Valour FC, the professional men’s soccer team from Winnipeg, made an announcement on Friday regarding the suspension of its operations. The team, a member of the Canadian Premier League, expressed gratitude towards its fans, players, and staff through an official statement.
The club pledged to honor all contractual commitments to players and staff until the end of the current year. Additionally, players with contracts extending beyond 2025 will either become free agents or return to their parent clubs, as per the statement.
Supporters holding credits in their ticket accounts will receive full refunds, with the club reaching out to account holders with further instructions and details, as outlined in the statement.
Former head coach and general manager of Valour FC, Rob Gale, expressed disappointment at the news, stating, “I had heard and, unfortunately, knew it was coming. I think it’s really, really disappointing. Yeah, bitterly disappointed in the way it’s gone since I left the organization.”
The ownership of the team rested with the Winnipeg Football Club, the organization behind the CFL’s Blue Bombers. According to Gale, Valour was treated as “a tax writeoff and an afterthought” by the organization.
Despite requests for an interview, Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller declined to comment when approached by CBC.
Gale highlighted the efforts made by himself and other Valour coaches to foster community ties, including initiatives to enhance youth soccer development in Winnipeg by collaborating with local players.
Gale noted the initial success of the club in engaging with the local community, with high attendance rates and minimal debt during the inaugural season. However, post the challenges posed by the COVID-19 period, the team felt neglected by the Winnipeg Football Club, as per Gale.
He remarked, “Unfortunately, what became very apparent to us is a lot of our good ideas for the community and the development organization would be used for the Bombers’ student initiatives.” Gale added, “And I think Valour then just became an inconvenience rather than the project that it should have been, and what it could have been to our community.”
Following the departure of Gale and assistant coach Damian Rocke, the lack of efforts in attracting new fans, marketing the team, or engaging with the immigrant population in Manitoba became apparent,
