Photo Source: https://bit.ly/2W34dom From L-R Alexis McKinty, Liz Gregg and Mariel Solsberg

New WPSL expansion club, Vancouver Island FC announced their first three signings in club history on April 19th. Three players were named to the roster: Liz Gregg, Mariel Solsberg, and Alexis McKinty. Coached by Neil Sedgwick and Wes Barrett, the first tryouts were held on April 1st and the club has two more tryouts scheduled for late April.

Vancouver Island Football Club names the first three players to the roster. Alexis McKinty, Liz Gregg and Mariel Solsberg bring leadership and include professional playing experience. #WPSL #WomensSoccer #Island Proud pic.twitter.com/zwBFKJ6Rey — Vancouver Island FC WPSL (@VanIslandFC) April 19, 2019

Liz Gregg joins VIFC with a wealth of professional football experience including multiple seasons abroad with Doncaster Rovers Belles.

Mariel Solsberg played abroad in Denmark with Fortuna Hjorring and Sonderjysk before returning to Canada. Solsberg has strong leadership skills as she has been an assistant coach at UVic and an academy coach at FC Victoria since 2010. A familiar face to B.C. football, Solsberg is a great veteran addition to the new WPSL club.

Lastly, Alexis McKinty joined VIFC after a successful varsity career with Queens University. McKinty won two national championships with Queens and was an OUA East all-star in 2012 after playing a key role during Queens 2012 playoff run.

Alexis took some time to talk with me about joining Vancouver Island FC. The following is a transcript of our interview and the full audio of our interview is available on our Patreon page.

What attracted you to the WPSL?

I have been playing with a couple of the clubs in the Lower Island Women’s Premier League, I was surprised that there was nothing outside of the Lower Island League that crossed over with the mainland. When I heard about VIFC, I was excited to challenge myself to a next level of football.

What are your thoughts on being part of a team being built from the ground up?

The island is an exciting place to be right now with Pacific FC and Vancouver Island FC. It’s interesting for me to be part of creating a club that is hopefully sustainable and mean something to this community. We want to foster a sense of community around the team and get young girls excited to come to games.

Are you excited to play against successful competition such as Seattle Sounders Women?

It is an interesting position to be in. We know that the Sounders have done well and we know we are in for a challenge. When we come into this as an expansion club, we have nothing to lose. We can only build on our first season. We all want to get to this next level that is the WPSL.

Being a former OUA athlete at Queens, Do you see a pipeline of players to the WPSL forming from U-Sports Varsity schools?

I certainly hope so. After playing at Queens’s I wanted to continue with my soccer career but there was not that middle road to pursue it. The only options were soccer clubs abroad. I do hope that this creates that next level for women who don’t feel ready to play in Europe.

What was your favourite moment from your career at Queens?

Winning my second national title. I have vivid memories of playing in that CIS Championship at McGill. Every year we had amazing groups of athletes, that group that played in the 2011 CIS Championship was a really special group. It’s a moment I won’t ever forget.

What are your thoughts on the VIFC kits?

I was able to give some input on the kit design and logo before the tryouts at a community meeting. Those are the brightest colours I have ever worn. The turquoise and the purple are not your traditional colour combination. I think the logo is a great representation of Vancouver Island and what makes it special.

With the increase of popularity in Canadian soccer with the 2026 World Cup bid, CanWNT at the 2019 World Cup, the CanPL, and another Canadian team in the WPSL, what does this mean to young aspiring female football players?

It’s just that increase in opportunity. Growing up playing soccer, all I saw around me was the CanWNT being that ultimate end goal. The more opportunities we can create for young women is a positive thing. We want to give them that stepping stone to aspire to play in and it will drive more young women to follow their dreams.

What are your goals for this season?

I just found out I made the squad, but before that, I just wanted to know where that next level was in my career personally. I want to challenge myself to be as prepared as I can be to play at this level. As a club, we should hold ourself to a high expectation. We should ask ourselves, why can’t we compete with the best and see where we end up.

I would like to thank Alexis for taking the time to talk to us at NSXI and we wish her all the best in her inaugural season with Vancouver Island FC.

Vancouver Island FC will play in the Women’s Premier Soccer League, the second division of women’s soccer in North America. VIFC will play in the Northwest division and face teams such as Seattle Sounders Women and TSS FC Rovers. Their season begins on the road vs Spokane Shadow on May 18th. The club will play at Westhills Stadium with their first home game being June 15th vs Westside Timbers.

Thanks for reading and as always, #ForTheIsle.

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Maxwell Mowbray Maxwell is a University of Guelph alumni who started watching football in his first year of university. Though his undergrad was in music, sports journalism has always been one of his interests. Max decided to support Pacific FC due to family past on the west coast, leading him to create his Twitter page, @PFCOntario. Though he is 3300 km away from Westhills Stadium, Maxwell is a dedicated PFC fan and member of the Lake Side Buoys. You can often find Maxwell scouring through the lower leagues of Football Manager games.

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