Caps hope for Cup spillover
FIFA tourney's success could boost bid for new stadium
Stuart Hunter, The Province
Published: Thursday, October 25, 2007
Last summer's FIFA Under-20 World Cup Canada 2007 provided a boost for soccer both on and off the pitch.
And that could bode well for hopes of landing the proposed Vancouver Whitecaps waterfront stadium near Canada Place.
The 24-country tourney, won by Argentina, generated about $260 million in economic activity in the four host provinces, according to the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance.
The event was held in Burnaby, Victoria, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal from June 30 to July 22 and attracted a tournament-record 1.192 million fans.
"Our Canadian friends demonstrated that they have an incredible hunger for sport and and ever-growing enthusiasm for football -- or soccer, as it is called in North America," said FIFA president Joseph Blatter.
"Hosting the FIFA U-20 World Cup will no doubt continue to spur development of our sport across the nation, which is already reflected in the improving levels of players' technical skills as well as in wonderful new facilities such as Canada's National Soccer Stadium in Toronto."
B.C. soccer officials concurred.
"It certainly was a phenomenal tournament indicative of the true power of the sport . . . in a non-
traditional football market," said B.C. Soccer executive director Bjorn Osieck. "This will really help the sport to mature more and come into its own right."
Although B.C. Soccer's 130,000 members -- including 100,000 under age 18 -- likely won't see any direct results from the U-20 tourney, Osieck said most will likely benefit indirectly.
The Vancouver Whitecaps hope the tourney's success will help further their bid to move from Burnaby's 5,400-seat Swangard Stadium to a proposed 15,000-seater. But several hurdles remain.
"The city is in a bit of a holding pattern," planner Matt Shillito said. "Until the negotiations are concluded positively, there isn't much we can do. They haven't secured a site."
Once a deal is reached, the team would have to bring a proposal to the city, have public consultations, get council approval and then apply for rezoning -- a process that could take around 18 months.
The FIFA tourney "was a great event -- not just from a B.C. perspective but right across the country," said Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi. "The event exceeded expectations and it broke the old attendance record."
Lenarduzzi hopes the tourney's success helps sway FIFA brass to name Canada the host country of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The Caps are expecting about 50,000 fans to attend the Nov. 7 exhibition match at B.C. Place Stadium between the Caps of the United Soccer League and the L.A. Galaxy of Major League Soccer, featuring superstar David Beckham.
shunter@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Province 2007
Port-land talks on again
The Province
Published: Thursday, October 25, 2007
Talks between the Whitecaps and the Vancouver Port Authority over a parcel of waterfront land continue.
"At this stage, negotiations have been productive," Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi said yesterday. "The city side was on hold during the [CUPE] strike, but now negotiations [with the port] are ongoing."
The proposed 15,000-seat stadium may depend on the fate of the port-owned land between Crab Park and the SeaBus terminal. A land exchange is possible.