Who We Are
Founded in 2019, Westcastle International Academy is a premier soccer club and a member of the Lower Island Soccer Association District located in Victoria BC.
The main goal of WIA is to create and deliver opportunities for players on Vancouver Island to participate in the Canada Soccer Player Development Program (PDP) which is in line with the Canada Soccer Player Pathway.
The WIA PDP philosophy is based on providing players with the highest quality of coaching, adequate and appropriate volume of training and providing more meaningful competition. By improving the environment at the club level, WIA aims to produce a consistent stream of talented players who can go on to achieve success in the game at higher levels of competition.
WIA offers both Canadian and international soccer players a comprehensive development program for players of all levels.
Westcastle International Academy as part of its Strategic Plan initiative is to achieve the CSA National Club Youth License, with the aim to increase the overall standards within the Club and to provide soccer programming at all levels of play by offering opportunities for players to play within the High-Performance Stream in the BC Soccer Premier League (“BCSPL”) at the U14- U17 age groups. The National Youth Club Licence is the highest designation in the Canada Soccer National Youth Club Licensing Program and fulfills the requirements to achieve a Skill Centre Licence.
WIA’s Academic Pathway Residency program was created through a partnership with the University of Victoria and the Victoria International Education allowing student-athletes (U16-U21) the opportunity to move from their provinces or countries to Victoria in order to train full time while receiving post-secondary and high school education. We recognize the importance of healthy team dynamics leading to lasting relationships with teammates, coaches, teachers, and support staff. Student-athletes have access to a wide network of resources, ensuring they are supported throughout their program and are given a platform to reach their peak potential both academically and athletically.
WIA provides a clear pathway for players on our Pacific Coast Soccer League U21 development teams. The pathway leads to college/university scholarships in the NCAA or CIS and to BC League 1. For the few there exist opportunities to move on to the Canadian Premier League or trials in Europe.
WIA’s Youth Development program connects with local players and offers them the opportunity to train in a supportive and challenging environment. The Discovery Centre (ages 2-11) introduces new and emerging players to the game of soccer. The Skill Centre (ages 8-12) is an after-school development program that uses a multi-sport approach to developing strong physical literacy and a solid foundation of soccer skills. Canada Soccer created the Skill Centres to guide clubs towards best principles in player development by taking a nationally coordinated approach to developing young soccer players.
We are a full member of the Lower Island Youth Soccer Association, BC Soccer association, Pacific Coast Soccer League and affiliated with Canada Soccer Association.
It is a unique and truly exciting opportunity for our youth players to experience top level training in standards based program and an academic pathway through the residency program. Players get the benefit of working with CSA Licensed & UEFA A Licensed coaches, and the opportunity to play appropriate level of competitive league matches, domestic and international tournaments, or festivals in beautiful British Columbia.” –Eddie Mukahanana, Technical Director
