Instead of relocating in the name of investment return, work with the province, get a new bridging stadium deal in place, pay heed to the local ownership bids, and do the right thing: which is stay put
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I’ve had season tickets to the Whitecaps since their entry in the MLS back in 2011. I remember in that inaugural season dragging my two-year-old son along to many of those games (best to start em’ young, my English father would say) and changing his diapers at half-time (my son, not my father, to be clear).
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Skip ahead 15 years and there’s a helluva lot of water under the bridge when it comes to following this team. My now 17-year-old son and I are still at every game. He can pick apart game plays with references to team formations from a decade ago with the precision of a game analyst. We have joyously embraced this team as part of our father/son experience, often including my father also, with three generations loudly supporting and rooting for the franchise.
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Over the years, I’ve also enjoyed the wonderful supporter group atmosphere of the Southsiders. Fun, welcoming to all, and critically supportive of all things Whitecaps. An absolutely wonderful collection of local fans, and frankly a more fun in-game experience all together than the Whitecaps have ever been able to replicate themselves. True fandom is a strange, beautiful and exhilarating thing to be a part of.
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Speaking on behalf of the fans, many of us have been with this team through thick and thin. The ups and the downs. And let’s be clear here, there sure as heck have been handfuls of seasons of downs as a franchise that long under-spent on players and underperformed as a result.
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Now let’s be frank: The Whitecaps FC only have the luxury of existing because of the fans. They are the ones who have loved the team. Who kept coming back in the seasons without frequent wins, or even a roster that worked on the pitch. This team exists because we have enabled it to exist on our backs and our willfully spent dollars. That investment, along with the franchise ownership stake, is what has allowed the team to slowly develop. To grow. And arguably over the last three seasons to prosper at long last.
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Now that the team is at the top of the league, the owners dare to come before us and consider selling out the franchise from under our feet? That’s not just a business decision — it’s a blatant offence to all of our collective fan investment and interests. Worse still, you dare to consider moving the team to soul-less Las Vegas? What’s next, a rebrand naming the team the Bellagio Fountain Whitecaps?
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I hereby proclaim a very loud “no” to any of that. To the owners and investment group behind the team: Give your collective heads a shake because you owe us all more than that. I’m sick of receiving emails talking about the value and respect the franchise has for the fans. It’s time to show it. We the fans have made this team a going concern. This city continues to support you in larger capacity year after year. The mayor of Vancouver and premier of the province have stated dedication to finding a workable model to address your cash-flow issues. The Whitecaps are Vancouver. They are British Columbia. And they are Canada. Without us, they are just a bunch of relocated players dancing off-strip to the whim of billionaires.
