Profile
In the mid-1970s, women’s soccer in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia consisted of two winter leagues and one summer league. The Lower Mainland Women’s Soccer League, one of the winter leagues, featured teams from various cities including Maple Ridge and Surrey, while the Mainland Women’s Soccer League included teams from Vancouver, North Shore, and Burnaby. By 1979, these leagues had expanded to 16 teams.
The summer league, known as the Greater Vancouver Soccer Association (GVSA), was financially supported by grants from the BC Lottery Corp. In 1979, Leeta Sokalski, a significant figure in women’s soccer, joined the league. She played for the Jericho Old Girls and later held numerous influential positions in the soccer community.
By the early 1980s, the summer league had grown to 60 teams. However, in 1981, changes in BC Lottery’s grant rules led to the GVSA’s bankruptcy. The remaining funds were given to the Lower Mainland Soccer League to establish scholarship funds. Soon after, the two winter leagues merged into the Metro Women’s Winter Soccer League, which then became the Metro Women’s Soccer League (MWSL) in 1982, dropping ‘winter’ from its name.
The MWSL faced challenges in securing soccer fields, with Leeta Sokalski playing a key role in obtaining fields in Vancouver. By the 1982-83 season, the league affiliated with the BC Soccer Association, and by 1985, it had grown to 72 teams participating in cup play. The league, initially run by volunteers, hired its first Office Administrator in 1985.
As of 2015, the MWSL boasts over 6,800 members, with more than 220 teams in the winter league and over 130 in the summer league. It includes various divisions and age groups. The league is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a team of dedicated staff, overseeing various aspects of the league’s operations.
The MWSL has seen considerable growth over the years and continues to foster the development of women’s soccer, promoting lifelong active and inclusive participation in the sport.
