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The moment was out of a movie. A winning penalty kick in a championship match against a rival. The delirious joy that came next. Players and fans hugging and celebrating together. Chaos of the best kind.
What had just happened was a small miracle. TSS Rovers, Canada’s first supporter-owned club, had just won the League1 British Columbia title. Now, because of that small miracle, the semipro club out of Burnaby has a chance to create an even bigger one, when they host Canadian Premier League side Valour FC in the Canadian Championship later this month.
“We are absolutely buzzing,” said Chris Corrigan an owner of TSS Rovers, a member of the Swanguardians supporters group, and a co-founder of the Spirit of the Rovers Supporters Trust. “When we started Rovers back in 2017 it was a dream that we would get to play in the Voyageurs Cup. And here we are! It was literally on our bucket list and we got there.”
In 2017, TSS Rovers was established as part of the Premier Development League (now known as USL League Two), with the express intention of building a more professional environment for Canadian players. A women’s team in the Women’s Premier Soccer League followed in 2018. The club has seen several big names don the Rovers uniform including Olympic gold medalists Jordyn Huitema and Julia Grosso and CF Montreal’s Joel Waterman, who represented Canada at the 2022 Men’s World Cup.
The men’s and women’s sides now play in League1 British Columbia, a semi-professional Canadian league that operates on the same level as League1 Ontario and Première ligue de soccer du Québec.
But what sets the club apart is the connection with fans. In between 2017 and 2023, a bond between the club and its supporters, a passionate, dedicated group called the Swanguardians, became woven so tightly, both informally and officially, that it’s tough to see where one ends and the other begins.
Take this moment in 2017 for instance. As TSS Rovers were preparing to play its first PDL match, supporters eagerly milling outside of the stadium at the tailgate, they saw the players and coaches finish their warmups and wheel several sets of heavy, three-tiered metal bleachers over to the supporters section, to ensure there was enough space and seating for fans.
“The team was literally building a space for the supporters,” said Corrigan. “It was meaningful and it became a ritual. From that day on for the next three years, the players and coaches did that before every home game.”
Or take the time a few years later when the team’s bus suddenly became unavailable before a game. Two supporters leapt into action and drove the players down to Eugene, Oregon for a match, a 12-hour round trip with a border crossing.
“That tells you that something special was brewing,” said Corrigan.
On matchday, the Swanguardians (named after the club’s home pitch, Swangard Stadium) bring typical supporter section flair, with flags, smoke, and authentically Canadian chants that channel the Tragically Hip. But beyond that, the supporters make sure the players know they are loved.
“I think for many players coming into our club for the first time, they don’t quite get what we are doing,” said Corrigan. “Many are young and have played their whole careers in front of only friends and family. They have never heard their names sung, they have never had complete strangers believe in them from first sight. It’s actually so easy to do, just to love and support these young athletes, all of whom are holding the same dream we are: to see them playing at the highest level. So that’s our culture, and it translates on game day into all kinds of fun and foolishness, but it’s serious play. It means something, and from this experience, friendships and connections are born.”
With that type of history and tradition, it only made sense to take things a step further. In 2022, after a mountain of paperwork, TSS Rovers became the first club in Canada to offer significant ownership in equity to supporters. The club now has 300 owners across Canada and internationally.
“I think the TSS Rovers community ownership model can be a viable way to invite people at all levels to invest in the game, especially in the women’s game,” said Corrigan. “People complain that there's nobody out there willing to invest in Canadian soccer, but the only way to disprove that is to make it happen. We’ve started.”
“We are owners, we are supporters, and what we are doing is a meaningful act of community, and that is sorely needed in a world where fans are treated as “customers,” the game treated as “a product” and communities treated as “markets.” I think we are a real and meaningful antidote to that.”
The Rovers have a full club structure that runs from the Rovers men’s and women’s sides, down through the youth ranks, and are always looking to grow, both on and off the field.
“It’s not just about players, it’s about community,” said Corrigan. “If you have something to offer, bring it, we can probably use it. If you want to see us do something, assume your talents are needed and you’ll be given the space to make it happen. We have people involved in game day preparation that live in Manitoba, because they wanted to offer something to the club and their talent was needed. If you want to learn how to build a website, get involved in communications, learn about security law, or practice sports medicine, we have a spot for you.”
This underdog, DIY spirit will be put to the test on and off the field on April 19th for the club’s first ever Canadian Championship (also known as the Voyaguers Cup) match. In Valour FC, Rovers will be facing a fully-professional side that boasts players with international experience, as well as former Rover, Marcello Polisi, whose brother and current Rover, Matteo, is TSS Rovers’ all-time leading scorer.
“Honestly the occasion is really special. It’s Canada’s FA Cup and it also feels a bit like we’ve won promotion. We’re playing a CPL team at home at Swangard. We’ve got a really strong team with some returning players who were playing in the CPL last season and some who are well on their way to playing pro,” said Corrigan.
Despite the anticipation, TSS Rovers are still a semi-professional club, meaning its coffers aren’t lined as well as CPL or certainly MLS clubs, and as host, they’ll need to foot the bill for all costs, including travel and accommodations for the visiting club.
But it will be worth it.
“It is a significant milestone not only for our club but for League1 BC,” Corrigan said. “This is what the Voyageurs Cup is all about. It’s not a second class competition for the MLS clubs to have a kick about. It was always meant to capture the very heart of Canadian soccer and when you see what it means to the League1 clubs and their players to get to play in it, you really understand the power of this tournament.”
The men’s and women’s sides still have a summer’s worth of games to play, and Corrigan believes that no matter the outcome on April 19th, the club and its supporters will continue its mission of impacting the future of the Canadian game for the better.
“It just sets the whole season off in an exciting way,” he said. “We’re all pinching ourselves that we get this chance but we also know we belong here. Our team, and our club, has a strong, defiant and creative culture. We’re always looking for ways to break trail for ourselves and for Canadian soccer in general. I have no doubt we will have challenges in the years ahead, but when you have community, togetherness, and the tangible and intangible investment of hundreds of people in your corner, it feels like the sky's the limit.”