Tickets to see the Halifax Wanderers, the city’s professional soccer team, are in high demand.
Season memberships for the 2024 season are sold out and a waitlist has been launched for next year’s tickets.
In the wake of the most successful campaign in the team’s short history, the club is anticipating a packed crowd of about 6,500 passionate supporters for Saturday’s home opener, which will kick off the franchise’s sixth season of hosting home matches at the city’s Wanderers Grounds.
The buzz surrounding the team doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, and neither do calls for a stadium expansion.
“We’re out of room. That’s the reality,” said Derek Martin, president of the Halifax Wanderers, as he stood on the Wanderers Ground sidelines during a media availability on Friday.
“Every single game the downtown is full of 6,000 people … who are flooding into bars, restaurants. They’re visiting hotels when they’re coming in from out of town. We’ve done everything we can do to show that this is a valuable addition to the city.”
The Canadian Premier League side has utilized the Wanderers Grounds, a part of the Halifax Common public park, as a “pop-up” venue since the club and league’s inaugural season in 2019. The current venue does not have permanent washroom facilities, running water or the ability to serve food. Its locker rooms operate inside two shipping containers.
In September, Martin presented a proposal to Halifax councillors for an expansion of the Wanderers Grounds facility. The project is estimated to come with a $40-million price tag — with the Wanderers committing to a 30-year tenancy period while contributing to the cost of construction.
Some of the proposal’s main priorities involve a 2,000-seating expansion that would increase the venue’s total capacity to 8,500, the introduction of permanent grandstands to replace rented bleachers, and the installation of a bubble dome for year-round, multi-sport use.
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“Time is of the essence,” Martin continued, adding that the Wanderers are now entering the final year of their agreement with the municipality to utilize the publicly owned facility.
“This year we absolutely need to see some movement in terms of what the future looks like or else we have to look at ulterior options. Which we don’t want to do. This is the location, it’s the right place to be, but we need to get moving.”
Back in September, Martin said he hoped to see construction groundwork begin in November 2024 following public consultation.
But not all Halifax residents support a publicly backed stadium expansion of the Wanderers Grounds.
Howard Epstein, member of the community group Friends of the Halifax Commons, said he doesn’t think the stadium should be placed on public land.
“He’s asking for $40 million in upgrades to the Wanderers Grounds and I hope that city council requires him to pay for that instead of freeloading on the public dollar,” Epstein said, adding that he hopes the Wanderers can purchase a private piece of land and build a stadium elsewhere in the area.
“There’s no shortage of useful things that the city can do with its money … there’s no way the Wanderers Grounds really needs $40 million of changes and upgrades.”
Epstein said he doesn’t think the Wanderers Grounds is a suitable place for a professional soccer establishment.
“It’s not a good space because it’s public space. It’s a public space for amateur sports, always has been. That’s why it should just stay in the public hands and not be taken out completely or even so extensively out of the hands of public and amateur sport.”
Looking ahead to Saturday
As the team experiences commercial success off the field, the team’s on-field performance reached new heights in 2023 as the Wanderers were in third place following the regular season — which led to Halifax hosting its first-ever playoff match.
Unfortunately for the boys in blue, the 2024 campaign got off to a rocky start with back-to-back losses to Pacific and Vancouver FC doing a two-game stint in British Columbia. The Wanderers squad will look to channel the energy derived from an electric home atmosphere into their first win — and goal — of the season on Saturday, after being shut-out in their first two outings.
Patrice Gheisar, the Wanderers’ head coach, said his focus remains on the day-to-day operations and the crucial match ahead. He said the support of the fanbase is integral to his team’s success on the pitch.
“I think tomorrow being a sold-out crowd, we’re really excited. We’ve been away from home for so many days, so we’re just pumped up to have an opportunity to play in front of our fans,” he said.
“The players are excited about the work they’ve done last year, and they’ve seen its translated to the fans. To have all these people supporting us, we’re beyond lucky.”
He said his team has been fine-tuning some elements of their tactical approach ahead of the season’s third fixture.
“I think there’s some kinks to work out right now, (but) we’ve been competitive and good in both games. We’ve just been unlucky,” said Gheisar, who’s amid his second year at the helm of the Wanderers coaching staff. It happens. We’ll pick our head up (and) never stop working. Keep doing the right thing and the results will come.”
The Halifax Wanderers will welcome Atlético Ottawa to Wanderers Grounds at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
— with files from Skye Bryden-Blom