Victoria AC

Victoria Athletic Club is a professional association football club based in Victoria, British Columbia and presently playing in the BC Football League's Division Two. It is one of fifteen clubs never to have been relegated from the BC Football League since its establishment in 1929.

Rivalries
Rivalry with all clubs in Victoria is strong, but the most intense is that with Royal Oak Hotspur; matches between the two are called the Battle of Victoria.

As representatives of the two capital cities of BC, the A's have had a deep rivalry with Royal City of New Westminster, especially in the early days; known as the Capital Cities Derby, this rivalry has been dormant since the Athletics' relegation from Division One.

The rivalry with Wellington FC dates back to the 1902 FA Cup final, which required a replay to decide, with Wellington winning 2:1 away at Victoria, and which has been enthusiastically cultivated by the two supporter camps ever since.

History
Established in 1872 as a multi-discipline sports club, the football section of Victoria AC was formed in 1898 and entered the Vancouver Island Football League's Second Division when the VIFL was created in 1890. By 1915 the Athletics had established themselves as a major power in the First Division, and in 1928, the last season of VIFL play, the A's won the league title, earning a spot in Division One of the new BC Football League for the 1929.

From 1902 to 1974 the A's played in their own stadium on Sinclair Road in Cadboro Bay, Victoria; this had a stated capacity of 22,500 standing spectators, but on derby days there were frequently crowds numbering in the thirty thousands - the record high being 34,101 against Victoria rivals Oak Bay Wanderers on opening day of the 1946 season - the first after football competition was suspended due to the Pacific War. Built for the 1975 Pan Am Games, the A's moved into the 41,423-seat Centennial Stadium in Victoria for the 1975 season

In 1952 the football section of Victoria AC was split from the other sports, retaining the Victoria Athletic Club name; the other sections became the Victoria Amateur Athletic Club.

Season-by-season
This is a complete listing of the club's performances in British Columbia Football League competition.

FA Cup
Victoria Athletic have participated in the BC FA Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1891, in which they reached the final but ultimately lost 0:2 to Royal City at Brockton Oval in Vancouver, then the largest stadium in the country. In the years prior to the reform of the competition in 1929, the A's made eleven appearances in the final, winning four times (1895, 1909, 1914, 1920) and losing six times (1891, 1894, 1898, 1902, 1908, 1913, 1928). Since the restructuring of football in BC they have had less success, reaching the finals only thrice since 1929, in 1932, 1972, and 2011.

Season-by-season
This is a listing of the club's performances in FA Cup competition since 1929.

Honours and records

 * FA Cup
 * Winners: 1895, 1909, 1914, 1920,
 * Runners-up: 1891, 1894, 1898, 1902, 1908, 1913, 1928, 1932, 1972


 * Division One
 * Winners: 1930
 * Runners-up: 1934
 * Third-placed: 1935


 * Division Two
 * Winners: 1956, 1965, 1975
 * Runners-up: 1946, 1954, 1960, 1964
 * Third placed: 1981, 1988, 1995


 * Highest league position: 1st
 * D1 (1930)


 * Lowest league position: 15th
 * D2 (1996)


 * Most points in a season: 64
 * D2, 1975


 * Fewest points in a season: 21
 * D1, 1979


 * Most goals scored in a season: 84
 * D2, 1975


 * Fewest goals scored in a season: 25
 * D1, 1999


 * Most goals conceded in a season: 92
 * D1, 1979


 * Fewest goals conceded in a season: 29
 * D2, 1992


 * Most wins in a season: 18
 * D2, 1995


 * Fewest wins in a season: 4
 * D1, 1994
 * D1, 1999


 * Most draws in a season: 16
 * D1, 1994


 * Fewest draws in a season: 3
 * D3, 1979


 * Most losses in a season: 25
 * D1, 1979


 * Fewest losses in a season: 4
 * D2, 1975


 * Most games won in a row (to 2001): 6
 * D2, 1990


 * Most games lost in a row (to 2001): 8
 * D1, 1974


 * Most games without losing (to 2001): 13
 * D2, 1975


 * Most games without winning (to 2001): 18
 * D1, 1999


 * Biggest win: 6 goals
 * 6:0 v Kitsilano, D2, 1962
 * 6:0 v Grand Forks, D2, 1986


 * Biggest league win (to 2001): 6 goals
 * 6:0 v Kitsilano, D2, 1962
 * 6:0 v Grand Forks, D2, 1986


 * Biggest defeat: 6 goals
 * 0:6 v Nanaimo Thistle, 1991 FA Cup 4th Round


 * Highest scoring game: 10 goals
 * 5:5 v Nanaimo Thistle, D1, 1952


 * Highest scoring league game (to 2001): 10 goals
 * 5:5 v Nanaimo Thistle, D1, 1952


 * Deepest cup run: Final - 1932, 1972