ISLAND SOCCER SPOTLIGHT NOMINATIONS
Know someone who is making a difference in the LIWSA?
A coach. A volunteer. A referee. An administrator. A mentor. A player. A club leader. Or someone working behind the scenes. Nomination online form opening soon.

Check out the first spotlight of 2026-2027 season & LIWSA -->




Nominate someone who is helping build, support and grow women’s soccer in our community.

SHINE A SPOTLIGHT ON THEM!
📣 Submit your nomination for Island Soccer Spotlight.

Because the people who make a difference deserve to be recognized. 💙⚽






REMINDER
BCSA Coaching Requirement Policy
It is the responsibility clubs, teams & coaching staff to ensure requirements are completed prior to first scheduled game. 

These requirements pertain to teams that have or may have youth aged players (17 years of age and under)

For clarification, exemptions do not apply to the CRC portion of requirement for any team in any division.


 

ISLAND SOCCER SPOTLIGHT
October 5-11, 2026
It's BACK!!!!!! The United Football Vancouver Island Player of the Week has returned, with a new name! Collaboration between LIWSA, VISL and LISA - maybe some future organizations....

The ISLAND SOCCER SPOTLIGHT kicks starts with:



Here is what teammates & clubmates have to share:

2024-25 marked the first year that Nanaimo United FC has entered an O30 women's team into LIWSA and it was no small feat to get it off the ground. Now heading into its third season in O30A, the team has massive interest and has built a very strong sense of community. Emily van Waes is a huge part of the team’s success the past two seasons, working tirelessly to recruit players and to keep the team engaged and positive during the tough parts of the season.

Emily came to NUFC from a local club in the Mid Island Women's Soccer League, looking for a new challenge and a place to build community. She recruited players who she knew would be successful at this level from MIWSL and attended local community soccer programs, such as 7-aside, 5-aside, and futsal, and met women in the O30s age bracket to talk about the NUFC O30 team. She recruited many players to the team, and developed a pipeline of players ages 28-29 who would be interested in playing in future seasons.

In the early days as the team found its groove Emily made sure that players stayed positive and engaged, and helped to build an excellent team culture. Now approaching its third season the team has two Masters-B Provincial silver medals under their belt, and more importantly has become a tight-knit community due to it's success, culture, and space for camaraderie. Emily is the team’s captain and is an excellent leader and a steward of good sportsmanship. In 2025-26 she was voted the team’s MVP, a well-deserved accomplishment that highlights her contributions on the field as well.




2026/2027 Youth Pool
For details and instructions on registering for the online Youth-to-Adult Permitting System, please visit this webpage. It is the responsibility of the youth player and/or parent/guardian and their youth team/club to sign up in a timely manner.

Signing up to the Youth Pool in order to be eligible to play any weekend moving forward - should have been submitted at least 7 days in advance.  

Initial sign up submissions received less than 7 days prior to a scheduled game, has no guarantee will be processed in time.

For youth players being called up to an LIWSA team only: Players must be registered with a sanctioned youth league.

Email sent 09/17 @ 4:55pm  
Email sent to all Team Staff of Premier, Selects, D1, D2, D3
Subject Line:  PLEASE READ-FINAL REMINDER: CRC & BCSA Coaching Requirements

Final Reminder - Head Coach, Assistant Coach & Team Staff Requirements
(Premier, Selects, D1, D2, D3)
PLEASE READ

Dear Coaches, Managers and Team Staff, 

This is a final reminder regarding requirements for Head Coaches, Managers & Team Staff.  The following information has been communicated on multiple occasions to all team staff members on all teams.  

Individuals added only in the last 2-3 weeks to team rosters as a coach, assistant coach or team staff should have been informed by either club staff or other team staff listed on roster, of the requirements needing to be completed.  


HEAD COACH must have updated in their profile: 
  • Criminal Record Check (CRC) - valid 3 years
  • BCSA Coaching Requirements (mandatory)
IF BOTH items listed above are NOT met or updated in Head Coach profile, NO youth-aged player is allowed to participate. 


ASSISTANT COACH must have updated in their profile: 
  • Criminal Record Check (CRC) - valid 3 years
  • BCSA Coaching Requirements (recommended)
IF CRC is NOT completed, received AND updated in profile, assistant coach is NOT permitted in the technical area. 


MANAGER, GENDER REP, TRAINER and OTHER TEAM STAFF must have updated in their profile: 
  • Criminal Record Check (CRC) - valid 3 years
IF CRC is NOT completed, received AND updated in profile, Team Staff member is not permitted in the technical area. 

These requirements are established by BCSA, not LIWSA.  Please do not contact LIWSA staff or director to request an exemption if you are going to be having youth-aged players participating.  Any questions regarding exemptions must be directed to BCSA.  LIWSA's only role is to apply the requirement, collect the required information and report it to BCSA.  

Best of luck to everyone this weekend.
LIWSA Communications




Email sent Sept 3  
Welcome to the LIWSA 2026-2027 Season!

We are looking forward to another great season.  As we prepare for the opening weekend of September 11-13, please take a few minutes to review the following important reminders and housekeeping items.  

Let's focus on a fun and competitive experience, we all share the same reasons for coming out on the field to either play or coach in the game of soccer. 


GAME SCHEDULES

As we approach the start of the season, some adjustments to the posted game schedule are expected while field availability is finalized.

While the game schedule is already posted online, teams are expected to review their schedules regularly during the first few weeks of the season and allow time for final adjustments.

WHY MAY A GAME CHANGE PRIOR TO THE START OF THE OFFICIAL SEASON?

The league only creates the match-up schedule.  The league does not control team or club field availability or field permits.  

Early-season changes may be required due to: 
  • Other league schedules being posted later or changing, this includes VISL and LISA schedules. 
  • Team or club field permits not aligning with the scheduled match-up. 
  • No field being available, requiring an alternate field, day and time to be secured.
CHANGES AFTER THE SEASON BEGINS

Once the season has started, all changes to posted game schedule must follow the established Game Reschedule Request process:  
  1. Submit a Game Reschedule Request Form
  2. Provide confirmation of the opposing team's agreement to the change. 
  3. Submit payment of Game Reschedule Fee to league administrator. (see Appendix A)
The league will only review and process a game reschedule request only when ALL THREE (3) items are fully completed (no missing information) and submitted in one email to the admin@liwsa.com with a cc to their respective divisional liaison - and must include in the email subject line: 
  • Reschedule Request
  • Original date of game
  • Names of Home and Away teams
Incomplete submissions will delay processing the request.  The league will simply deny the request and requesting team will need to re-submit.   

Teams should not make changes to posted game details independently.  All schedule changes must be submitted through the proper process and approved by the league. 



COACHES & MANAGERS MEETING

To ensure information is relevant to each division, three (3) separate virtual meetings will be hosted:  
  • Masters Tiered & 35s:  Tuesday, September 8 @ 7:00 pm (45 min)
  • Tiered Division (Premier, Selects, Division 1):  Wednesday, September 9 @ 7:00 pm (45min)
  • Division 2 & 3:  Wednesday, September 9 @ 7:45 pm (45 min)
A separate email will be distributed in advance of the meetings to outline what will be discussed and shared.  This will include a zoom link specific to each grouping. 

Attendance is not mandatory,  however teams are strongly encouraged to have representative attend.  Important division-specific information will be shared, and meeting materials will be posted afterward for reference.  If you choose not to attend or are unable to attend, it is your responsibility to refer to this website for information that is readily available, prior to contacting the league.  


TEAM OFFICIALS - BCSA COACH REQUIREMENTS

This only pertains to head coaches within the Premier, Selects, Div 1, Div 2 and Div 3 teams. 

Head coaches of any adult team and/or soccer programs that has or may have youth aged players participating must comply with: 

  • BCSA Criminal Record Check (CRC) policy
  • And complete the following training modules prior to the LIWSA start date (Sept 11):
    • Respect in Sport
    • NCCP Make Ethical Decisions Training
    • NCCP Making Headway in Soccer
    • NCCP Emergency Action Plan
    • NCCP Rule of Two
It is the responsibility of the head coach and club to comply with the requirements and ensure that their profile is up-to-date with the required information.  Profiles not updated accordingly, will render a team ineligible to roster a youth aged player or permit a youth player.  No exceptions.  

If you have any questions or feel you want to submit a request for exemption, you will have to contact BC Soccer directly as this is a BCSA and CSA mandate/requirement.  LIWSA only collects the information in order to report it back to BCSA.  

Please visit our webpage for more information:  https://liwsa.com/coachreq



PLAYER & TEAM OFFICIAL PHOTO UPLOADS

Please ensure that all player and team official ID photos meet the LIWSA photo requirements before uploading.  


Photos that DO NOT meet the requirements will be deleted without notice & must be replaced.  

Photos must be:  
  • Recent from within last 30 days
  • Front-facing, above the shoulder
  • Head fully within frame
  • No sunglasses
  • No hats, helmets, or bandanas
  • Not full body
  • No other person, animal, object in frame. 
  • Bright enough to clearly see the face
Remember that ID cards are viewed on a smart phone, therefore must a version that can easily be viewed without having to zoom in.  

So far this year photo uploads have been much better than in the past, however we still have more than we would like that require to be replaced.  

Please check your team's photos now to ensure the correct photos are uploaded. This will help avoid delays with ID cards and game-day eligibility. 


We look forward to seeing everyone on the pitch and wish all teams a safe, successful and enjoyable 2026-2027 season!

Let's get started!


*All League information, data and/or contact information on the Lower Island Women's Soccer Association website is property of the Lower Island Women's Soccer League. Any use of this information, data and/or contact information contained within this website for commercial or solicitation purposes without the expressed consent of the League is forbidden.*

Announcements

Tiered Division (P, S, D1) Meeting Summary
Posted: 9/11/2026
 
Division 2 & 3 Meeting Summary
Posted: 9/11/2026
 

Masters Tiered & 35s Meeting Summary
Posted: 9/9/2026
 



BC Soccer Association
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, & FEMALES IN SOCCER



Diversity & Inclusion (click for more info)
Over the past several months, the Association has worked very diligently to identify, disseminate, and support the education of members, affiliated clubs and soccer leaders on the conditions required to make soccer more equitable, welcoming, safe, and inclusive for everyone.

Through consultation, guidance and collaboration with multiple stakeholders, our multidisciplinary Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan is designed to support DEI initiatives within BC Soccer activities and programs.


Females in Soccer (click for more info)
Although the player registration numbers between male and female are almost 50/50, BC Soccer recognizes that women and girls’ are underrepresented in many areas of soccer including as coaches, athletes, leaders, and administrators.We as a collective soccer community all play a role to support increased female participation at all levels