Johnnie Monster Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 Nope, I'm talking about a golden gift from Mr. Greg Kerfoot, Canada's undisputed patron saint of soccer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 there will be a stadium in downtown vancouver greg kerfoot has purchased land adjacent to waterfront station it will be a 30.000 seat stadium contractors have been asked to submit bids http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=49.286115,-123.107257&spn=0.002201,0.005035&t=k&hl=en what a day!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Man Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 I'm sure Saputo could build it for 15 million dollars CANADIAN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 quote:Originally posted by snake there will be a stadium in downtown vancouver greg kerfoot has purchased land adjacent to waterfront station it will be a 30.000 seat stadium contractors have been asked to submit bids http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=49.286115,-123.107257&spn=0.002201,0.005035&t=k&hl=en what a day!!! Can you give us a link to confirm what you say - not that we doubt you but corroboration before celebration might be in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snake Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Richard Can you give us a link to confirm what you say - not that we doubt you but corroboration before celebration might be in order. i never said anything about celebrating just yet rich. kerfoot has bought the land.he did not buy it to sit on it obviously.so i get a few pieces of info and it takes on a life of its own. this is exiting news everybody's estatic,now lets wait for the official word. if i hear anything else i'll keep it to myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Man Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 k Is this great news? I mean a 30K stadia at the current attandance numbers would leave 25000 empty seats per game. The "New" Stadium boom now has a shelf life of about 2 years. What then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie Monster Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Kerfoot won't have any problems getting the numbers up at all. New stadium, more hype, more tickets sold. More international friendlies, more hype, more tickets sold. WYC 2007, more hype, more tickets sold. Flirting with MLS, more hype, more tickets sold. While 30,000 seats (most likely just 20,000 to start) sounds cavernous for a USL franchise, there will be certain occassions when a stadium that size is absolutely necessary. Look at Portland. They drew around 15,000 for the match against Sunderland tonight. Vancouver's Sunderland match was standing room only at 6,800 (a regular sell out is 5,722). So is Portland really a better draw? Not really. During the regular season, Portland's support for the Timbers is right on par with Vancouver's attendance levels. They're literally neck and neck match after match. I strongly believe that Swangard is part of the problem. It's a huge turn off for a lot of the fair weather fans. Here's a few things to keep in mind: 1. With seating limited to 5,722, lots of people shy away because they know that good weather and a strong rival usually means you can't get a decent seat for under $22. 2. Bronze level (cheap) tickets are scooped up by Southsiders and youth soccer clubs in droves. Southsiders stand behind the net instead of taking their assigned seats. Many of the pre-sold youth tickets aren't used at all. So Joe Blow arrives at the ticket counter, and is told he MUST buy a gold or silver ticket "because bronze is all sold out." Joe Blow enters Swangard, and sees hundreds of empty seats where bronze ticket holders should be. Joe Blow is pissed. Joe Blow yells "Those frauds screwed me over!" Joe Blow does not return to Swangard for a very long time. Perception is a fan killer. 3. Swangard's location pales in comparison to the new stadium site. Yes, it's near a Skytrain station, but it's still a good haul from downtown - a tremendous source of potential walk-up business. The Burnaby location also does bugger all for anyone in Richmond or the Fraser Valley. You either drive and pay a fortune for parking, or you don't go at all. The new location connects the entire Lower Mainland region right on its doorstep. Bus, Skytrain, Seabus, West Coast Express, RAV line. Not to mention it's basically in Gastown, which already has a huge tourist and pedestrian base. There are people walking about looking for things to do. Some will try the Whitecaps. Some will come back for more. 4. Another strike against Swangard is there is NOTHING TO DO before or after the game. The nearest pub is a dive, and it's way too far to walk. Plus, who wants to scramble for an overpriced parking spot 5 minutes before kick off? The new site is within walking distance to dozens of pubs, restaurants and cafes catering to all tastes. It means me and my pals can piss it up before the match, see the game and have something to look forward to afterwards. It's a lot easier to entice your pals into going to a game when there's the promise of booze and good grub attached to it! 5. Imagine all those cruise ships full of European and UK tourists coming in to port next door to the stadium... Wifey wants to shop in Chinatown. Hubby says, "You shop. I'll go for a pint and watch the match to see if these Canadian footballers are any good." Kerfoot's no dummy. He knows he's gonna have to work his ass off to fill those seats. Lucky for us, he's up to the task. He's an agressive bugger, that Kerfoot. And he'll get it done. That's why he's a billionaire. Also: as mentioned in another thread, the BC Lions are being courted potential co-tenants. BC Place's days are numbered, and that team is going to have to go somewhere. Also, part deux: Each time the Caps have discussed proposals for this project, outdoor concerts and live events have been included as part of the long term plan. The bottom line is that Kerfoot is opening himself up to all sorts of other revenue sources beyond the Caps - sports events, rock concerts, parking, concessions, etc. These are all things which he currently does not have access to at Swangard. I'll wrap up this long winded post by saying that 20-30K sounds like a lot, but Vancouver has never had a sports venue with this much potential for foot traffic and new fan base. We're in for some great times on the West Coast. Just watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancity Tim Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Is there any talk of it fitting in with 2010 Olympic plans? such as a nightly medal plaza/concert venue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjoni Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Wonder what it'll be called... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Vancity Tim Is there any talk of it fitting in with 2010 Olympic plans? such as a nightly medal plaza/concert venue? I would be VERY surprised if a venue such as has been described is NOT used for something during the 2010 Olympics. I am equally sure that any stadium constructed on this prime site will be engineered to double as a superb outdoor concert venue. How can you beat Burrard Inlet and the often snow capped North Shore Mountains as a backdrop for any event? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie Monster Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Also worth pointing out here: The head of Nettwerk Records (Barenaked Ladies, Avril Lavigne, Tragically Hip, Sarah MacLachlan, Our Lady Peace and many, many more....) sat on Kerfoot's 2007 bid team, along with key players involved in 2010 Olympic organziing committee. Not hard to imagine where the Olympic's musical entertainment will be coming from... and who will be throwing the stadium grand opening party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhitecapsFCFan Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Kerfoot's the man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Boy Posted July 25, 2005 Author Share Posted July 25, 2005 Being that this will be a very expensive ordeal, I wonder what other amenities will be attached to this thing. Hotel? Office tower? Considering all this talk about foot traffic from tourists, there's gotta be something to attract them other than soccer. Casino? (not probable). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 25, 2005 Share Posted July 25, 2005 quote:Originally posted by Danny Boy Being that this will be a very expensive ordeal, I wonder what other amenities will be attached to this thing. Hotel? Office tower? Considering all this talk about foot traffic from tourists, there's gotta be something to attract them other than soccer. Casino? (not probable). Well from what I can see they will be hard pressed to fit the stadium and a little parking, never mind a hotel or office tower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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