The Victoria Vistas were a Canadian soccer club in the original Canadian Soccer League. The Vistas joined the CSL for the 1989 season, and folded after the 1990 season. Victoria All-star teams had been competitive with league champion Vancouver 86ers teams in pre-season contests during previous years.
1989 Season
The CSL in 1989 had a two player import rule and the more financially successful clubs attempted to sign primarily local players, so that the club didn't incur accommodation, transportation, and other ancillary costs for out-of-town players. Robert Bolitho acted as the club's general manager. The 1989 season started promisingly with a 2-2-2 record and second place in the CSL's Western Division; however, roadtrips to Eastern Canada interspersed with two home matches removed any momentum the club was generating. Scorelines were close, typically one goal affairs, excepting an away match to league leaders Vancouver 86ers and a July 10–12 Hamilton/Ottawa road trip. Victoria just wasn't getting results and August 1 coach Brian Hughes moved to Director of Player Development while Brian Wilson was announced as the primary coach. Although results didn't really improve, during a match preview versus Winnipeg Fury, July 20, 1989, the Vistas were noted as averaging about 2,000 spectators per game. The Vistas finished the season strongly boding well for the 1990 season.
The Victoria Vistas played their home games in the 1990 season at Royal Athletic Park. After a difficult inaugural season in 1989, for the 1990 season the Vistas brought in a few new players, including Scotsman Gerry McCabe and Englishmen Richard Hill and Allan Evans, to augment a roster made up primarily of players from Vancouver Island. The Vistas qualified for the playoffs and went on the eliminate the Winnipeg Fury in four games after a replay in Winnipeg.
Results by round
On May 5, 1990 the Victoria Vistas played an away exhibition friendly against the Seattle Storm at Memorial Stadium 7:30pm. Seattle won 3-0 in front of 2,200. On Wednesday August 1, 1990 the Victoria Vistas defeated the Seattle Storm 1-0 via a 35th minute Allan Evans penalty kick. The Vistas are noted as and the win gave them the inaugural Stena Lines Cup. In a 1990 TSN broadcast presumably on Sept 1, 1990, Steve Cecchi is noted as having scored five goals in his last seven games during a Victoria Vistas 2-2 draw with the Vancouver 86ers at Royal Athletic Park in front of a large crowd including standing-only spectators. He scored in the 11th minute before Dale Mitchell equalized in the 12th. Ivor Evans scored the go-ahead goal for the Whitecaps in the 74th minute. Rick Jaskens scored late after being set up by Allan Evans and a Randy Ragan flick-on well right of the penalty spot. Attendance was reported in the Sept 12, 1990 Wpg Free Press as 3,400.
1990 Roster
General Manager Buzz Parsons Coach Bruce Wilson Assistant Coach Allan Evans Assistant Coach Ian Bridge Trainer Kevin Barlow Equipment Manager Danny Hood. Though listed in game programs as a midfielder, Frank Woods usually played at right back for the Vistas. Randy Ragan is in the poster of the team for this season, yet is not listed in the programme cited below. Local Vancouver Island players in the 1990 team included John Hughes, David Ravenhill, Ian Bridge, Dallas Moen, Frank Woods, Ken Andrews, Rick Jaskens, and Ron Budisa, all of whom played as part of the Vancouver Island XI at Royal Athletic Park in a four team tournament in the 1992 Guinness Challenge Cup against Vancouver 86ers, Dundee United FC, and a Chelsea FC line-up which included Welsh international and later actor Vinnie Jones.
