It can get quite confusing trying to sort out the various acronyms and groups involved in youth soccer so here’s a brief description of the ones you’re likely to come across.
Point Grey Soccer Club (PGSC): Point Grey is one of nine youth soccer clubs in the City of Vancouver. Youth soccer clubs are formed as non-profit societies in accordance with the Societies Act. The club is run by a Board of Directors which is elected annually. The Board meets once per month.
Youth soccer clubs run mini soccer programs for kids between the ages of 5 and 9 (U6 to U10) and divisional soccer teams for kids 10 to 17 (U11 to U18). The clubs have free reign to determine the form and rules for the mini programs but must follow established formats for the divisional ages.
Vancouver-Richmond Girls Soccer Association (VRGSA): The VRGSA is the administrative body that handles issues for all the girls divisional teams in Vancouver and Richmond. Clubs collect registrations from the players and pass them on to the VRGSA. They process them and hand them on to the B.C. Soccer Association.
Additionally, the VRGSA runs an 8 a side league for U11 and U12 Vancouver and Richmond teams. The U11 league is not tiered but the U12 league has a Gold division and a Silver division. At the moment, about the Lower Mainland girls’ districts play 8 a side at U12 and half play 11 a side.
Girls teams from U13 to U18 are streamed into Gold and Silver categories as part of the Five District league (see below). There is often a Gold 1 and a Gold 2 division and multiple Silver divisions.
Vancouver Youth Soccer Association (VYSA): The VYSA is the administrative body that handles issues for all the boys divisional teams in Vancouver. They act in the same way that the VRGSA acts for the girls divisional teams. They also run an 8 a side league for U11 teams in the City of Vancouver. It is not tiered.
Boys’ teams from U12 to U18 are streamed into Gold, Silver and Bronze categories as part of the Four District league (see below). Depending on the number of teams at each age group there may be a Gold 1 and Gold 2 division with up to four Silver categories and three Bronze categories.
Vancouver Youth Select Soccer Association (VYSSA): The VYSSA is a separate division of the VYSA that is responsible for the running of the boys Metro level teams. Metro level soccer starts at U14 and goes to U18. Metro is the highest level of league play available at these age groups.
Four District: In Divisional soccer, groups like the VYSA and VRGSA join with other administrative bodies from other municipalities to form leagues. On the boys side, the VYSA joins with counterparts on the North Shore, Burnaby and Richmond to form a league known as Four District. All Pt. Grey teams from U12 to U18 play in Four District.
Five District: The VRGSA is part of a league that stretches from Pt. Grey to Abbotsford and from the North Shore south to the border known as Five District.
British Columbia Soccer Association (BCSA): The BCSA is the governing body for both youth and senior soccer in the province. They have a full time staff to implement policies and programs adopted by an elected Board of Directors.
BCSA is both an administrative body and a developmental body. They have full time coaches who run programs year round and coaches who run the Provincial select teams from U13 to U18.
