Okanagan Challenge

Okanagan Challenge

Full name	Okanagan Challenge
Nickname(s)	The Challenge
Founded	1995
Ground	Apple Bowl (Capacity: 2,314)
Chairman	Eric Tasker
Manager	Kelly Wolverton
League	Pacific Coast Soccer League
2008	10th
Home colours Away colours

Okanagan Challenge is a Canadian soccer team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1995, the team plays in Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, which features teams from western Canada and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America.

The team plays its home matches in the Apple Bowl at the Parkinson Recreation Area, where they have played since 1995. The team's colors are red, black and white.

The logo was created in 1995 by the artists Paul Halonen and Russel Miller of Clayton Artistic Design.

History

The club was founded in 1989 as a registered not-for-profit society with the aim of providing a level of senior soccer not previously available in Kelowna.

The team competes in the Pacific Coast Soccer League which is, arguably, the top echelon of amateur soccer in Western Canada. In the club’s first twenty years we are proud of several achievements – finalists in the 1995 play-offs, league champions and play-off winners in 1997 and 1998, finalists 2004 play-offs and semi-finalists in 2005. In its twentieth year the Challenge won the regular 2009 PCSL season title, the post-season title and the John F. Kennedy Cup. The Kennedy Cup is a tournament between the best British Columbia, Oregon and Washington State mens teams. In 1998 the Challenge was chosen as Kelowna’s Athletic Team of the Year, and runner-up in 2010 at the Kelowna Civic Awards.

The club has been involved in summer soccer camps for many hundreds of youth players almost every year since 1992.

Well known players and coaches of the team have included Ian Bridge, Shaun Lowther, Pat Onstad and Rob Friend, who have all been Canadian National Soccer Team members.

The team usually comprises ten to fifteen local, talented players augmented by four to seven players from out of town.

Players

Current Roster

as of July 24 2011 Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Michael Sheridan GK Colin Hasick DF Carson Gill DF Joel Malouf DF Dustin Luck DF Christian McKellar DF Leigh Sembaluk MF Tyler Murphy MF Courtney Bates MF Nick Aguilar MF Justin Wallace MF Corey Wallis MF Taylor Turkington MF Cole Berry MF Brendan Lane MF David Hill[disambiguation needed ] FW John Hodnett FW Sang Hwang Joshua Leins

Notable former players

• Rob Friend
• Ian Bridge
• Shaun Lowther
• Pat Onstad
• Marty Johnston
• Chad Smith
• Brandon Swartzendruber
• Clint Schneider

Year-by-year

Year	Division	League	Reg. Season	Playoffs	Open Canada Cup
1995	4	PCSL	2nd		Did not qualify
1996	4	PCSL	4th		Did not qualify
1997	4	PCSL	1st		Did not qualify
1998	4	PCSL	1st		Did not qualify
1999	4	PCSL	4th		Did not qualify
2000	4	PCSL	5th		Did not qualify
2001	4	PCSL	on hiatus
2002	4	PCSL	7th		Did not qualify
2003	4	PCSL	9th		Did not qualify
2004	4	PCSL	4th		Did not qualify
2005	4	PCSL	3rd, South	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2006	4	PCSL	9th		Did not qualify
2007	4	PCSL	6th		Did not qualify
2008	4	PCSL	10th		Did not qualify
2009	4	PCSL	1st	1st	Champions!
2010	4	PCSL	3rd	2nd
2011	4	PCSL	4th	1st	Honors Sheila Anderson Memorial (Challenge) Cup Winners 2011 John F. Kennedy Trophy (Kennedy Cup) Winners 2009 Sheila Anderson Memorial (Challenge) Cup Winners 2009 PCSL Champions 2009 PCSL Champions 1998 PCSL Champions 1997 Sheila Anderson Memorial (Challenge) Cup Winners 1998 Sheila Anderson Memorial (Challenge) Cup Winners 1997 Head coach Kelly Wolverton Stadia Apple Bowl; Kelowna, British Columbia (1995–present) Average attendance External links Official Website of the Okanagan Challenge