I'm back and today I'm going back three years to 2019 and the Canadian Premier League (CPL) fixture between FC Edmonton (the Eddies) and Valour FC played at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton in front of an attendance of 2,890.
Valour FC are from Winnipeg, Manitoba and were formed as recently as 2017. They became founder members of the new Canadian Premier League in 2019 and are owned by their community. The club's name relates to Valour Road in Winnipeg, a 2 mile long stretch in the West End of the city from which three young men came who were awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War (two posthumously) for separate acts of bravery. The "V" in the club's badge represents the folded Victoria Cross medal ribbon and the badge also incorporates two heads of wheat reflecting Manitoba's agricultural heritage.
My visit to FC Edmonton to watch Valour in action was followed, 25 days later, by a trip to Iceland where I took in a home game played by Valur Reykjavik. I wonder how many others have done the Valour-Valur double? Together with Vancouver Whitecaps and Vauxhall Motors FC, these are the only teams that I've ever seen with names beginning with "V". How many have you done?
For reasons that are beyond me, you'll see the word "Rally" (as shown on the featured match's programme cover) connected with FC Edmonton a fair bit. As far as I can make out, following the formation of the club, a rallying symbol for the fans was required and, in a game against Montreal Impact on 26th June 2011, a Northern Prairie Jackalope (aka a Jack Rabbit) bounded onto the field, close to the Impact goal (but in an offside position) and the elusive bunny needed much encouragement to leave before it eventually hopped it. Shortly afterwards, the Eddies scored and the legend of the Rally Rabbit was born. These days, the club's spirit animal, the rally rabbit can be found incorporated into the club's badge as well as appearing as the club's mascot "Blue Bolt": I know because I've met him!
The featured match finished goalless and didn't linger long in the memory. At the time the CPL comprised just seven clubs and divided its season into Spring and Fall mini-seasons. This game was part of the Fall season and neither club did particularly well with Edmonton finishing sixth and Valour just one place and one point ahead in fifth. Spring and Fall Champions in 2019 were Calgary's Cavalry FC who went into a two-legged play off against second placed (in both Spring and Fall seasons) Forge FC from Hamilton, Ontario to determine the season's overall Champions. As is often the way of these things, Cavalry choked in the Final and lost both legs by a goal to nil with Forge thereby becoming the 2019 CPL Champions.
CRB Match No. 2315
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