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STATEMENT FROM VANCOUVER MAYOR KEN SIM:
The Whitecaps have been Vancouver’s club since 1974. Many things have changed throughout the years: the players, the logos, the kits, and the stadiums, just to name a few. The one thing that has never changed is Vancouver’s love of this team.
The Whitecaps are one of the top teams in the MLS, they were the runners up in last year’s championship, and they sit in the top ten of league attendance at an average of 24,000+ per game. While we understand that professional sports is a complex business, it would be a mistake for any team to leave a market with such a longstanding history and ready-made fanbase.
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.
Now, we face the difficult part.
BC Place is owned and operated by the Provincial Government. In fact, it’s the only stadium owned and operated by a government found anywhere in the MLS. 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.
That's why today, we are calling on the team’s 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
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