Whitecaps and City of Vancouver to explore possible new stadium at Hastings Park
Agreement gives team to the end of 2026 to work on a potential new stadium at the former Hastings Racecourse site
By John Mackie
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The Vancouver Whitecaps have officially signed an agreement with the City of Vancouver for an “exclusive negotiation period” to pursue a new stadium and “entertainment district” on the site of Hastings Park racecourse.
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The deal doesn’t mean the stadium will definitely get built, but the team and the city will now have until the end of 2026 to see if a new stadium is feasible and to negotiate a lease on the land, which will continue to be owned by the city.
No details on the proposed stadium were released, such as how many seats it could have, how much it is expected to cost, and if any government money would be involved.
At times the news conference at City Hall to announce the agreement seemed a bit like a pep rally. Mayor Ken Sim and several councillors from his ABC party came out sporting Whitecaps scarves, and councillor Lenny Zhou had one those giant foam fingers that fans wave at games.
“This partnership (with the Whitecaps) has the potential to create a heck of a lot of jobs, boost our local economy and transform Hastings Park into a vibrant destination for sports, concerts and community events that reflect Vancouver’s energy, diversity and love of sports,” said Sim.
“We still have a long ways to go, but I’m incredibly optimistic about the future of soccer in our city for the next countless generations.”
Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster was guarded in his remarks. After calling it a “very exciting day,” he cautioned there were still a lot of steps to take.
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“You remember me saying very often over the last months that you should trust us,” said Schuster. “We are working on it, but we will not share a lot of details.”
Schuster confirmed that the Whitecaps are still for sale. He also noted that the team currently doesn’t bring in a lot of revenue playing at B.C. Place, which is why they want a new building.
“If we want to build a successful future for this club here, we have to get to a better and financially sustainable situation as a club,” he said.
If a stadium is built, it could take four or five years, which means the Whitecaps will continue to play at B.C. Place in the interim. Sim called on the province and B.C. Place operator PavCo to negotiate a deal to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver until the new stadium is built.
“We’re asking the provincial government to step up, get a deal done with Vancouver Whitecaps, and look at the long term,” said Sim.
Provincial Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon said the province was not involved in the negotiations leading up to the signing of the agreement and that, as of yet, there has been no request for provincial money to help build a new stadium and entertainment district.
“PavCo is in negotiation and discussions, because no matter what should happen with the City of Vancouver, the Whitecaps will be in B.C. Place for many years still,” he said.
“PavCo does not make millions of dollars from the Whitecaps. A lot of the work that they do is to support the Whitecaps and B.C. Lions to ensure that they can continue to operate and provide a lot of value to the region as a whole.”
Schuster said “We don’t ask for donations. We don’t ask for a sweet deal. We asked for a fair deal, and we have all the numbers from all our competitors in our league (to show the province). We want to get to a fair deal, and I think that’s a reasonable ask.”
Schuster declined to talk about any potential partners in the stadium, whether it could be the B.C. Lions or local First Nations.
“We keep the door open for every conversation, every partner, and we will speak with everyone,” he said. “That includes the three tribes, that includes everyone else who potentially can be interested in partnering with us there. But we will not discuss in the public with whom we are discussing.”
The agreement comes only a week after Great Canadian Entertainment announced it would cease operations at Hastings Racecourse, where the proposed stadium would be located.
But Sim said it was “a coincidence” that the Whitecaps announcement came so close to the end of horse racing at Hastings Park. The closure of the track came days after the provincial government announced it would cut about $8 million in revenue from slot machines to the track and the horse racing industry.
There had been a push to make Hastings Park into green space in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But ABC councillor Mike Klassen said with the potential Whitecaps stadium, the forthcoming PNE amphitheatre and the Vancouver Goldeneyes hockey team at the Pacific Coliseum, the future of Hastings Park now looks to be the “go-to place for entertainment and major sports.”
— with file from Alec Lazenby
