Stadiums and Arenas of Canada part 2

[Riise]

Originally Posted by esquire

I'd imagine that the only real knocks on BC Place from a soccer fan's perspective is the lack of all-important natural turf and the fact that it's oversized relative to typical MLS attendances in Vancouver (the same issue the Lions have dealt with pretty well since the beginning with BC Place). They're legitimate issues but the Whitecaps would probably be walking into a bunch of other issues just to fix those two.

I've never attended a match at BC Place but I think the fact that it is oversized would be the major issue. It may not be something that needs to be addressed ASAP but a great atmosphere is central to the experience of attending a match and intimate stadiums facilitate the creation of this atmosphere. If the stadium was more intimate, it could help overcome the issue of not having natural grass and being indoors. Nevertheless, the Caps have a good setup.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Riise

I've never attended a match at BC Place but I think the fact that it is oversized would be the major issue. It may not be something that needs to be addressed ASAP but a great atmosphere is central to the experience of attending a match and intimate stadiums facilitate the creation of this atmosphere. If the stadium was more intimate, it could help overcome the issue of not having natural grass and being indoors. Nevertheless, the Caps have a good setup.

The curtain system they put in a few years ago during the renovations improved the situation dramatically... now, if there's a crowd of 20,000 attending a game, you will see maybe about 8,000 empty seats instead of the 40,000 empty seats you would have seen under the previous configuration.

The stadium doesn't look intimate by any stretch (I haven't been there myself since the 2011 renos), but the problem is nowhere near as bad as it once was.

[red-paladin]

Originally Posted by esquire

The curtain system they put in a few years ago during the renovations improved the situation dramatically... now, if there's a crowd of 20,000 attending a game, you will see maybe about 8,000 empty seats instead of the 40,000 empty seats you would have seen under the previous configuration.

The stadium doesn't look intimate by any stretch (I haven't been there myself since the 2011 renos), but the problem is nowhere near as bad as it once was.

From: http://vincechow.ca/photos/whitecaps-bc-place-stadium/

[cjones2451]

It is much better for atmosphere, but the "gaps" in the draping have always bugged me. Is it just me? Seems half-assed

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

It is much better for atmosphere, but the "gaps" in the draping have always bugged me. Is it just me? Seems half-assed

I thought it was a joke the first time I saw it. Surely they can come up with a better way to block off the upper bowl. Like you said it's better than nothing but looks like a child came up with it.

[logan5]

I would call it one of the worst soccer venues in MLS. To think we could have had a soccer specific stadium. All with private money.

[drummer_god]

White tarps over the upper level seats would make the gaps between the curtains less noticeable.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by logan5

I would call it one of the worst soccer venues in MLS. To think we could have had a soccer specific stadium. All with private money.

It depends on how much you want to weigh your opinion on overall stadium versus soccer suitability versus location.

Overall stadium BC Place is one of the best in the MLS.
Soccer suitability BC Place is somewhere in the middle/lower end.
Location is one of the better in the MLS.

I think a lot of people really underestimate how far the MLS has come in the past ten years when it comes to soccer-specific stadiums and building venues more well-suited to their franchises. There was a time when the MLS strictly played in much larger NFL/NCAA stadiums but that has mostly shifted to venues like Avaya Stadium, BBVA Compass, or Talen Energy, which have been considerable additions to the league.

As long as the Whitecaps are happy with BC Place, attendance keeps trending in the right direction and stays at a reasonable level, and there's no significant alternative venue, then BC Place is it for the forseeable future. Venues can get a lot worse than BC Place.

[WhipperSnapper]

The gaps are okay as the point isn't to look up.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

The gaps are okay as the point isn't to look up.

Yes... when you watch the games on TV, you really don't notice the gaps. It's something I only notice when I'm looking right at them. So I'd say the curtain system works fairly well.

As to the point regarding location, I'd say that's a fairly significant asset for BC Place. Let's face it, the days of the late 70s when there were swaths of relatively inexpensive industrial brownfield sites around central Vancouver are decidedly over... it would be hard to duplicate BC Place's central location close to downtown hubs and transit.

[FrankieFlowerpot]

Originally Posted by logan5

I would call it one of the worst soccer venues in MLS. To think we could have had a soccer specific stadium. All with private money.

Yankee Stadium, Gillette Stadium and RFK are all substantially worse

[cjones2451]

Originally Posted by logan5

I would call it one of the worst soccer venues in MLS. To think we could have had a soccer specific stadium. All with private money.

Worst - really....RFK, Yankee Stadium, even Mapfre it's bench seating? People are also going nuts about the Impact selling 60+K for the playoff game, but the seating layout in the Big O is terrible

We could have done a lot worse. While I agree the waterfront stadium would have been nice, the design was for 15K seats, and not much room to expand, nor would city council or the NIMBYs in the area let that happen.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by cjones2451

Worst - really....RFK, Yankee Stadium, even Mapfre it's bench seating? People are also going nuts about the Impact selling 60+K for the playoff game, but the seating layout in the Big O is terrible

.

The Big O isn't actually that bad for football and soccer in my experience. Baseball is another story, especially when the crowd is small.

[thurmas]

I thought these tarps the Argos used to cover the upper deck seats at Rogers Centre in the mid 2000's worked.They were drawing on average 30,000+ fans a game back then too. It looks the best and far better than what BC Place is using to hide their upperdeck right now.

link: http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/rogers-centre-new-look-for-argos.2138/

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by thurmas

I thought these tarps the Argos used to cover the upper deck seats at Rogers Centre in the mid 2000's worked.They were drawing on average 30,000+ fans a game back then too. It looks the best and far better than what BC Place is using to hide their upperdeck right now.

link: http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/rogers-centre-new-look-for-argos.2138/

Those cover seats, but they don't create a feeling of enclosure the way that BC Place's do. As others have mentioned, yeah they look kind of silly with the gaps when you're looking straight at them, but when you're watching the actual game as you would if you were actually there, it just makes it feel like there's a roof above you.

[isaidso]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

Those cover seats, but they don't create a feeling of enclosure the way that BC Place's do. As others have mentioned, yeah they look kind of silly with the gaps when you're looking straight at them, but when you're watching the actual game as you would if you were actually there, it just makes it feel like there's a roof above you.

Agree. A single wrap around curtain that fall from the roof to the start of the lower bowl would be best. Some people just aren't very visual and aren't bothered by things like this. For those that are, not noticing the tarp and gaps is next to impossible. It's a constant distraction.

[Dalreg]

If you are that easily distracted then perhaps stay home?

[Riise]

Originally Posted by esquire

The stadium doesn't look intimate by any stretch (I haven't been there myself since the 2011 renos), but the problem is nowhere near as bad as it once was.

It's not perfect but it is far from unacceptable. Until they move into a purpose built ground, it'll do nicely.

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by Dalreg

If you are that easily distracted then perhaps stay home?

Maybe that distraction is why BC Place has so many empty seats.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Berklon

Maybe that distraction is why BC Place has so many empty seats.

Whitecaps set a franchise record for attendance this past season.