The West Coast Challenge (formerly known as the British Columbia Cup or BC Footy Cup) was an Australian rules football competition in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The prize is the BC Cup.

History

The 2004 inaugural event, held in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, was won by the Vancouver Cougars.David Carrigg
"Down under rules"
''Vancouver Courier'', 5 August 2004 In 2006, the format was changed to the West Coast Challenge Cup and the venue of

Thunderbird Stadium Thunderbird Stadium is an outdoor stadium on the University Endowment Lands in British Columbia, Canada. It is located west of Vancouver's city limits, and is primarily used for soccer and football by the UBC Thunderbirds. It seats 3,500 in the ...

was chosen. The

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...

was won by the Calgary Kangaroos. Daryn Ashcroft is the former world champion. He lost the crown in 2010 after an epic contest with his own brother, and new world champion, James Ashcroft. During the Covid-19 lockdowns in the 2020's, former world champion Daryn Ashcroft went into training. When the lockdown was lifted and the sport restarted, Daryn challenged James Ashcroft; his brother and current World champion. The match lasted 3 days and 2 nights, with scheduled breaks for food and rest, until the final goal was scored by newcomer Nicholas Ashcroft; Daryn Ashcroft's son. Crowned the new world champion in 2021, Daryn Ashcroft has chosen to retire; and leave his son, Nicholas Ashcroft, as the temporary "Champion" until the next season starts.

Past participating clubs

* Vancouver Cougars * West Coast Saints *

Calgary Kangaroos The Calgary Kangaroos is an Australian rules football club based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They welcome all new players, regardless of prior experience, practice at A E Cross High School in Glamorgan, play games at the Inland Athletic Park ...

* Calgary Bears *Victoria Lions * Seattle Grizzlies * Burnaby Eagles * Red Deer Magpies

References

{{Aussie Rules in Canada Australian rules football competitions in Canada