Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington are separated by the massive Columbia River, which serves as the state line, but the two have a shared history and shared love of soccer. Founded in 2014, just before entering into the regional soccer league EPLWA, Vancouver Victory have built up a fanatical base of support and even won their league in just their first five years of existence. The club is housed at the Harmony Sports Complex, where they play their games and share training facilities with the Washington Timbers youth academy. Sean Janson, Executive Director of the Washington Timbers, also serves as General Manager of the Victory and was gracious enough to answer my questions about who they are and where they’re headed.

Starting from the start; when, why, and by whom was the Vancouver Victory founded?

Vancouver Victory FC were Founded in 2014 by Barrett Goddard. To provide Vancouver, Washington our own team to root for.

What League do you play in? Do you have a rival or a club you really look forward to playing against? Are there club's outside of your league who you'd like to play a friendly with?

We play in the Evergreen Premier League Washington. Don't really have a rival club but always look forward to playing FC Mulhouse (NPSL. Portland, Oregon) and Lane United (USL League 2. Eugene, Oregon) in friendlies.

The Victory pose before an EPLWA League Match (Photo: Courtesy Vancouver Victory)

Running a soccer club can be turbulent, in the best of times, how do you continue to operate in this market with big clubs like the Timbers and Sounders? How important are matchdays and merchandise to the operational budget?

Matchdays are very important to the budget but most importantly is our partnership with Muchas Gracias Mexican Food. Their sponsorship is really what allows us to provide this team to our community. We feel like Timbers and Sounders increase interest in the sport and therefore the Victory benefits from their presence.

Are you connected to a youth program? A women’s program? Are there funnels for young boys and girls to go from youth sides into the first teams?

Yes, the Washington Timbers FC now owns and runs the Vancouver Victory. Our interest in the team is primarily to provide our alumni who are off playing in college somewhere a place to play when they come for the summer. We certainly enjoy providing our community a quality team to follow but that's not the primary reason we're doing it. We also have a women's team, the Washington Timbers Women's 1st team, who play in the NW Premier League. Both teams serve as teams for our youth to aspire to.

The VNC are The Victory’s true-blue Supporter’s Group (Photo Courtesy Vancouver Victory)

A big part of soccer culture in the Pacific Northwest is Supporters Groups; you do have one, how important are they to the matchday experience? Do they travel with the team from time-to-time?

Yes, VNC are great supporters of the team. I initially met these guys when they started supporting Clark College. They do make the occasional away game and their presence at home games really makes for a great atmosphere.

The Vancouver/Portland soccer market is huge, are there any aspirations to take the Victory up a notch, to a NPSL, UPSL or NISA level of play? What would it take to accomplish that?

There's always talk of taking that next step but as GM of the team and Executive Director of the youth club I'm very hesitant at this time. We are fulfilling our mission of providing opportunities to athletes, I would need to see how a change in league would further fulfill that mission to warrant the extra cost and work. We are planning a major upgrade to our home, Harmony Sports Complex over the next couple years which will completely transform the parking area and the entrance and exit of the facility. Once this is done, we will start to look at other improvements that may better position us to make a leap of this sort. In the mean time we will try and win as many EPLWA trophies as possible.

What does it all mean? The Vancouver Victory provide a badge primer.

For more information about the Vancouver Victory FC, check them out here: http://vancouvervictoryfc.com/
If you’re interested in volunteering or joining their supporters group, contact them here: https://www.facebook.com/VNC-264042637093828/

Cindy Abouammo, the president of NCW Alliance FC, graciously cut some time out of her schedule to answer Protagonist Soccer’s Spotlight questions. The Wenatchee, Washington based club is about 150 miles southeast of Seattle and plays in the Northwest Premier League (https://nwplsoccer.wordpress.com/). The NWPL is home to nine clubs, stretching from Seattle to Salem and gives elite high schoolers, college players, aspiring and former professional women athletes a platform from which to launch. We’ve wanted to talk women’s soccer, and thought there’d be no better voice to start the conversation than that of a woman president of a women’s club in a women’s league! NCW Alliance FC, you are in the Spotlight…

When and how were you founded?

We were founded in fall of 2016. Our group of founding organizers recognized a need for a higher level of play for female athletes in the Wenatchee Valley and surrounding areas.

Does the club have any connections to an existing youth system?

Our club has been working closely in partnership with Wenatchee United and OPS FC to create a solid soccer structure here in the Wenatchee Valley. In 2018 we introduced our NCW Alliance Academy program. This program serves female youth players ages 15 -18 by providing a high level of training and college ball preparation. We were able to create this program by partnering with Wenatchee United and OPS FC. Some Academy players have the opportunity to play up on the Alliance first team during the NWPL season.

What were the motivations behind the badge, mascot, and colors?

The club colors of blue and orange came about because we wanted to merge the soccer roots of the valley into what we’re creating. We combined the colors of blue (representing Wenatchee United) and orange (the colors of the former Wenatchee Fire) to create an Alliance of each club in the valley coming together at the highest level; thus our logo, a rising phoenix, rising up into the sky with no limits. That is what motivated us on our colors and our logo.

Are there any connections to, or inspirations drawn from, other clubs in the world?

No, our inspiration came from our local youth clubs in the valley.

What are the goals of the organization; does that include an ambition to grow quickly or more just see how it goes?

The goals of our organization are to continue to provide a top level of competition for female athletes in our area and to continue to grow our academy program to create more opportunities for aspiring female youth players. We are also considering creating a men’s Alliance team in the future.

The team seems relatively new, are there any players who’ve made an instant impact? Anybody notable who’s come from another league or club?

Katie Michkiosky joined our team the year of our formation and has returned each year to make a significant contribution to the team. She was a former Wenatchee Fire youth player, played for Wenatchee High School, and played for Wenatchee Valley College. She is currently playing soccer for Northwest University.

Katie is an example of what we are trying to accomplish by working with the youth clubs in the valley, the Alliance Academy program, and Wenatchee Valley College.

Do you have an existing or budding rivalry? Do you see rivalry as an important part of growing the fan side of an organization, or a distraction?

Rivalries are always a good part of any sport. With us being new to the league we don’t have any strong rivalries yet but there does seem to be more excitement from our fans and players when we play Yakima United. They are our closest competition and I wouldn’t be surprised if the intensity grows when we play them in 2019. This could be a budding rivalry!

How do you feel about clubs being politically active? Should they just stick to soccer or is there a responsibility to be a part of the community?

Our local community is important to us but soccer is a place to escape the whirlwind of politics. It is a game that is packed with passion and we like to throw our passion into the game without diluting the love of the game with politics.

Is there anything important to YOU that I missed?

We feel like we are a community team and are extremely thankful for our fans, players, and partners. We are very thankful to have a good working relationship with the local youth clubs, the high schools, and Wenatchee Valley College. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of our community.