A Spirit of the Rovers Spotlight: Chris Corrigan

*All photography taken by/property of @residualimage/@aftn*

The notorious unpredictably of spring weather in the Lower Mainland loomed over Swangard stadium this past Saturday during its double header game of both the women and men TSS Rovers team. It was the kind of weather that confuses you – as you don’t know if you should wear shorts or a rain jacket.

Despite the threat of a downpour, weather is never the reason for keeping the TSS Rovers fans (most commonly known as the Swanguardians) away from a home game. Since the very beginning, there is a special connection between the club and their fans, which in many ways has epitomized what the club stands for.

One of the many fans in attendance on Saturday was part-owner Chris Corrigan, who is one of the founding members of the TSS Rovers Supporters Trust. Corrigan, who has been a fan since the club’s inception in 2017, was immediately drawn to the Rovers for the club’s main goal to help develop and advance BC soccer players. At the time, there was no professional club for players to go to locally in the Lower Mainland that would develop their skills for professional soccer.

“I wanted to get behind something and not just spectate something, which is what I was doing at the Whitecaps. I didn’t feel a connection with the players at all and I didn’t feel like it was really helping. We were not putting players on the national team or developing BC players and putting them on the Whitecaps. They would go to the academy and then you would never hear about them again,” Corrigan said.

Corrigan, along with other faithful Swanguardians (and many future part-owners themselves), banded together to start the supporter club. On the very first Rovers game against Lane United in the former PDL (Premier Development League), they started their tradition of tailgating prior to every home game with just a single pick-up truck and shockingly, no beer.

In return, the Rover players solidified their connection with the Swanguardians and built the stands behind the net on the south end of the field on that very first game. Although relatively small compared to the other stands, these stands have now become the proudest and loudest section in Swangard.

“The players built the supporter’s section. That, for me, was the moment when I realized this club is different. It’s making a space for its supporters,” Corrigan explained.

After that fateful first game, the TSS Rovers have hit many milestones, including its formation of their women’s team in 2018. Unfortunately, like most sport clubs around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic put the club on hiatus for what was supposed to be their 2020 and 2021 seasons. However, they returned with a bang in 2022, with the men’s team winning the newly formed League 1 BC Championship.

The pandemic also became a blessing in disguise, as it allowed time for both the club and the founding board members of the TSS Rovers Supporters Trust to develop and agree to a plan to allow for fan ownership of the club. Corrigan explained that this was an idea that was circulating around between the fans and the club for a while, shortly after the men’s first season back in 2017.

“From the very beginning, we talked about doing it. It just seemed like a pipe dream because nobody else had done anything like this in North America,” Corrigan said.

In 2021, shortly after the announcement that both the men and women TSS Rovers teams would be joining League 1 BC, the club opened equity shares of the club for fans to purchase. It is the first and only league in North America to be a fan-owned soccer club.

“It’s down to the club really that it happened but we also had to show up and be a part of it. We have done something that has a huge opportunity to change the landscape of Canadian soccer in general,” Corrigan said.

The impact of fan-ownership has been substantial on this club, which built its very foundation on the support between the fans and players. Many Swanguardians and other Rover fans can now proudly announce that they are part-owner of a soccer club. This sense of pride and accomplishment is extremely infectious, something Corrigan believes people who are looking to learn more about the Rovers or even purchase upcoming shares this year will see and experience immediately.

“You get to be a part of something in a meaningful way. Many of us here are owners and it makes a huge difference for the players to know that they are supported. It’s a completely different experience when you own the club. It’s all about the relationship. It matters to the players. We get to be part of the answer instead of always complaining about the problem,” he said.

But even before the club became fan-owned, the Rovers were certainly changing the soccer landscape in BC, especially in the Lower Mainland. By providing a development-focused environment for its players, it is creating more opportunities for local BC players to continue into professional soccer. Many notable former Rovers have gone on to successful soccer careers, including Jordan Haynes and Marcello Polisi (both currently playing for Valour FC) and Jordyn Huitema, who won an Olympic gold medal in 2021 with the women’s national team.

“I want to see many of these players signed as pros. To me, it really matters when we get players that go on and live their dreams out playing professionally or for our national team. Our trophy is a player getting that pro-contract. We are here for them,” he said.

For the current players on the 2023 rosters, there are many exciting opportunities coming up quickly, with both this season and with the soccer landscape. Due to the season starting earlier this year with the inclusion of a new team, many of the top players for the Rovers women team are still in the US finishing up playing in the NCAA college league. While this definitely caused their season to start off a little slow, the women did earn their first point and goal of the season last Saturday, tying the Victoria Highlanders in a 1-1 draw and building momentum for the season. Furthermore, with the recent announcement of the new Women’s Premier Soccer League in Canada, there will be more career opportunities for the women to join a professional league and accomplishing their soccer dreams.

For the men, they are coming off hot from their 2022 League 1 BC Championship win. The majority of the top players have returned from the US and can look towards regaining the top title this season and as Corrigan half-jokingly said, “continue to beat Altitude FC to the dirt”. Even more, with winning the league last year, the men earned a spot in the 2023 Canadian Championship.

After their historic win against Valour FC on April 19, they are playing tonight in the Quarter Final against Pacific FC in Victoria. Regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game, this moment for the club is an incredible achievement.

“It’s a dream come true,” Corrigan said.

As if Mother Nature is a Swanguardian herself, the rain at most only lightly drizzled during Saturday’s double header. Unfortunately, after a well fought game, the men did take a 1-0 loss against the Victoria Highlanders. But ever faithful to their players, the Swanguardians continued to cheer for their team. As the players came down to the Swanguardian stands, they were greeted with cheers and high fives, receiving a much-needed boost from the fans. Corrigan was in the line, also offering support and encouragement to the players.

“Shake it off guys. We will get them next time,” Corrigan said to the players.

And just like the Lower Mainland weather on Saturday, the ocean will not keep Corrigan or other faithful Swanguardians away from the big game against Pacific FC tonight. Starting yesterday, Rover fans have been taking the ferry across the pond to Victoria, armed with plenty of flags, pirate gear, and smoke bombs. Tonight’s game is going to be a battle, but the Rovers will have an army of fans supporting them and cheering them on, both on and off the field.

“It’s everything that was encompassed in watching the players set up our section. That set off the whole story – the players were connected to the supporters, and we were connected to each other. That became the ethos and the reciprocity and what we can do to support them and create sustainability for this part of the Canadian soccer pyramid,” Corrigan said.