Valour FC was a Canadian professional soccer club in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The club competed in the Canadian Premier League from 2019 to 2025, playing its home matches at Princess Auto Stadium.

The team was community owned through the Winnipeg Football Club.

History On May 6, 2017, Winnipeg was one of two cities accepted by the Canadian Soccer Association for professional club membership when the Canadian Premier League was unanimously approved. It was confirmed that Canadian Football League clubs the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were behind the ownership groups. Wade Miller, CEO of the Winnipeg Football Club, was named as the club's president.

In May 2018, it was reported that the club would be called Valour FC. On June 6, 2018, the club was officially unveiled as the fourth team to join the Canadian Premier League. As well as confirming its place in the league for the 2019 launch season, the club also revealed its crest, colours and branding. On June 26, the club named Rob Gale as the first head coach and general manager.

In the overall standings, Valour ranked 6th of 7 teams in the inaugural 2019 season, and then 6th of 8 teams in the pandemic-abridged 2020 season. In the 2021 season, Valour's home stadium IG Field hosted the league's centralized bubble where each team played their first eight games of the season behind closed doors. On September 23, 2021, while in 5th place, Valour FC sacked head coach Rob Gale and named Phillip Dos Santos as his replacement. Despite a late push, Valour remained in 5th place at the end of the season, missing the playoffs by one point.

In 2022, Valour finished with 37 points (their highest-ever point total) but still finished 5th in the league and missed the playoffs by nine points. Valour finished at or near the bottom of the league's standing for each of the next three seasons, failing to record more than 28 points (1.00 PPG) in each of them. The club was also unsuccessful in the Canadian Championship tournament during this time and in 2023, earned the unfortunate distinction of being the first professional team to be knocked out of the tournament by a semi-pro team.

Valour FC suspended operations following the 2025 season. While Wade Miller explained that not enough fans were attending games to justify continued investment by the Winnipeg Football Club, others, including Rob Gale, contended that the team had been mismanaged, citing limited investment, staffing, and community engagement. The Winnipeg Football Club later announced that Valour had cost $4.2 million over the course of its existence.

Stadium

The club played its home games at Princess Auto Stadium, a 33,234-seat Canadian football stadium. The stadium opened in 2013 on the University of Manitoba campus next to University Stadium. The stadium is also used by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the University of Manitoba Bisons football team.

Crest and colours

The club's identity was heavily linked to the story of Winnipeg's Valour Road, and named to recognize Corporal Leo Clarke, Sergeant-Major Frederick William Hall, and Lieutenant Robert Shankland, who all lived on the same street and received the Victoria Cross for acts of bravery during the First World War.

The letter "V" in the centre of the crest emulates a folded medal ribbon and also represents the meeting of the Red River and Assiniboine River in Winnipeg. The right side of the "V" creates a "W" for Winnipeg, and the circle under the "V" is in the shape of the Victoria Cross medal. The wheat at the top of the crest represents Manitoba's agricultural industry.

The official club colours were maroon, gold and black (branded by the club as "Valour maroon," "wheat gold," and "earth black"). These colours symbolize the ribbon of the Victoria Cross and the wheat fields and soil of the Canadian Prairies.

Youth On August 8, 2018, Valour FC Elite Girls (formerly the Manitoba Blizzard) was founded to give girls in Winnipeg an opportunity to travel to college showcases in Canada and the United States, while getting educated on the recruiting process. The team was led by Head Coach Jim Zinko and Manager Trevor Kidd. Training began in the fall, while the Valour FC Elite Girls competition season ran from late November into April.

Club culture

The club's mascot leaned heavily on imagery of the Victoria Cross, being a lion named 'Vic'. He wore the club's colours on a t-shirt, shorts, and wristbands.

Red River Rising Supporters group first met at Nicolino's Restaurant in January 2017, before a Winnipeg team was announced. The group met regularly in anticipation of an eventual Winnipeg team and now occupy section 144 at Princess Auto Stadium. The section was known as The Trench.

Players and staff

Head coaches

CoachNationTenureRecordGWDLWin % Rob Gale June 26, 2018 – September 23, 2021 Phillip Dos Santos September 23, 2021 – November 21, 2025

Club captains YearsNameNation 2019 Jordan Murrell 2019 Skylar Thomas 2020 Dylan Carreiro 2020–2022 Daryl Fordyce 2021–2023 Andrew Jean-Baptiste 2024–2025Raphael Ohin

Records

Year-by-year SeasonLeaguePlayoffsCCContinentalAverage attendanceTop goalscorer(s)DivLeaguePldWDLGFGAGDPtsPPGPos.NameGoals2019 1 CPL 28 8 4 16 30 52 28 1.00 6th DNQ R2 DNQ 5,335 Marco Bustos 72020 CPL 7 2 2 3 8 9 –1 8 1.14 6th DNQ N/A Eight players 12021 CPL 28 10 5 13 38 36 +2 35 1.25 5th QF Moses Dyer 92022 CPL 28107113634+2371.325th PR 3,111 Moses Dyer 92023 CPL 2868142538–13260.938th PR 3,220 Walter Ponce Kian Williams 42024 CPL 2877143142–11281.008th PR 3,106 Shaan Hundal Jordan Swibel 72025 CPL 2875163562–27260.936th QF 3,213 Myles Morgan 7 1. Average attendance include statistics from league matches only. 2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league season, league playoffs, Canadian Championship, CONCACAF League, and other competitive continental matches.

All-time most appearances

#NameNationCareerAppearancesCPLCupInt'lTotal1Raphael Ohin2019–2025101701082Diego Gutiérrez2019–2020, 2022–20237930823Andy Baquero2021–20237420764Federico Peña2019–2022593062Rocco Romeo2021–2022, 20255660626Daryl Fordyce2020–20225630597Themi Antonoglou2024–2025534057Dante Campbell2020, 2023–2025552057Moses Dyer2020–202254305710Stefan Cebara2020–2022542056Diogo Ressurreição2024–2025533056

All-time top scorers

#NameNationCareerGoalsCPLCupInt'lTotal1Moses Dyer2020–20221900192William Akio2021–20221000103Shaan Hundal2020, 2024–202590094Marco Bustos20197108Austin Ricci2020–202153086Myles Morgan20257007Sean Rea2021–20226107Jordan Swibel202470079Tyler Attardo20196006Matteo de Brienne2022–20236006Michael Petrasso20196006Walter Ponce2022–20236006Kian Williams2023–20256006

References

External links