History

THE VICTORIA DOLPHINS (1971-1979):

Victoria’s contribution to the BCJFA officially began in 1971 when the Victoria Dolphins were admitted to the league. Under the direction of “Mr. Football”,  Head Coach Frank Hindle, they finished a very successful first year, ending in third place with 3-3-1. The next season, 1972, the team grabbed second spot behind the powerful Vancouver Meralomas, but unfortunately were defeated in the first-ever BCJFA semi-final game, held in Victoria by the North Shore Cougars. The Dolphins participated in the BCJFA from 1971 until 1979. In addition to Frank Hindle, who coached the team in 1971, ’72, and ’77, other Dolphin Head Coaches included Roy Vollinger (1973), Ken Werrun (1974, ’75 and ’76), Brian Gingell (1978), and Paul Shortt (1979). Following the 1979 season, the Dophins ceased to be a part of the BCJFA.

THE VICTORIA HORNETS (1980-1984):

In 1984, the Victoria Hornets, who had been dominating the BCJFA Tier II league (players 18-20 years of age) under coach Frank Hindle, and were provincial champions in 1983 and ’84, moved up and again became full members of the BCJFA at the Tier I level (players aged 22 and under).

THE VICTORIA PAYLESS (1985-1993):

In 1985, the team then became known as Victoria Payless (Payless Gas stepped in and sponsored the team, which helped cover the costs of playing at the new level). This first year back in Junior was also the final year of coaching for Frank Hindle. The team managed a respectable fourth-place finish and grabbed the last playoff spot. However, they were defeated in the semi-final game by the Richmond Raiders. A new Head Coach, Doug Ferne, took over in 1985, and the team failed to make the playoffs in ’86, but with hard work by Doug and his staff in the off-season, the 1987 team had a great year and finished in second place behind BC champs Okanagan Sun. This 1987 Payless club, for the first time in 15 years, hosted a BCJFA semi-final game against the Richmond Raiders, but they were upset in a heart-breaker. Midway through the 1988 season, coach Ferne stepped down, and the head coaching role was assumed by Paul Shortt, who continued through until 1993. During Shortt’s reign, Payless made the playoffs four of the six seasons. The four playoff years were from 1990 to 1993.

THE VANCOUVER ISLAND SHARKS (1994-1997):

In 1994, Payless Gas withdrew their sponsorship of the team and the team name was changed to the Vancouver Island Sharks. The new Head Coach was Rod Outhwaite and although they finished in last place, the foundation was laid for a new era of football. 1995 saw new coach Gerry Hornett take over, and for the 2 years in which Gerry was the boss, the team registered identical records and fourth place finishes. In 1997, the Sharks fielded a team half made up of rookies, and under new Head Coach John Hugi, who had been an Assistant Coach with the team for 6 years.

THE VICTORIA REBELS (1998-2009):

During the off-season, John Cardillicchia was appointed Head Coach, and the team again changed its name and colours to reflect the new direction John wanted to take them. The 1998 Rebels improved steadily throughout the season and finished in third place with a 6–4 record. While they lost in the first round of the playoffs, the season had to be considered a success, and the Rebels were looking forward to even better things in the future. 1999 brought more success with a second-place finish due to a 6–3-1 record and a CJFL defensive player MVP in Scott Gilbert (Mennie). After a promising win, the Rebels were outplayed by the Okanagan Sun in their first ever BCFC final. The 2000 season resulted in a 7–3 record and another CJFL defensive player MVP, thanks to the play of Mike Kissinger. The Rebels played the Okanagan Sun and lost in overtime and missed advancing to the Canadian Bowl by a 38–43 score.

John Cardillicchia stepped down as Head Coach at the end of the 2002 season. Matt Bloker, who had been an Assistant Coach, assumed the head coaching role and coached for the 2003 and 2004 seasons before the team was moved to Nanaimo and renamed the Vancouver Island Raiders. Paul Orizatti assumed the Head Coach role and in 2005 helped start a new Rebels organization from the bottom floor up, and continued as Head Coach until the end of the 2008 season.

In 2009, John Cardilicchia once again came on board as the Coach of the Rebels and continued until 2012.

THE WESTSHORE REBELS (2010-PRESENT):

During the 2010 off-season, the Rebels changed its name to Westshore Rebels to encompass a rebranding and relocation to the newly built Westhills Stadium.  In 2013, Scott Mennie took over as Head Coach and then had to step down before the start of the season. Tim Kearse stepped in as the intern Head Coach for the season and in 2014, Andrew Axhorn took over the helm as Head Coach for the season.

In January 2015, the Rebels announced new Head Coach J.C. Boice, who has various championship titles under his belt, held various NCAA roles and works full-time with National Football Academies. With this new visionary and a restructured executive board of directors, the organization refocused and reunited with a crisp logo, updated team colours and a renewed commitment to the Westshore community. With this new family support, J.C. recruited and retained top coaches and players from across Canada. J.C. with the help of an experienced Coaching team, the Westshore Rebels won the Cullen Cup Championship and a chance to play in the 109th Canadian Bowl against the Saskatoon Hilltops. Although, the Westshore Rebels played a heck of a game the Hilltops handed Westshore their first home loss of the season by a final of 37-25. 

Head Coach J.C. Boice stepped down as Head Coach at the end of the  2016 season due to family and other commitments and Coach Charly Cardillicchia was named the new Head Coach for the 2017 season. In 2017 the Westshore Rebels ended the season in first place with a 9-1 record but lost to the VI Raiders in the Cullen Cup Championship. Coach Charly Cardilicchia began the 2018 season as head coach but stepped down after Week 3. Coach Shane Beatty took over mid-season and unfortunately the Rebels missed playoffs that year. 

In 2019, under Head Coach Shane Beatty's leadership, the Rebels achieved a strong performance in the BCFC with 8-2 regular season record and 2nd place BCFC standing. In the semifinal they defeated Vancouver Island Raiders 17-7 to play in the Cullen Cup Championship where they lost to the Langley Rams 35-12. 

In 2020, the Westshore Rebels did not participate in any games or have a season. The entire Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) season, including the BCFC, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Coach Beatty continued  as the head coach during the 2021 season with a shortened 8-game season due to the back to sport rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team had a tough season and did not make playoffs. In 2022, following a 7-3 regular season record and a decisive win against the Valley Huskers the Rebels made it back to the Cullen Cup Championship. Unfortunately, they were defeated by the Okanagan Sun 38-0. 

After the 2022 season, Coach Beatty stepped down and the Rebels announced Dexter Janke as their new head coach for the 2023 season. Under the direction of Coach Janke the Rebels had a perfect 10-0 regular season record and won the BCFC Cullen Cup by defeating the Okanagan Sun 33-19 in front of a home crowd at Starlight Stadium. The Rebels trailed 12–4 at halftime but mounted a remarkable comeback in the third quarter, scoring 29 unanswered points to take control of the game. The Rebels advanced to the Canadian Bowl national championship game and lost to the Saskatoon Hilltops 17-10.

In 2024 Coach Janke stepped down to pursue a Head Coach position at York University. Coach Mark Townsend, with over 20 years of coaching experience, including nine provincial championships with the Mount Doug Rams, was appointed head coach in 2024. The Rebels finished with a 6-4 season and went on to defeat the Langley Rams 25-21 to head back to the Cullen Cup where they were defeated by the Okanagan Sun 23-17. At the end of 2024, Coach Townsend stepped down to pursue other opportunities. 

The Rebels have appointed Rebels Alumni and long-time coach Connor Bryan as the head coach of the 2025 season. The Rebels are eager to improve last years regular season standings and get back to the Cullen Cup Championship.