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And I don't know if it's different areas or not, but San Jose Earthquakes tend to play against LA Galaxy in a big gridiron stadium rather than their usual stadium. That one is probably more to do with selling more tickets than expanding a geographical footprint, but RAP could be the same thing for Pacific.

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46 minutes ago, Kent said:

And I don't know if it's different areas or not, but San Jose Earthquakes tend to play against LA Galaxy in a big gridiron stadium rather than their usual stadium. That one is probably more to do with selling more tickets than expanding a geographical footprint, but RAP could be the same thing for Pacific.

They play at Stanford Stadium between San Jose and San Francisco.

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On 5/6/2021 at 6:42 AM, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Downtown Victoria is where they need to be to try to emulate the Wanderers.

Well, given that many of us were saying RAP was the better choice since before Wanderers even existed I'm not sure that phrasing is warranted. 

This reorientation of the pitch proposal is something I first heard from Mark de Frias of the Highlanders several years ago. It is the only way to ground share with the Harbourcats and would make a great venue IMO.

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Sorry, but I don't agree with those spinning this for what it is said to be face value. 

It is a major slap in the face to Langford. All this business about it being a growth area, the stadium, the youth teams--this ignores what the club is about.

Rob Friend, even when signing with Langford, was clear he was really interested in Greater Vancouver and that the deal was put together quickly to get a foot in to CPL. We forget how quickly the deal was forged, it was almost last minute. But he has never denied it was not his first choice.

Langford is on the extreme end of the population of Greater Victoria. There is virtually no immediate population north and very little west and south. It is not easy to get to, nor does it have amenities to offer game day (though they do an okay job with services on site). Royal Athletic, in contrast, brings you half an hour close to the biggest municipalities in Greater Victoria (Victoria does not, in fact, have the most population, Saanich just to the north does, and by a lot), and walking-biking distance to most of Victoria. And near restaurants, pubs, with various parking options nearby (though probably not enough).

If Friend and the owners are doing this, under the guise of a friendly deal with an amateur club, it is because either -1-there are things they are not happy about with Langford; -2- they have heard something from City Hall, -3- they are working on longer term plans and see Victoria downtown as a better option. Or a combination of all three. 

 

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12 hours ago, ted said:

Well, given that many of us were saying RAP was the better choice since before Wanderers even existed I'm not sure that phrasing is warranted. 

This reorientation of the pitch proposal is something I first heard from Mark de Frias of the Highlanders several years ago. It is the only way to ground share with the Harbourcats and would make a great venue IMO.

Ted, does that give them a regulation pitch, running that way? 

Also, from the drawings, it woud mean the pitch would in fact be pushed away from the end of the old PDL goal backing onto Cook, the one that had that tiny stand, maybe by 15-20 metres? So it would partially invade the baseball outfield, is that right?

Finally, is there space to put stands behind the other goal, the north side; and how about temp stands on the west side, how would that be done? 

I am basically trying to get a sense of how this would be a good idea and not look like an improvised idea.

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18 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Sorry, but I don't agree with those spinning this for what it is said to be face value. 

It is a major slap in the face to Langford. All this business about it being a growth area, the stadium, the youth teams--this ignores what the club is about.

Rob Friend, even when signing with Langford, was clear he was really interested in Greater Vancouver and that the deal was put together quickly to get a foot in to CPL. We forget how quickly the deal was forged, it was almost last minute. But he has never denied it was not his first choice.

Langford is on the extreme end of the population of Greater Victoria. There is virtually no immediate population north and very little west and south. It is not easy to get to, nor does it have amenities to offer game day (though they do an okay job with services on site). Royal Athletic, in contrast, brings you half an hour close to the biggest municipalities in Greater Victoria (Victoria does not, in fact, have the most population, Saanich just to the north does, and by a lot), and walking-biking distance to most of Victoria. And near restaurants, pubs, with various parking options nearby (though probably not enough).

If Friend and the owners are doing this, under the guise of a friendly deal with an amateur club, it is because either -1-there are things they are not happy about with Langford; -2- they have heard something from City Hall, -3- they are working on longer term plans and see Victoria downtown as a better option. Or a combination of all three. 

 

What exactly is it that the club are all about, wanting to play in Vancouver? I don’t get it.

How about the 100k a year they get for the stadium sponsorship deal?

If their market is the island, then Langford is more accessible to 75% of their target audience and that percentage will likely keep growing in the future. Tbh I wouldn’t be shocked if they’re testing downtown as a location for the future, but I just can’t see them walking away from Langford in the immediate future unless something has seriously changed recently 

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21 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

...We forget how quickly the deal was forged, it was almost last minute. But he has never denied it was not his first choice...

Port City, BC was definitely originally meant to be Surrey or failing that somewhere further up the Fraser valley and only definitively shifted to Langford and morphed into Pacific FC very late in the day:

but the prevailing groupthink on here was that Beirne/Clanachan and co had eight investors and cities all sorted out long before that and woe betide anyone daring to suggest otherwise.

Edited by Ozzie_the_parrot
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2 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

Port City, BC was definitely originally meant to be Surrey or failing that somewhere further up the Fraser valley and only definitively shifted to Langford and morphed into Pacific FC very late in the day:

but the prevailing groupthink on here was that Beirne/Clanachan and co had eight investors and cities all sorted out long before that and woe betide anyone daring to suggest otherwise.

The whole story of Port City/Fraser Valley has yet to be told. 

They would never have even come out with this name without something being there. We heard, I don't know officially or not, that the Port facilities on the Fraser were going to sponsor, it was their land, of Surrey wanted to promote it, something like that (suggesting a North Surrey site). There must have been something when it came to municipal interest. Here I assume the investors were already there, but they were lacking a venue, and rightly thought they'd succeed on the other side of the Fraser and probably Surrey, just to reach a growing demographic, not be too far from New West and Burnaby or the Coquitlam's up river, and not step on Whitecaps toes. Made sense. I think political will must have failed.

And then the Mayor of Langford, who already had Rugby Canada installed at then Westhills, came along, with the political will to move quickly and a facility he wanted another tenant for, and with experience holding events, Women's 7 World Tour held there annually. So Pacific meaning Friend went for it. But in the midst, even while shaking Mayor Stu's hand, he was openly saying it was not his first choice. He was never worried about having to look 100% loyal.

Now the case of Saskatoon, where they still do not have municipal approval or funding, suggests you could do things otherwise. There it is a deep pocket and a private purchase of an existing land, do that first, then go look for the political support.  Prairieland has the advantage of already being a facility, being a large site, and basically not representing any problem (of the NIMBY sort for example) for nearby population, parking, road access.

As I see it, Friend is on his third project. 

Edited by Unnamed Trialist
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4 hours ago, Aird25 said:

What exactly is it that the club are all about, wanting to play in Vancouver? I don’t get it.

How about the 100k a year they get for the stadium sponsorship deal?

If their market is the island, then Langford is more accessible to 75% of their target audience and that percentage will likely keep growing in the future. Tbh I wouldn’t be shocked if they’re testing downtown as a location for the future, but I just can’t see them walking away from Langford in the immediate future unless something has seriously changed recently 

Royal Athletic Park is far more accessible to their target audience, unless you are referring to trees or watershed being their target.

It is close to downtown Victoria, and much closer to the largest municipalities in Greater Victoria. 

I doubt any more than 5-10% of their spectators come from the other side of the Malahat, even at Langford. 

The only reason they had not chance to broker this quickly in Victoria is because Lisa Helps is a space cadet and you'd need a few years for her to get into orbit--which seems is starting to happen.

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10 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

The whole story of Port City/Fraser Valley has yet to be told. 

They would never have even come out with this name without something being there. We heard, I don't know officially or not, that the Port facilities on the Fraser were going to sponsor, it was their land, of Surrey wanted to promote it, something like that (suggesting a North Surrey site)..

A BC Lions training facility next to the SkyTrain was rumoured. The problem is that hockey rather than soccer now appears to be the target:

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-indoor-stadium-proposal-opinion

Edited by Ozzie_the_parrot
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5 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

A BC Lions training facility next to the SkyTrain was rumoured. The problem is that hockey rather than soccer now appears to be the target:

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-indoor-stadium-proposal-opinion

The BC Lions have had their training facility in Surrey for years, you can see it from the Skytrain. And here is a stop just two blocks away, Gateway. 

If the Lions were to leave that location it would be idea for a stadium.

The indoor arena is projected for there or Surrey Centre, just south. If it goes to the centre, and they conceive a stadium at the Lions facility, they are set. 

Surrey is not just a good location because of population growth, it is also a strong soccer community.

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23 hours ago, Aird25 said:

What exactly is it that the club are all about, wanting to play in Vancouver? I don’t get it.

How about the 100k a year they get for the stadium sponsorship deal?

If their market is the island, then Langford is more accessible to 75% of their target audience and that percentage will likely keep growing in the future. Tbh I wouldn’t be shocked if they’re testing downtown as a location for the future, but I just can’t see them walking away from Langford in the immediate future unless something has seriously changed recently 

Seems like something is a-foot but I'd guess its really early days yet.  Resources are being coming to looking at RAP as a future site though, doesn't mean it'll ever happen but time is money so a little more serious here than just some people and pub talk.

If Langford cannot be brought up to broadcast standards, for whatever reasons, and the deal was it needed to meet broadcast standards in a certain time frame it's down to Langford to keep the deal or not.  LOL.  Not quite NFL level but more than once the threat of a move got a team an improved venue.  Good on Pacific for looking at options.  Hope they're realistic.

Of course the cynic in me suggests Pacific must think they can find a better home and the hydro pole is just a convenient out.  Dating a girl to get closer to her hotter friend sort of thing. 

 

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On 5/8/2021 at 2:46 AM, Unnamed Trialist said:

Ted, does that give them a regulation pitch, running that way? 

Also, from the drawings, it woud mean the pitch would in fact be pushed away from the end of the old PDL goal backing onto Cook, the one that had that tiny stand, maybe by 15-20 metres? So it would partially invade the baseball outfield, is that right?

Finally, is there space to put stands behind the other goal, the north side; and how about temp stands on the west side, how would that be done? 

I am basically trying to get a sense of how this would be a good idea and not look like an improvised idea.

The size of the field would be regulation and yes the outfield would overlap the pitch somewhat which cannot be avoided when groundsharing with baseball. At least the infield would be totally separate. I remember horror stories of pitchers mounds being smoothed out turfed over temporarily (and badly) for games in US stadia.

The layout would allow for a decent number of seats along Cook St (but if I was designing it, the trees would come down and the top row of seats would hang over the sidewalk to maximize seating.) The North End (what is currently the North side) is far larger than it looks and would have room for a stand there. As for the west side, that is the weakness of the proposal IMO. At best I would think that temporary stands would be wheeled out for each game.

It's not the perfect plan but it's worth exploring if it brings things back to RAP.

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  • 2 weeks later...

York United’s Angus McNab on changes to York Lions Stadium for 2021

https://canpl.ca/article/york-uniteds-angus-mcnab-on-intl-players-changes-to-york-lions-stadium-for-2021

"When fans return to York United’s home stadium this season, it will look different from when they were last there in late-2019.

The club, working with York University, has made a number of changes to the former Pan-American Games venue, including removing the running track that once circled around the pitch. They are also upgrading the playing surface to FIFA Quality Pro turf, which is also up to World Rugby standards.

“Everything is working well,” McNab said of the renovation project thus far. “Progress continues and it’s going to be really, really exciting there with what we’re doing.”

There are plans to build a standing supporters section in the stadium, but McNab says it likely won’t be possible for the 2021 season, when fans can hopefully finally return."

WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-18-at-2.01.17-PM-

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just found this, a Nanaimo report from last year, with this conclusion:

"A municipality the size of Nanaimo would be best served in the long run by a medium sized stadium of approximately 3,000 with the ability to increase the seating to 12,000 seats with temporary seating for special events."

Here. https://pub-nanaimo.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=30956

The projected sites are Beban Park or the complex including Serauxmen Stadium, near Vancouver Island University. 

While I appreciate that Van Island already has a team, I would not count a city like Nanaimo out at some point. The city currently has 100k and the regional district just under 200k.

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1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Just found this, a Nanaimo report from last year, with this conclusion:

"A municipality the size of Nanaimo would be best served in the long run by a medium sized stadium of approximately 3,000 with the ability to increase the seating to 12,000 seats with temporary seating for special events."

Here. https://pub-nanaimo.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=30956

The projected sites are Beban Park or the complex including Serauxmen Stadium, near Vancouver Island University. 

While I appreciate that Van Island already has a team, I would not count a city like Nanaimo out at some point. The city currently has 100k and the regional district just under 200k.

I don't know if it's viable, or not, but I'd be good to buy 2-4 tickets to one game on every one of my in-season visits home. I usually pop over to Nanaimo for either a day-trip or overnight when I'm back, as I have a lot of my maternal-side family there. In fact, Beban Park would be a brilliant spot. I could walk there from my uncle's house after enjoying a home-cooked, Punjabi lunch. 🙂 

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Does anyone know if there's been further talk/public consultation on transitioning the current stadium at the Wanderers Grounds to a more permanent set up? I seem to recall HRM City Council approving the current stadium subject to a review after three to five years, but I admit my memory is a bit fuzzy. 

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5 minutes ago, m-g-williams said:

Does anyone know if there's been further talk/public consultation on transitioning the current stadium at the Wanderers Grounds to a more permanent set up? I seem to recall HRM City Council approving the current stadium subject to a review after three to five years, but I admit my memory is a bit fuzzy. 

My guess is the pandemic has delayed any further talk.

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18 hours ago, CDNFootballer said:

New Stadium pic of York Lions Stadium with the field in from Rocket Robin 's new article :

http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports21/21york025.htm

 

 

Jun 2021 york lions stadium reno 1.jpg

Jun 2021 york lions stadium reno 2.jpg

Thanks for posting these photos. I'm glad the track is gone, but it looks like the words "York Lions" are stitched in the end zone. I hope the rest of the field doesn't have permanent yard markings - I don't mind them as much in the end zones, provided there are no obtrusive lines on the soccer portion of the pitch.

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  • 1 month later...

York University's York Lions Stadium moves from track to turf in $8.2-million transformation

https://www.thestar.com/local-toronto-north-york/news/2021/07/28/york-university-s-york-lions-stadium-moves-from-track-to-turf-in-8-2-million-transformation.html

The conversion project features a seasonal air-supported dome (which will be installed in November) and internationally certified artificial turf, “providing the highest quality sport surface in the country,” according to the university.

The renovated stadium will be used for many different club rentals across multiple sports and will be home to the York Lions varsity football and soccer teams as well as York United FC, a Toronto-based professional soccer club.

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