The event is a celebration of the early history of British Columbia and of the role of the Royal Engineers in building and surveying the Province.

The first soccer game in BC was played 146 years ago in New Westminster on Victoria Day, May 24, 1862, in the Woodlands/Victoria Hill area.  The old Columbian newspaper reported that the Victoria Day celebration included several sporting and cultural events, including a ‘football”(soccer) match between the Royal Engineers and the townsfolk. Since a record of the actual outcome no longer exists, both teams are able to claim they won in a hard fought match.  

The Royal Engineers came to New Westminster from England in 1858, with a Detachment of around 200 men under the command of Colonel Richard Moody to provide a military presence and to organize public works. They set up camp in the current Sapperton neighbourhood of New Westminster, which became the capital of the mainland Colony of British Columbia, and remained the Capital until 1858 when Victoria became the capital of the amalgamated colonies.  The Royal Engineers ( Sappers)  surveyed the townsite of New Westminster, laid out Stanley Park, built public offices and churches and also built the first road linking New Westminster to the interior of British Columbia. They were very busy helping build New Westminster, the capital of British Columbia, but with their limited free time they were able to try their hand at soccer and cricket.

By 1862, the Royal Engineers had a high level soccer team in England who a few years later were competing for the English Football Association championship.  Soccer rules were different in 1862, as were the uniforms. The Royal Engineers soccer uniform consisted of black knickerbockers and red and blue striped wool jerseys and socks.

The Royal Engineers detachment disbanded in 1863 however many of the men continued to reside in New Westminster thanks to free land grants. In 1865 they took their first soccer trip when they travelled to Victoria to play a game.  The Royal Engineers created a tradition which has lived until this day.

The BC Provincial archives has photos of the Royal Engineers at work and posing in front of various buildings and works, however there are no photos of the first soccer game. There are photos of early day soccer games in Victoria and elsewhere. Interest in soccer continued to grow, with new teams being formed and large crowds of fans watching games. 

 The first trophies to recognize soccer supremacy in BC were the McBride Cup, given to the BC Football Association by Richard McBride in 1911, and the Bowser Mainland Cup which was donated by former BC Governor General William Bowser. Teams known as Westminster Presbyterians and Westminster United lost in the Mainland Cup finals in 1920, 24, 25 and 26. Aubrey Sanford, who went on to become President of the Canadian Soccer Association, played for those early New Westminster teams. The championships were hotly contested with the best teams from the top divisions playing each other in front of large crowds, and the players being treated like professionals, as illustrated by the following photo of a team coming onto a field in 1920 for a game between Sapperton and St. Andrews of Vancouver.

 
Photo of Sapperton entering the field to play against St Andrew’s, 1920 in front of capacity crowd.

A new trophy was provided by the Province newspaper around 1922 and that trophy is still use today by the British Columbia Soccer Association. In the early years, teams from Vancouver Island frequently won the trophy, but that changed when the New Westminster Royal became a soccer powerhouse.  The Royals went on to become the best known soccer team in Canada, winning the national championship eight times. The next most successful teams from BC are Columbus and Firefighters who have won four times.  

A new trophy was provided by the Province newspaper around 1922 and that trophy is still use today by the British Columbia Soccer Association. In the early years, teams from Vancouver Island frequently won the trophy, but that changed when the New Westminster Royal became a soccer powerhouse.  The Royals went on to become the best known soccer team in Canada, winning eight national championships. The next most successful teams from British Columbia are the Firefighters and Columbus each of whom have won 4 times.

New Westminster Royals, 1927–36

In December of 1950, the Canadian Press conducted a poll of all its sports editors across the country in order to determine the leading players and teams at the half-century mark in all sports.  The soccer team chosen “Team of the Half Century” was the Westminster Royals of 1929.  In 1979, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame inducted the Royals team of 1928–29, noting that it was the “Soccer Team of the First Half Century.”  The reasons for the induction of this particular team listed on the BC Sports Hall of Fame website include winning, amongst other trophies, the 1928 Province Cup as well as the 1928 Challenge Trophy for the Canadian championship.  In 2005, The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum (Ontario) chose to induct as a Team of Distinction, the Westminster Royals, 1928, referring to the team that played the 1927–28 season, giving them credit for the 1928 Challenge Cup.   

After winning the Canadian championship in 1928, a crowd of 10 000 welcomed the Royals home to New Westminster on August 6, 1928.  A report in The British Columbian describes the scene: “Long before the train was due to arrive, the station platform was thronged, the streets in the vicinity were jammed with cars and the sidewalks were crowded for several blocks.  City officials, including Mayor Gray and the aldermen, representatives of the various public bodies and the executive of the team, the fire department and the band of the New Westminster branch of the Army and Navy Veterans’ Association, all were present to show public recognition of the best football eleven in Canada, which has brought fame to the Royal City … After the victors had managed to break through the huge crowd of admirers at the station, they were driven up Columbia street in a huge parade of automobiles to Albert Crescent … To the noise of the horns of scores of automobiles, the sirens of the fire department vehicles and the cheers of thousands, the procession slowly made its way to the Crescent.”  A civic welcome followed, and the next evening, the team was honoured with a banquet at the Russell Hotel in the Royal City.

The Royal continued to be a powerhouse winning the Canadian championship again in 1930, 1931 and 1936. Information about New Westminster Royal courtesy of Colin Jose, Soccer History of Canada website.

A rejuvenated New Westminster Royals won the Canadian championships in 1953, 1955, 1958 and 1960. Ken Pears, who has been inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame was the goalie for the Royals in 1953.

Several years later, a new team from the Sapperton area of New Westminster, the Blues, won acclaim including securing the Canadian amateur championship in 1972. George Wright coached the Blues which were led by Robin Davies in goal, and Sandy Beveredge, Bill Sinclair, Jackie James and Earl Crossen. The Blues also organized a 5 aside womens indoor tournament at Queens Park arena, with their own Bluebelles team as one of the entries. Based on the success of that tournament a number of womens teams were formed which led the establishment of womens soccer on a regular basis as we know it today. 

The successes of the Royals and Blues shows the tremendous history of quality soccer in British Columbia. In 85 years since teams have competed for the National Cup, BC teams have won 39 times, Ontario 14, Quebec 11, Manitoba 10, Alberta 7, Nova Scotia 2 and NFLD 1.

RULES FOR THE REENACTMENT GAME

The first game from 1862 will be re-enacted using the Cambridge Soccer rules of 1863, which were used for competitive soccer in England.

THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY RULES

Rule 1
The length of the ground shall be not more than 150 yards. The ground shall be marked out by posts, and two posts shall be placed on each side line, at a distance of 25 yards from each goal line.

Rule 2
The goals shall consist of two upright poles at a distance of 15 feet from each other.

Rule 3
The choice of goals and kick off shall be determined by tossing, and the ball shall be kicked off from the middle of the ground.

Rule 4
In a match when half the time agreed upon has elapsed, the sides shall change goals, when the ball is next out of play. After a change or a goal obtained, the kick off shall be from the middle of the ground in the same direction as before. The time during which the match shall last, and the numbers on each side are to be settled by the heads of the sides.

Rule 5
When a player has kicked the ball, any one of the same side who is nearer to the opponent's goal line is out of play, and may not touch the ball himself, nor in anyway whatsoever prevent any other payer from doing so.

Rule 6
When the ball goes out of the ground by crossing the sidelines, it is out of play, and shall be kicked straight into the ground again from the point it is first stopped.

Rule 7
When a player has kicked the ball beyond the opponent's goal line; whoever first touches the ball (touchdown) when it is on the ground with his hands may have a free kick, bringing the ball 25 yards straight out from the goal line.

Rule 8
No player may touch the ball behind his opponent's goal line, who is behind it when the ball is kicked there.

Rule 9
If the ball is touched down behind the goal line and beyond the line of the side posts, the free kick shall be from the 25 yards post.

Rule 10
When a player has a free kick, no-one of his own side may be between him and his opponent's goal line, and no-one of the opposite side may stand within 10 yards of him.

Rule 11
A free kick may be taken in any manner the player chooses.

Rule 12
A goal is obtained when the ball goes out of the ground by passing between the posts had they been of sufficient height.

Rule 13
The ball when in play may be stopped by any part of the body, but may not be held or hit by the hands, arms, or shoulders.

Rule 14
All charging is fair; but holding, pushing with the hands, tripping up and shinning are forbidden.

Differences with the Modern Game

In addition to the simplicity of the Cambridge Rules, there are several other important differences with the game of football we know today.

Although there were usually 11 players, there was no rule to stipulate this, or even that the two sides should have equal numbers. In fact, it was not uncommon for games to be played with unequal numbers.

The goals consisted of two uprights with no crossbar. A goal could be scored if the ball passed between them at whatever height in the same way as a conversion kick in rugby.

The off side rule was the same as in rugby i.e. if a player was in front of the ball, he was off side, so no forward passes to team mates were possible. This meant that members of the same side formed up behind and on either side the player with the ball ­ a tactic called 'backing up'.

Players could not catch the ball, but could stop it with their hands. When the ball was kicked over the goal line whichever team touched it down first got a free kick 25 yards in from where it was touched down. If the attacking team achieved such a 'touch down', it represented an excellent opportunity to score a goal.

There were no throw-ins: the ball was kicked back in from where it was first stopped.

All shoulder barging was fair and it was therefore possible to barge a player who was in possession of the ball, rather than going for the ball itself. Likewise, on 50/50 balls, players shoulder barged in a much more aggressive way than would occur in today's game.

Although the position of goalkeeper seemed to have existed, the player concerned played by the same rules as his team mates, all of whom may have kept goal if the need arose, probably similar to the 'rush goalie' principle.

Rule Modifications for 2008 Reenactment Game

•  In the early years, player substitutions were not allowed, even in the case of injuries. The Cambridge Rules do not mention substitutions, therefore the rule modification is to allow substitutions at half time.

•  The Cambridge rules do not mention punishment for fouls. The rule modification is to adopt current yellow and red card rules for fouls.

Strategy and Tactics

Success in the 1860's game requires skill in dribbling, since forward passes are not allowed, long distance shots on net and strategic placement of players on the field. A useful tactic is to kick the ball long into one of the opposing teams corners of the field and try to keep the ball in that area.