Valour FC
ClubnameValour
Upright0.6
FullnameValour Football Club[1]
FoundedMay 6, 2017 (age 9)
DissolvedNovember 21, 2025 (age 0)
StadiumPrincess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg
Capacity33,000
OwnerWinnipeg Football Club
(community ownership)
ChrtitlePresident and CEO
ChairmanWade Miller[2]
LeagueCanadian Premier League
Season2025
PositionRegular season, 6th
Playoffs, did not qualify
Websitevalourfc.canpl.ca
Pattern la 1_maroonborder
Pattern b 1_blackstripes
Pattern ra 1_maroonborder
Pattern so 1_valour20h
Leftarm 1000
Body 1FFD700
Rightarm 1000
Shorts 1FFD700
Socks 1FFFFFF
Pattern la 2_maroonborder
Pattern ra 2_maroonborder
Pattern so 2_valour20a
Leftarm 2fff
Body 2eeaf61
Rightarm 2fff
Shorts 2000
Socks 2000000

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.[3] It was confirmed that Canadian Football League clubs the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were behind the ownership groups.[4] Wade Miller, CEO of the Winnipeg Football Club, was named as the club's president.[5]

In May 2018, it was reported that the club would be called Valour FC.[6] On June 6, 2018, the club was officially unveiled as the fourth team to join the Canadian Premier League.[7] As well as confirming its place in the league for the 2019 launch season, the club also revealed its crest, colours and branding.[8] On June 26, the club named Rob Gale as the first head coach and general manager.[9]

In the overall standings, Valour ranked 7th of 7 teams in 2019, 6th of 8 teams in 2020, and 5th of 8 teams in 2021. On September 23, 2021, while in 5th place, Valour FC sacked head coach Rob Gale and named Phillip Dos Santos as his replacement.[10]

Valour FC suspended operations following the 2025 CPL 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.[11][12] The Winnipeg Football Club later announced that Valour had cost $4.2 million over the course of its existence.[13]

Stadium

The club played its home games at Princess Auto Stadium, a 33,234-seat Canadian football stadium.[14] The stadium opened in 2013 on the University of Manitoba campus next to University Stadium.[15] The stadium is also used by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the University of Manitoba Bisons football team.[16]

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.[17]

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.[18] 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.[19]

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.[18]

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.[20]

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.[21][non-primary source needed]

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.[22] The section was known as The Trench.[23]

Players and staff

Head coaches

CoachNationTenureRecord
GWDLWin %
Rob GaleEnglandJune 26, 2018 – September 23, 2021
Phillip Dos SantosCanadaSeptember 23, 2021 – November 21, 2025

Club captains

YearsNameNation
2019Jordan Murrell[24][25]Canada
2019Skylar Thomas[24]Canada
2020Dylan Carreiro[26]Canada
2020–2022Daryl Fordyce[27]Northern Ireland
2021–2023Andrew Jean-Baptiste[27]Haiti
2024–2025Raphael Ohin[28]Ghana

Records

Year-by-year

Season[29]LeaguePlayoffsCCContinentalAverage
attendance		Top goalscorer(s)
DivLeaguePldWDLGFGAGDPtsPPGPos.NameGoals
20191CPL2884163052–22281.006thDNQR2DNQ5,335Marco Bustos7
2020CPL722389–181.146thDNQN/AEight players1
2021CPL28105133836+2351.255thQFMoses Dyer9
2022CPL28107113634+2371.325thPR3,111Moses Dyer9
2023CPL2868142538–13260.938thPR3,220Diego Gutiérrez
Walter Ponce
Kian Williams		4
2024CPL2877143142–11281.008thPR3,106Shaan Hundal
Jordan Swibel		7
2025CPL2875163562–27260.936thQF3,213Myles Morgan7

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

NameNationCareerAppearances
CPLCupInt'lTotal
1Raphael OhinGhana2019–202510170108
2Diego GutiérrezCanada2019–2020, 2022–2023793082
3Andy BaqueroCuba2021–2023742076
4Federico PeñaTrinidad and Tobago2019–2022593062
Rocco RomeoCanada2021–2022, 2025566062
6Daryl FordyceNorthern Ireland2020–2022563059
7Themi AntonoglouCanada2024–2025534057
Dante CampbellCanada2020, 2023–2025552057
Moses DyerNew Zealand2020–2022543057
10Stefan CebaraCanada2020–2022542056
Diogo RessurreiçãoPortugal2024–2025533056

All-time top scorers

NameNationCareerGoals
CPLCupInt'lTotal
1Moses DyerNew Zealand2020–2022190019
2William AkioSouth Sudan2021–2022100010
3Shaan HundalCanada2020, 2024–20259009
4Marco BustosCanada20197108
Austin RicciCanada2020–20215308
6Myles MorganCanada20257007
Sean ReaCanada2021–20226107
Jordan SwibelAustralia20247007
9Tyler AttardoCanada20196006
Matteo de BrienneCanada2022–20236006
Michael PetrassoCanada20196006
Walter PonceChile2022–20236006
Kian WilliamsEngland2023–20256006

References

  1. ^ "Valour Football Club". Valour FC. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Stewardship". valourfc.canpl.ca. Archived January 13, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  3. ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (May 6, 2017). "Canadian Premier League unanimously ratified by CSA". Waking the Red. Archived January 20, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  4. ^ Friesen, Paul (May 12, 2017). "New soccer league could work here". Winnipeg Sun. Archived April 27, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  5. ^ Golby, Travis (May 7, 2017). "Winnipeg scores spot in Canadian pro soccer league". CBC News. Archived May 6, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  6. ^ "The CanPL Hub on Twitter". Twitter. May 18, 2018. Archived May 9, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  7. ^ McIsaac, Greg (June 6, 2018). "Valour FC Joins Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League. Archived April 27, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  8. ^ "Winnipeg entry in the Canadian Premier League to be called Valour FC". National Post. June 6, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  9. ^ "Rob Gale named inaugural Head Coach & GM". Valour FC. June 26, 2018. Archived April 27, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  10. ^ Jaques, John (23 September 2021). "Valour FC Fires Rob Gale, Names Phillip Dos Santos As New Head Coach". Northern Tribune. Archived September 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  11. ^ Allen, Taylor (November 21, 2025). "Valour FC closing its doors". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  12. ^ Bernhardt, Darren (November 21, 2025). "Fans heartbroken, angry as Winnipeg's Valour FC announces suspension of operations". CBC News. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  13. ^ Tait, Ed (April 15, 2026). "WFC posts another record operating profit". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Archived April 16, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  14. ^ "Stadium Profile". valourfc.canpl.ca. Valour FC. June 6, 2018. Archived April 3, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  15. ^ "Investors Group Field costs balloon to $203.5M". CBC News. September 23, 2013. Archived September 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  16. ^ "Stadium History". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Archived September 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  17. ^ "Winnipeg entry in the Canadian Premier League to be called Valour FC". Vancouver Courier. Archived June 12, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  18. ^ "Emblem Inspiration". valourfc.canpl.ca. Valour FC. June 6, 2018. Archived June 10, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  19. ^ "Valour FC announced as fourth CanPL team". The CanPL Hub. June 6, 2018. Archived June 12, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  20. ^ "Valour FC Elite Girls". valourfc.canpl.ca. Archived September 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  21. ^ "Meet Valour FC's mascot". Valour FC. canpl.ca. Archived April 17, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  22. ^ Sawatzky, Mike (April 30, 2019). "Eager soccer fans will ensure Red River Rising all season long". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived May 8, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  23. ^ Sawatzky, Mike (May 4, 2019). "Soccer fans revved about Valour FC debut". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived July 15, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  24. ^ "Valour FC names Jordan Murrell, Skylar Thomas as inaugural captains". canpl.com. Canadian Premier League. April 24, 2019. Archived September 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  25. ^ "Valour's Murrell apologizes for red card incident, steps down as captain". canpl.com. Canadian Premier League. August 7, 2019. Archived August 11, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  26. ^ "Valour FC parts ways with Canadian midfielder Dylan Carreiro". canpl.ca. Canadian Premier League. October 17, 2020. Archived April 15, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  27. ^ "'My heart was pounding': Valour FC reveal Jean-Baptiste & Fordyce as 2021 captains". canpl.ca. Canadian Premier League. June 4, 2021. Archived June 11, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  28. ^ "Raphael Ohin named Captain for 2024 Season". Valour FC. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  29. ^ "Canadian Premier League". Canadian Premier League 2019 Standings. Archived June 30, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 3, 2019.