Whitecaps mulling venue build in Fairgrounds

Article posted by Coliseum, April 17^th, 2025

Image: Vancouver Whitecaps Stadium, dronepicr, CC BY 2.0

The Major League Soccer (MLS) team Vancouver Whitecaps’ FC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Axel Schuster says a proposed new team-owned stadium is part of a long-term plan to keep the City’s professional soccer team based in Vancouver (Canada).

‘CBC’ stated that recently the Whitecaps had announced that they were exploring the idea of building their own venue at the PNE Fairgrounds in Vancouver near where the club’s old stadium once stood.

The Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver (Canada). The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference.

The 54,500-capacity BC Place is a multipurpose stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the home ground of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

The PNE Fairgrounds, officially the Pacific National Exhibition, is a 114-acre site in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, primarily known for its annual 15-day Fair and seasonal Playland amusement park. It’s a nonprofit organization that hosts a variety of events throughout the year including concerts, trade shows and more.

As the club’s ownership group – Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash –prepares to sell the City’s Major League Soccer (MLS) team the analysts say the club’s move to build their own stadium may be part of a strategy to generate more revenue.

Axel Schuster, the Whitecaps’ CEO and Sporting Director, told newsmen that the club is exploring all possible options to keep the team in Vancouver – and that the stadium discussions have become part of that process.

Stated Schuster, “We are only working on one plan, one goal and this is to keep the club in Vancouver and to find a very good setup for the future for this club in Vancouver.

The ownership group hasn’t given up on the club and the ownership group isn’t running away. They have the biggest interest that this club stays here, finds a successful setup [and] that we find a next ownership group.”

While the proposed location is yet to be finalized Schuster said the City approached early conversations “very open-minded” though it is still “the beginning of a process”.

The PNE Fairgrounds have historical significance for the club. When the team first formed under the North American Soccer League (a professional soccer league that existed in the United States and Canada from 1968 to 1984) in the 1970s they played right next to the fairgrounds at what was then the 32,729-capacity Empire Stadium (now demolished) in Vancouver.

‘CBC’ further stated that the space later became the Empire Fields where the team debuted in Major League Soccer in 2011. Today, the site is home to the community turf fields.

New York (US)-based the Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada.

Commented Gurpreet Sian, Vancouver-based Sports Commentator, “It would bring some of that history full circle.”

He added that the Whitecaps are one of the few Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs that do not operate their own stadium, a factor that has likely contributed to the team’s lower valuation compared to the other franchises – “Out of the 29 teams they ranked 28^th in terms of their value because they’re one of the few teams that doesn’t operate their own facility. Most recently, the Whitecaps have been playing at the BC Place Stadium and using a training facility at the University of British Columbia. But their lease at the downtown stadium is set to expire at the end of 2025.”

Schuster confirmed the team is also in talks with the BC Place operator PavCo (a Crown Corporation of the Province of British Columbia) about a “different type of lease” for the future. The PavCo issued a statement saying it values its partnership with the club and understands the ownership is “exploring several options”.

The statement further read, “The BC Place is proud to be the current home venue for the Vancouver Whitecaps. We will continue to explore the best ways to support the overall growth of soccer in British Columbia.”

One analyst says the stadium announcement may be as much about leverage as it is about long-term planning.

Put in Peter Schaad, a football podcaster and former Whitecaps commentator, “The cynical side of me would have said that this is partially posturing given that the BC Place lease expires at the end of this season. But the football romantic side of me says bring it on because the club has always wanted to have its own facility.”

Schaad said controlling their own venue would give the Whitecaps the ability to manage scheduling, revenue streams and the overall fan experience – all crucial to the business model of a modern soccer franchise.

Said Schaad, “You get to control all of your own bookings. You get to control when your games are. It’s huge.”

The Whitecaps say they look forward to continuing engagement with the City.

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