#DontBuyThatScarf. Support These Guys Instead

I’ll have more to say about the Vancouver Whitecaps profiting off a Cascadia Cup-branded scarf without the consent of the supporters who own the Cup at a later date. The issue is not totally black and white, the Whitecaps are legally in the clear and may have thought, at first, there was no problem. But after the Whitecaps’ majority owners, Major League Soccer, tried to steal the Cascadia Cup in 2013 tensions have run high. You’d think they’d be more careful and more open, not less, and want to avoid any hint of exploiting their supporters. This has not been the case.

This post is a public service to those who agree that this profit-grubbing inconsideration by the front office is unacceptable, but want to get out and support their local club in a big cup match this weekend. I am here to bring good news. It is finals weekend in British Columbia’s three ancient regional cups, and whereever you are on Vancouver Island or the Lower Mainland, first-class soccer without MLS chicanery is close at hand.

Vancouver Island’s Sir John Jackson Cup is celebrating its centenary year. The even older metro Vancouver Imperial Cup and the Fraser Valley’s Pakenham Cup, maybe the oldest trophy still awarded for soccer in Canada, will all be handed out on Sunday.

So you want to get out and cheer on your local lads, without being ruthlessly squeezed by money-grubbers who view supporters only as ATMs and marketing material? Here’s where to do it.

Pakenham Cup : Abbotsford United vs. Aldergrove United, Port Moody Town Centre Turf, Port Moody, BC, Saturday March 28 at 5 PM. The Pakenham Cup was first awarded in 1909 to Coquitlam and, apart from a break for the First World War and nineteen years when the trophy was lost (no, really), has been awarded ever since. Both these teams were semifinalists last year, and while Abbotsford ran a strong second in the FVSL Premier this season Aldergrove was mid-table and will be looking for some Cup magic. Aldergrove will be helped by Tyler Pedersen, the FVSL’s second-leading scorer this season but Abbotsford boasts three league all-stars on their back line, including former Fraser Valley Mariners and Whitecaps U-23 fullback Colton O’Neill. Not to mention Mark Village, another former Mariner and freshly-signed Whitecaps Reserve player, in goal; if he’s traveling with the Whitecaps Reserves then Aldergrove will be all the more optimistic about their chances. It’s a big day of soccer including youth and masters trophies, so well-worth seeing. For those outside the Fraser Valley, the match will be live-streamed. No, really.

Sir John Jackson Cup : Cowichan FC vs. Saanich Fusion, Royal Athletic Park, Victoria, BC, Sunday March 29 at 2:15 PM. As mentioned, this is the hundredth anniversary of the Jackson Cup and is sure to be a big show. Cowichan FC, headlined by former Victoria Highlanders skipper Tyler Hughes, is looking to prevent Saanich from defending their 2013-14 title. Admission $5, free for children. Show up early at noon for the George Smith U21 Cup final between two more Highlanders relics, the Mid-Isle Highlanders out of Ladysmith and the Highlanders U21 team. The Victoria Highlanders will join the PCSL this summer under new ownership, but only as a senior men’s side: this is the last gasp of what was once Vancouver Island’s most comprehensive youth setup.