Posted Nov 8, 2025, 8:42 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 15,402
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Sounds like a bunch of postering over nothing. BC Place isn't going to cave in to some hollow threats over relocating the Whitecaps.
Quote:
Lease negotiations between Whitecaps, BC Place at impasse: MLS boss
“Suboptimal” and “untenable” were some of the words Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber used to describe the Vancouver Whitecaps’ stadium situation in a Friday press conference.
“The existing situation in BC Place is not working,” he told journalists.
The team is currently renegotiating its lease with BC Place, which expires at the end of December, but Garber said “we are looking at a renewal on terms that I won’t approve. So, we do not have a lease for next year." The MLS is legally a party to its teams’ leases.
Garber, who was in town meeting with Premier David Eby and other leaders, said the long-term goal is to develop a dedicated professional soccer venue, possibly at the PNE, and that “this city and its fans deserve a soccer-specific stadium.”
The current situation with BC Place is unsatisfactory in terms of revenue and scheduling, he said. Economically, the team doesn’t participate in any revenue, while BC Place does not offer proper scheduling to the team, he said.
“It is unconscionable that we have to move a playoff game because we can’t get a date,” he said, referring to a home playoff game moved to Portland last year.
The Whitecaps are willing to take over commercial operations and sell sponsorships at BC Place, he said, as part of a short-term deal before a new long-term stadium is built.
There's a possibility the Whitecaps could move to another city if things don’t pan out, though “that’s not the path we want to be on,” Garber said.
“We’re not asking for gifts. We’re asking for the right to earn it. We want to earn it by maximizing the value in BC Place, and we want to earn it by having the opportunity, potentially, to develop a project that will be one of the great showcases for public-private partnership with sports and entertainment and real estate, meaning residential,” he said.
“If we could achieve that, the Whitecaps will become embedded in the community way beyond what it is that they do on the field each weekend.”
A potential stadium at PNE is currently being explored, Garber said, noting that he visited the site a few months ago and that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) is currently being discussed.
The team has “been talking and going back and forth on MOUs on the PNE site. The MOU they’re looking at now is not an MOU that would make sense for anybody,” he said, though “there’s an opportunity.”
For now, sticking with BC Place, which is owned and operated by provincial Crown corporation BC Pavilion Corp. (PavCo), would require a new “revenue dynamic,” said Garber.
In a statement, PavCo said the stadium “remains committed” to supporting the club’s growth and success.
“BC Place and the Whitecaps are currently engaged in productive discussions regarding our upcoming lease renewal. Any agreement has to be looked at in totality, factoring in not just revenue but also operational costs and capital investments,” said the statement.
“Ultimately, it’s our goal to balance the right deal for both parties while ensuring fairness for British Columbians.”
Regarding available dates, PavCo said it “makes 40-plus days available per year" to the Whitecaps for matches and tournaments.
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https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/lea...ps-bc-place-at-impasse-mls-boss-11463132
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