The Victoria Highlanders have made a lot of moves during their off-season. Most of them have been fantastic, and if I were lucky enough to still be living in Victoria, I would be really stoked about the upcoming season. Heck, I’m stoked anyways despite being half-way across the country now.
For those unaware, I lived in Victoria for 3-years, and was a season ticket holder for the last 2 (once I found employment). With my background in event management, I took a look at what they did the first year for running the grounds, made a few comments, and was generally pleased with what came about in the second year. The team wasn’t great, but it was always great fun watching the Highlanders and chanting along with the Lake Side Bouys.
For those who haven’t been following along with the PDL-scene in Victoria, the Highlanders experienced a major ownership change this summer, Marvin Diercks and David Dew are now joined by a star-studded team including Brett Large, Moreno Stefani, Grant Olson, Mark deFrias, and Ryan Wilson. Following that, they flew out and made arrangements with Macron for jerseys, had a new logo designed, and began signing up new and fantastic sponsors, including Island Savings, who are their new title sponsor.
The new kit? Sharp. The sponsor? Fantastic. The management team? Great guys from my vantage point. The new coach, Thomas Niendorf? Nice choice. I’m even happy with the choice of coach for the PCSL squad, Nico Craveiro. Heck, the announcement of an online store, and the new steps to become an involved part of the community? Excellent all around. I guarantee I’ll be one of the first to order a jersey from the site when it opens up. The official barbershop? Ok, that’s a bit much, but while you’re on a roll, why not?
That logo though… At least there isn’t a soccer ball on it. If you like NYCFC and other initial-based logos, then the Highlanders’ new logo will be a hit with you. For me, not so much. I just find it too generic. There’s nothing in this logo that says “Highlanders.” I do find it interesting that they chose to sidestep the Football/Soccer lingo debate by excluding FC completely. Makes me wonder if they’re opening the doors to other potential sports with the Highlanders brand, but that’s well beyond my area.
Moving beyond the logo, the Highlanders have begun to announce their players. So far, we’ve seen a lot of returning players, but there are a couple of new faces as well. Returning we have Blair Sturrock (F), Simon Norgrove (GK), Tyrone Venhola (GK), Jonah Smith (M), Cody Gysbers (M), Mackenzie Cole (M), Owen Pearce (M), Francesco Bartolillo (M), Callum Montgomery (D) and Stuart Heath (D). The fresh faces are Marcus Campanile (M), Peter Schaale (D), Noah Cunningham (D), Cory Bent (F), Mitchell Popadynetz (M), Isaac Koch (F), and Charlie Waters (F). This is far from the full team, but it’s a pretty good core to build around.
It should be noted that Popadynetz played for Highlanders in 2016, before a brief stint with BC-rivals, TSS Rovers last season. As much fun as it was to chant “traitor” from the stands whenever he played, I’m glad he’s back with the Highlanders for another stretch.
I would also like to say that I’m glad to see Montgomery will be back on the field. He was injured early last season, which definitely caused trouble to the Highlanders and to Montgomery’s potential career. Early last season, I had mentioned that he was one to watch, and I maintain he’ll be key to the upcoming season. I expect him in the USL and maybe the CPL within the next few years, so keep your eye on this lad.
It’s already starting to look like a well-rounded team, and I can’t wait to hear their next announcements. The Highlanders play their first match on the road against Calgary Foothills on May 11th.
April 21st Edit: The Highlanders store is live. Get your gear before the first match!
Hi Shawn. I got roasted for daring to point out that the logo sucks – which it does. The designer has no idea of what Victoria is, and has clearly never been here. The club paid for something that I could have doodled on a napkin as “what to avoid”, and worse, the designer just recycled the same bland nothing that he sold to LAFC, which barely qualifies as a “logo”.
There are plenty of images that a sports team in Victoria can use. Arbutus trees are somewhat unique, and Victoria is full of oak trees; an acorn and oak leaf is a clean, simple, and elegant logo (search for “South Nottingham Hussars cap badge” for an example). A ship’s wooden steering wheel, a light house, a naval buoy, an orca are all nautical themes appropriate to Victoria. Highlands evokes mountains, which can be depicted in a logo. There are lots of possibilities for a visual image, but this logo has no actual visual image. Letters and words are not an image – they’re letters and words.
The use of a shield as “Britishy” and “soccery” is badly overdone by community clubs and pro teams across North America. A shield-shape is not a “link with your city”: all city coats-of-arms are on a shield shape. They don’t make a team look British and therefore magically more legitimate as a soccer club. What it does do, if you put letters and words on a shield shape, is indicate that you don’t actually know what heraldry is; don’t understand the impact of visual images, and don’t know the difference between a club crest or logo (which you sew on your jersey), and a word-mark which you put on your businesses’ letter head (which does include letters and words). In short, a word-and-letter logo is the sort of bland corporatism that sports fans do NOT want to see in the “clubs” which they support.
Do you feel these changes are part of a bid to have a canPL team in Victoria?
Not on their radar right now I think. These changes were basic things that the old ownership just couldn’t do due to lack of funds, interest, or knowledge is some of these areas. The old ownership were great guys who kept the team alive when it would have crumbled to nothing, but they weren’t really businessmen. I think this is a series of steps to put the team on a more solid foundation, and that exploring the possibility of moving to the Canadian Premier League may come down the line after the new stadium is built in Langford, if they’ve been able to see some legitimate growth in the stands.
Victoria is not going to be a Canadian Premier League 2019 founder. But, I can see them looking at the move closer to 2022 once they see how things are playing out.
Makes sense. Either way, good to see a Canadian soccer team growing!