based in Kamloops, British Columbia that competes in League1 British Columbia.

History

The club was officially unveiled on November 5, 2021, as an inaugural license holder for the first season of the new semi-professional League1 British Columbia in 2022.[1] The club's name is derived from the North Thompson River and South Thompson River which converge in Kamloops.[2] The club will field teams in both the male and female divisions,[3][4] and the team is affiliated with Thompson Rivers University, announcing that the head coaches of the men's and women's Thompson Rivers WolfPack teams will serve as the head coaches for the Rivers male and female teams.[5][6][7] The team is expected to serve as a good recruiting tool for the university, as well as to keep the school's players playing in the offseason.[8] The club is expected to use both the TRU's Hillside Stadium and McArthur Island Park as its home field.[9] In December, they announced a relationship with youth club Thompson Okanagan FC to develop their player pathway.[10][11] They also announced the formation of a reserve team, called Rivers FC II, that will play in the Pacific Coast Soccer League.[12][13]

Their inaugural matches occurred on May 22, at home, against Altitude FC for both the men and women.[14] In their debut matches, the men's team drew 1-1, while the women won their match 2-0, with a combined attendance of over 700 watching both matches.[15][16] In their inaugural season, the men finished in fifth, while the women finished in seventh.[17]

Players

As of 5 May 2023[18][19]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Canada CAN Evan Scholes
2 DF Spain ESP Jan Pirretas Glasmacher
3 DF South Korea KOR Minwoo Kang
5 DF Canada CAN Elijah Dos Santos
6 DF Canada CAN Domenico Comita
7 FW Canada CAN Dylan Hooper
9 FW Ghana GHA Ayman Sahmuddeen
11 FW Germany GER Jost Hausendorf
12 MF Canada CAN Jonathan Rinaldi
13 DF Canada CAN Steffen Masaites
17 MF Canada CAN Denzel Marican
18 MF Canada CAN Khalil Dos Santos
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF Canada CAN Ethan Furlong
21 MF Canada CAN Marco Favaro
22 FW Canada CAN Finn Marshall
26 MF Canada CAN Cole Jackson
30 GK England ENG Olivier Jumeau
— DF Canada CAN Matthew Hanks
— DF Canada CAN Bhagvir Sidhu
— MF Canada CAN Alesandro Comita
— MF Canada CAN Justin Donaldson
— MF Canada CAN Marques Scott
— MF Canada CAN Justin Wallace

Personnel

Name Position
Canada Keith Liddiard General manager
Canada Mark Pennington Technical director
Canada John Antulov Men's Head Coach
South Korea Hee Young Chung Men's and Women's Assistant Coach
Canada Justin Donaldson Men's Assistant Coach
Canada Kevin Brechin Athletic Therapist
Canada Luis Adamo Men's Goalkeeper Coach
Canada Jost Hausendorf Women's Head Coach

Seasons

Men

Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs Juan de Fuca Plate Ref
2022 League1 British Columbia 7 3–4–5 5th did not qualify 4th[a] [20]
2023 8 4–4–6 6th did not qualify 8th[a] [20]
  1. ^ a b The Juan de Fuca Plate is a combined men's and women's competition that combines both squads results

Women

Season League Teams Record Rank Playoffs Juan de Fuca Plate Ref
2022 League1 British Columbia 7 1–1–10 7th did not qualify 4th[a] [21]
2023 8 1–0–13 8th did not qualify 8th[a] [21]
  1. ^ a b The Juan de Fuca Plate is a combined men's and women's competition that combines both squads results

Notable players

The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the League1 BC team:

Men

Women

References

  1. ^ "League1BC welcomes Rivers FC as founding License Holder". BC Soccer Association. November 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Chisholm, Sydney (November 5, 2021). "Kamloops' new soccer team". Castanet.
  3. ^ Jacques, John (November 5, 2021). "Kamloops Lands League1 BC Team With Rivers FC". Northern Tribune.
  4. ^ Walton, Dan (November 7, 2021). "Kamloops will have a team in new semi-pro soccer league, tryouts begin early 2022". Infotel.
  5. ^ Hastings, Marty (November 5, 2021). "Kamloops-based Rivers FC introduced as one of seven League1 BC soccer clubs". Kamloops This Week.
  6. ^ Fraser, James (November 17, 2021). "New Kamloops soccer franchise with close ties to TRU launches". The Omega.
  7. ^ Kieper, John Luke (November 5, 2021). "'Rivers FC' newest sports team to arrive in Kamloops". Kamloops Now.
  8. ^ Klassen, Chad (November 5, 2021). "Rivers FC newest Kamloops sports team to begin play next summer". CFJC-TV.
  9. ^ Kaisar, Victor (November 5, 2021). "Kamloops-based Rivers FC to be part of new semi-pro soccer league starting next spring". Radio NL.
  10. ^ "Rivers FC Establishes Working Relationship With TOFC". Thompson Okanagan FC. December 14, 2021.
  11. ^ Jacques, John (December 16, 2021). "Rivers FC Forms 'Interior Link' With TOFC". Northern Tribune.
  12. ^ "Rivers FC introduces second team that will toil in Pacific Coast Soccer League". Kamloops This Week. March 3, 2022.
  13. ^ Reyes, Izaiah (March 17, 2022). "Rivers FC to introduce a new team". Merritt Herald.
  14. ^ Gunn, Connor (May 22, 2022). "Kamloops Rivers FC takes field for first time Sunday". CFJC-TV.
  15. ^ Schulze, Aaron (May 24, 2022). "Rivers FC clubs win and draw in first pair of games". CFJC-TV.
  16. ^ Petruk, Tim (May 24, 2022). "Undefeated weekend for Rivers FC as League1 BC begins play". Castanet.
  17. ^ Schulze, Aaron (February 15, 2023). "Rivers FC kicks off second season on April 30". CFJC-TV.
  18. ^ "Rivers FC". League 1 BC.
  19. ^ "League1 BC: Men earn hard fought point". Whitecaps FC.
  20. ^ a b "League1 British Columbia Standings". Canadian Soccer History Archive.
  21. ^ a b "League1 British Columbia Women Standings". Canadian Soccer History Archive.
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