British Columbia FA Cup

The British Columbia Football Association Challenge Cup, or BC FA Cup for short, is an annual knockout competition in men's association football. Modelled on the British (specifically, English) competition of the same name, it was established in 1891 and is the oldest national sports competition in British Columbia. A concurrent event is held for women, the British Columbia FA Women's Cup.

The first BC FA Cup final was the inaugural event at the Brockton Oval stadium completed that year; since 1975 the final has been held at Centennial Stadium in Victoria.

The first final saw Royal City FC of New Westminster defeat Victoria Athletic 2:0; the most recent one, the 2021 BC FA Cup final, saw Vancouver United edge Royal Oak Hotspur 1:0 to win their 21st FA Cup title.

= Format = Prior to 1929, when only regional league competitions existed, football clubs from around the Dominion entered themselves for the following year's competition, which meant that the total number of entrants, and thus the format of the early rounds, occasionally varied. There was no ranking - all clubs were drawn randomly from a single pot, meaning that two clubs from the same league, or two league winners, could be drawn against each other as early as the first round.

The current competition format was introduced in 1929, with the formation of the British Columbia Football League.

Beginning in February, the competition proceeds as a knockout tournament throughout, consisting of five rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final in October. A system of byes ensures Football League clubs enter the competition at later stages. There is no seeding, the fixtures in each round being determined by a random draw. In the semi-finals and before, if a matches ends in a draw after 30 minutes of extra time, it is replayed once, at the home stadium of the away team; if the replay also ends in a draw after 120 minutes, a penalty shootout determines the winner. If the final is drawn after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time are played, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary.

Sixty-four clubs take part in the First Round, comprising all sixteen Division Three sides, along with 48 lower-league clubs that had played through a preliminary round. The thirty-two winners are joined by eight Division Two teams in the Second Round; the other eight Division Two sides join the twenty Second Round winners in the Third Round. The Division One clubs are divided into two groups like the members of Division Two; six of them join the fourteen Third Round winners in the Fourth Round, whilst the remaining six enter the Fifth Round with the ten clubs that advance from the Fourth Round. Eight winning sides advance from the Fifth Round into the Quarter-finals, then play proceeds through the Semi-finals to the final, which is held on the third Sunday of October at Centennial Stadium in Victoria.

= Records and statistics =

Team

 * Most wins: 23, Vancouver City (1898, 1907, 1910, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1945, 1954, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1970, 1978, 1990, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2015, 2017, 2020)
 * Most consecutive wins: 3, Dinas Blaenau (1951, 1952, 1953)
 * Most appearances in a final: 38, Vancouver United (1915, 1916, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1951, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2019, 2021)
 * Most consecutive appearances in a final: 4, Vancouver United (1919, 1920, 1921, 1922)
 * Most Final appearances without ever winning: 4, Victoria West (1938, 1966, 1991, 1993)
 * Most Final appearances without ever losing: 2, Cranbrook North Side (1995, 2001)
 * Most Final appearances without losing (streak): 6 Vancouver City (1931, 1934, 1935, 1945, 1954, 1957)
 * Longest gap between wins: 40 years, Royal City (1963–2003)
 * Most defeats in a final: 17, Vancouver United (1915, 1920, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1951, 1961, 1962, 1973, 1974, 1982, 1986, 2000, 2007, 2010, 2018)
 * Biggest win: 6 goals, Dinas Blaenau 6:0 Victoria West (1938)
 * Most goals in a final: 8 goals, Nanaimo Thistle 5:3 Mission City (1905)
 * Most goals by a losing side: 3
 * Mission City: lost 3:5 vs Nanaimo Thistle (1905)
 * Royal City: lost 3:4 vs Vancouver United (1921)
 * Vancouver United: lost 3:4 vs Vancouver Rowing Club (1940)
 * Victoria Athletic: drew 3:3 vs Wellington but lost in replay (1902)

Winners and finalists
Since its inception, 32 clubs have won the BC FA Cup, and a total of 43 have made at least one appearance in the final.

Notes: Ganiks Laxha FC was called Terrace FC prior to 1980; Smithers & Telkwa United FC was formed in 1934 via merger of Smithers FC and Telkwa FC; Kitimat & Kemano United FC formed in 1959 via merger of Kitimat FC and Kemano FC

Giant killers
The term giant killer is used to refer to a club that defeats a significantly more powerful club in an FA Cup round. Specifically, if a non-league team advances past a Division One or Division Two side, or a Division Three side eliminates a member of Division One.

Non-league vs Division One

 * 1930:
 * 5th round, Cranbrook City 1:0 Prince Rupert Regatta Club


 * 1933:
 * 4th round, Mission City 3:3 Vancouver Rowing Club, (replay Rowing Club 0:0 Mission City, Mission City 3:0 on pens)
 * 5th round, Bella Coola Utd 1:1 Oak Bay Wanderers, (replay Oak Bay 2:3 Bella Coola Utd)
 * 5th round, Mission City 3:2 aet Nelson City


 * 1935:
 * 2nd round, Secwépemc Utd 4:0 Kelowna Central
 * 4th round, Royal Oak 0:0 Atlin (replay Atlin 0:0 Royal Oak, Atlin 4:2 on pens)


 * 1941:
 * 4th round, Silver King 2:0 Nanaimo Thistle
 * 5th round, Silver King 1:0 Cranbrook North Side

Non-league vs Division Two

 * 1930:
 * 3rd round, Powell River Wanderers 1:0 Vancouver City
 * 4th round, Powell River Wanderers 0:2 Port Alberni Athletic


 * 1931:
 * 2nd round, Sardis Balmoral 1:0 Courtenay Athletic


 * 1932:
 * 2nd round, Sardis Balmoral 3:2 Nanaimo City
 * 2nd round, Cache Creek 1:0 Grand Forks
 * 2nd round, Comox Rovers 1:0 Nanaimo Thistle
 * 3rd round, Kitimat 5:4 aet Wellington


 * 1933:
 * 2nd round, Atlin 3:2 Kamloops City


 * 1935:
 * 4th round, Hope Town 1:0 Cache Creek


 * 1936:
 * 3rd round, Coquitlam Town 4:1 Vavenby Town


 * 1938:
 * 3rd round, Fort St James 2:1 Burnaby Albion
 * 3rd round, Invermere & Athalmer Utd 1:1 Kamloops City (replay Kamloops City 0:1 Inv & Ath Utd)


 * 1939:
 * 2nd round, Powell River Wanderers 5:0 Grand Forks
 * 3rd round, Langley City 1:1 Kimberley Town (replay Kimberley Town 0:0 Langley City, Langley City 3:1 on pens)


 * 1940:
 * 2nd round, Atlin 3:2 aet Nanaimo Thistle
 * 4th round, Powell River Wanderers 5:4 aet Burnaby Albion


 * 1941:
 * 2nd round, Meziadin 1:0 aet Vancouver Utd
 * 2nd round, Hope Town 2:0 Victoria Utd
 * 3rd round, Silver King 3:3 Dinas Blaenau (replay Dinas Blaenau 2:3 aet Silver King)
 * 3rd round, Creston Utd 3:3 Alberni Town (replay Alberni Town 1:2 Creston Utd)


 * 1946:
 * 2nd round, Secwépemc Utd 2:1 Grand Forks


 * 1947:
 * 2nd round, Meziadin 1:1 Nanaimo Thistle (replay Nanaimo Thistle 0:0 Meziadin, Meziadin 4:3 on pens)
 * 2nd round, Dawson Creek 2:1 Vancouver Utd
 * 3rd round, Ashcroft Utd 3:2 aet Kimberley Town
 * 3rd round, Hope Town 1:0 Langford Highlanders
 * 3rd round, Atlin 2:1 aet Llangefni


 * 1948:
 * 3rd round, Duncan Rovers 1:0 Cranbrook City


 * 1949:
 * 2nd round, Northfield 1:1 Grand Forks (replay Grand Forks 1:2 Northfield)
 * 2nd round, Hope Town 2:0 Kamloops City
 * 3rd round, Victoria West 2:1 Royal Oak


 * 1951:
 * 2nd round, Sooyoos Utd 3:1 Vancouver Utd
 * 2nd round, Gitanmaax Utd 2:1 Kamloops City


 * 1952:
 * 2nd round, Fort St John''' 2:1 Victoria Utd


 * 1953:
 * 2nd round, Secwépemc Utd 2:1 Oak Bay Wanderers


 * 1955:
 * 3rd round, Similkameen Utd 2:0 Cumberland Collieries
 * 4th round, Similkameen Utd 2:2 Dinas Blaenau (replay Dinas Blaenau 0:0 Similkameen Utd, Similkameen Utd 4:1 on penalties)


 * 1956:
 * 2nd round, Penticton Foxes 1:1 Royal Oak Hotspur (replay Royal Oak 0:1 aet Penticton Foxes)
 * 3rd round, Penticton Foxes 2:1 Kitsilano


 * 1957:
 * 3rd round, Shaughnessy Shamrocks 2:1 aet Kitsilano


 * 1958:
 * 2nd round, Atlin 2:1 Kamloops City
 * 3rd round, Terrace 3:2 aet Victoria Athletic
 * 3rd round, Ashcroft Utd 3:1 Cranbrook City


 * 1959:
 * 4th round, Langford Highlanders 2:1 Courtenay Athletic


 * 1961:
 * 4th round, Haida Gwaii Utd 0:0 Parksville (replay Parksville 0:1 aet Haida Gwaii Utd)


 * 1962:
 * 2nd round, Fort St John 1:0 Cranbrook North Side
 * 2nd round, Nanaimo City 0:0 Courtenay Athletic (replay Courtenay 0:1 Nanaimo City)
 * 2nd round, Prince George City 2:0 Burnaby Albion
 * 2nd round, Bella Coola Utd 1:0 aet Wellington
 * 2nd round, Victoria Utd 1:0 Merritt City
 * 3rd round, Victoria Utd 2:0 Alberni Town
 * 3rd round, Cumberland Collieries 2:1 Llangefni
 * 3rd round, Comox Rovers 2:1 Kamloops City
 * 3rd round, Prince George Army 3:2 Kaslo

Division Three vs Division One

 * 1934:
 * 4th round, Quatsino Navy FC 2:1 Vancouver Utd
 * 5th round, Port Moody 3:2 aet Nanaimo Thistle
 * quater-finals, Port Moody 3:2 Vancouver Rowing Club


 * 1948:
 * 4th round, Regatta Club 3:2 Victoria Athletic
 * quarter-finals, Regatta Club 3:2 Cassiar City
 * semi-finals, Regatta Club 1:2 Royal Oak Hotspur (1st leg), Royal Oak Hotspur 2:5 Regatta Club (''2nd leg; Regatta Club 6:4 on aggregate)
 * final, Kitimat 0:2 Regatta Club


 * 1949:
 * 5th round, Nanaimo City 3:2 aet Victoria Athletic


 * 1950:
 * quarter-finals, Grand Forks 1:0 Kitimat


 * 1953:
 * 4th round, Cumberland Collieries 1:0 Nanaimo Thistle


 * 1955:
 * 4th round, Oak Bay Wanderers 0:0 Vancouver Utd (replay Van Utd 1:1 Oak Bay, Oak Bay 7:6 on penalties)


 * 1957:
 * 4th round, Grandview 2:0 Victoria Athletic
 * 4th round, Parksville 1:0 aet Royal City
 * 5th round, Grandview 3:2 Fort George


 * 1961:
 * quarter-finals, Secwépemc Utd 3:2 aet Port Alberni Athletic


 * 1963:
 * 5th round, Alberni Town 3:2 aet Prince Rupert Regatta Club


 * 1964:
 * quarter-finals, Grand Forks 2:1 Nanaimo Thistle

Cinderellas
The name Cinderella is given to a non-league club that advances into the Fifth Round - the last sixteen - or to a Division Three team that reaches the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Such runs are quite rare; on only three occasions have two non-league sides reached the round of sixteen, and only once has a non-league club reached the semi-finals - Mission City in 1933. Similarly, on only one occasion has a Division Three side won the FA Cup - a feat achieved by the Prince Rupert Regatta Club in 1948.

Non-league cup runs

 * 1930:
 * Dease Lake Air Force, 5th round


 * 1933:
 * Mission City, semi-finals


 * 1935:
 * Atlin, 5th round
 * Hope Town, 5th round


 * 1939:
 * Powell River Wanderers, 5th round


 * 1940:
 * Powell River Wanderers, 5th round
 * Atlin, 5th round


 * 1941:
 * Silver King, quarter-finals


 * 1946:
 * Secwépemc Utd, 5th round


 * 1949:
 * Hope Town, 5th round


 * 1954:
 * Fort St John, 5th round
 * Prince George Army, 5th round


 * 1955:
 * Similkameen Utd, 5th round


 * 1961:
 * Haida Gwaii Utd, 5th round


 * 1962:
 * Victoria Utd, quarter-finals

Division Three cup runs

 * 1934:
 * Port Moody, quarter-finals


 * 1948:
 * Regatta Club, final (winner)


 * 1950:
 * Grand Forks, semi-finals


 * 1955:
 * Canyon Utd, quarter-finals


 * 1956:
 * Kamloops City, semi-finals


 * 1957:
 * Grandview, semi-finals


 * 1961:
 * Secwépemc Utd, semi-finals


 * 1963:
 * Alberni Town, quarter-finals


 * 1964:
 * Grand Forks, semi-finals

= Finals =