Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is urging BC Place to make a deal with the Vancouver Whitecaps to keep them in the city.
“The City of Vancouver has done its part to create a path forward for the team’s future here by offering prime space at Hastings Park for the Whitecaps to construct a new stadium and entertainment district,” Sim said in a statement.
“Now, we face the difficult part.”
BC Place is owned and operated by the B.C. government.
“In order for the team to stay in Vancouver, the Whitecaps and Province must sign a bridge deal that will allow BC Place to become viable in the near term while a new stadium can be designed and built,” Sim said in the statement.
When asked on Tuesday about the possibility of buying the Whitecaps, Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s jobs and economic growth minister, said the province wasn’t willing to do that.
“I’ve been getting messages from Whitecaps fans saying that B.C. should just give BC Place to the Whitecaps. The management has not asked for that,” he said.
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“We’ve opened up our books. They see the numbers. They see we’re breaking even with the agreement that we have with them and at no time have they come forward and said here’s our proposal for that.”
The Athletic reported on Monday that Major League Soccer owners met earlier this month to discuss the Whitecaps’ future and relocation was raised as a possibility.
The article, citing anonymous sources, says moving the Whitecaps to Las Vegas was the main option discussed at the meeting.
The team has been up for sale since December 2024.
In January, Axel Schuster, CEO and sporting director of the club, said that despite good conversations with BC Place and PavCo, which owns and operates BC Place, the future has stalled.
“From our side, it feels like there’s nothing left; the progress has come to an end,” Schuster said.
With the FIFA World Cup coming to Vancouver this year, the Whitecaps will play eight of the first nine MLS matches at home, followed by nearly three months on the road while BC Place is being used for the World Cup.
“I would say the challenges we have and we have raised cannot be addressed in a way that is really bettering our situation in a good way,” Schuster said.
Sim said the city is calling on the Whitecaps’ ownership to “publicly and clearly articulate what they need to stay here in Vancouver, and we are calling on the Provincial Government to come to the table and make that a reality.”
“To all Vancouver Whitecaps fans, to the Southsiders, and to all of the supporter groups, we need you to keep the fight going. We need you to stay strong, and we need you to stay loud.
“Losing the Whitecaps is not an option. #SAVETHECAPS”
Las Vegas Whitecaps has a nice ring to it and the owners are set to pocket around $500 million US.
GW – Ken Sim doesn’t give a sh1t about the Whitecaps. He’s just trying to appease to a bunch of old Conservatives that watch soccer in hopes that he’ll get their vote again. Most people in Vancouver don’t care about some boring ass soccer team
Bob B – Wow a few kids go to the soccer games. Nobody gives a sh1t buddy. The Whitecraps are moving to Vegas and there’s F all you can do about it. So take your measly tax dollars and shove em straight up your crusty old white ass lol. Yeah go back to rehab. I don’t do drugs or drink but keep trying buddy. I know you always try extra hard when I’m around 🤣🤣
Keep fighting for the whitecaps Mayor Sims.
it would be a massive loss for not only Vancouver but the proand Canada to loose the whitecaps And all tgeir training pryfor our young players
From PAVCOs perspective isn’t a small loss better than nothing at all?
Oh wait sorry it’s Govt NDP thinking.
That train of thought only applies to Govt workers.
Only Old people watch the Caps.???
Soccer is the number one kids sports in BC and NA for that matter. At least 1/4 of that stadium is kids, plus the young mothers and or fathers. Entire youth soccer teams show up.
So yeah Wow, go back to rehab JV. 😜 You have absolutely no clue.
Just keep on talking.
Just announced. MLS wants to move the Whitecraps to Vegas 🤣🤣
Duncan Campbell Scott – Oh wow some old people that watch the Whitecraps pay taxes. Seriously who f**king cares? Everyone pays taxes in the lower mainland you f**cking clown. Oh of course now you’re turning it into something political and borderline racist. Not surprising at all. Thanks for giving us your outdated Conservative opinion that nobody cares about in our country anymore. You think your taxes and you vote means something in this country but they don’t. You’re just a single vote and your taxes don’t mean sh1t. Take a look at the political spectrum across the country and you’ll see that I’m right and you’re wrong. Make sure to think about me when the Whitecraps finally get scrapped and your crusty old ass can’t do sh1t about it lol. Too funny
Oh look Bob B has something to say. Newsflash idiot. Nobody cares about what you have to say. Especially not me 🤣🤣
LOL look at JV getting upset about more people/taxpayers interested in saving a soccer than there are interested in saving DRIPA.
Only 10 MLAs would have voted against suspending, amending, or repealing DRIPA. That’s means 83 out of 93 would have for it.
The people are speaking clearly now!
Meanwhile 27,000 fans last week paid money and showed up in support of their soccer team, while I haven’t seen any news or protest of that size for support of the FN and DRIPA. Lol
On another note, do you see that we can’t comment on FN DRIPA stories recently. Bahah!
I guess some FNs cried and whined to the outlet to try to suppress the public’s opinion. It’s very clear now the FN are afraid of that the vast majority of voter opinion is against them.
At JV, you’ve obviously never ever been to a game and generally have no idea what you are talking about. ( as usual). The crowd is at least 50% people of colour, along with the break down of the players too.
The sport its self is dominated by people of colour.
SCRAP THE CAPS ASAP
Who cares about the f**king Whitecraps. Hopefully this team is done for once and for all. The only people that go to the games are a bunch of old white men and hindus from Richmond and Surrey