It was a day of hope for the Vancouver Whitecaps, who now have the go-ahead to put together a plan to build a new stadium at Hastings Park.
It’s a move that promises to save the Whitecaps, keeping them in Vancouver and avoiding their relocation to a new city.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said he was “giddy” about the announcement that took place Thursday morning at City Hall.
The Whitecaps and the City of Vancouver have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), in the hopes of solidifying a plan to build an outdoor, soccer-specific stadium at Hastings Park, where Hastings Racecourse currently lies.
“This negotiation period will run through the end of 2026 with the ultimate goal of arranging a long-term lease between the City and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Under such a lease, the City will retain ownership of the land at Hastings Park and we intend to secure a fair market value lease while ensuring no undue financial risk to taxpayers,” said the mayor.
“This is not about the approval of a new project. Rather, this MOU is a framework for negotiations and demonstrates very firm commitment by both the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Whitecaps towards building a new stadium right here in Vancouver.”
All smiles at City Hall (@WhitecapsFC/X)
Sim said he wants to turn Hastings Park into a “vibrant destination,” calling it an entertainment district. It would not only include the Whitecaps, but also the Vancouver Goldeneyes at the Pacific Coliseum and concerts at the new PNE amphitheatre that opens in 2026. Sim also mentioned the possibility of SkyTrain extending to the PNE, as part of a connection from the North Shore to Richmond, but that’s clearly well into the future.
While today’s news was big on hope, it was short on details.
Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster declined to give an estimated size of a new stadium, though most assume it’ll be somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000.
Will the BC Lions be involved? Unclear.
And the biggest question of all: who’s paying for all this?
“It’s up to the Whitecaps and their partners to come up with a plan and finance that plan,” said Sim.
The Whitecaps are still for sale, of course. The hope is that this MOU makes them more enticing for a local buyer.
Sim didn’t mince words when speaking about the importance of a new stadium to ensure the team remains Vancouver’s Whitecaps.
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“I want to be very clear. Yes, there are interested parties that would like to buy the Whitecaps, [but there are also] interested parties who want to take the Whitecaps out of the City of Vancouver,” Sim said. “If there’s no opportunity to have your own stadium… there is no viable option for anyone who wants to keep the Whitecaps in the City of Vancouver.”
“Let’s just call it what it is, there’s probably absolutely no path for the Vancouver Whitecaps to remain in Vancouver without this MOU.”
The Whitecaps are still negotiating their lease at BC Place, which will be their home for multiple years should they remain in Vancouver. The club is looking for a larger percentage of revenue on things like food and drinks purchased at concession stands.
While Schuster noted that the Whitecaps “don’t negotiate in public,” Sim seemingly had no concern applying pressure to the provincial government.
“Axel can’t say this, but I can… The City of Vancouver, we’ve done our part. We’ve been very clear that we’ll do whatever is possible to make sure that the Whitecaps have a future in the City of Vancouver… It’s probably going to take 4+ years. And so where do the Whitecaps play during that time? It should be at BC Place.
“When you look at the economics of BC Place… We’re asking the provincial government to step up, get a deal done with the Vancouver Whitecaps and look at the long term… the economics just don’t work.”