Two of the oldest teams in Major League Soccer got a boost this week as Vancouver Whitecaps and CF Montréal took steps towards improved stadium plans which could, if impactful, keep the teams in those markets, avoiding relocation.
For the Whitecaps, the plan centers on the feasibility of a stadium agreement with BC Place and the potential to build their own facility, while Montréal has grappled with the deteriorating 1976 Olympic Stadium, which they hope to use, given the city’s climate and MLS’s shift to a largely winter-based schedule.
The Whitecaps face the most immediate threat, as the club has been for sale for 19 months without attracting a local buyer, largely due to what MLS Commissioner Don Garber has called an “untenable” situation in the team’s agreement with BC Place Stadium, a facility owned by the British Columbia provincial government and operated by PavCo, a Crown corporation operating at arm’s length from the government.
While rumored local interest has started to materialize, the lack of matchday revenue, the inability to select home match dates and the struggle generating additional revenue from other non-soccer uses of the venue have become key factors. At the same time, sponsorship revenues have been well short of what is needed, with the club citing a $40 million shortfall relative to the average MLS club’s annual revenue.
Whitecaps Interested in BC Place Operational Takeover
While the Whitecaps sit near the top of MLS in attendance and in player spending, they sit at the bottom of the league in matchday revenue. It has a lucrative offer from Las Vegas looming, with Garber saying that “the pieces are in place” should the situation come to that. A new plan, put forward this week, could change the picture.
According to longtime local reporter Michael McColl of AFTN, the team has now asked PavCo for the opportunity to take over management of the stadium, which would allow the Whitecaps to increase revenue across all areas and control dates, while giving PavCo a cut of the earnings. It would mirror the setup of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field and Toronto FC’s control of BMO Field, both government-owned facilities.
Following an impressive showing of BC Place as a World Cup venue, earning praise from Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, and of Vancouver as a city during the World Cup, it is believed that a solution in the market is attainable.
“They’re not going anywhere.” FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani said of the situation, and previously, Garber said: “We’ll take [BC Place] over in a heartbeat … We’ll take over the commercial operations and sell sponsorships if we’re given the opportunity. I think the club would be great at that.”
CF Montréal Get Olympic Stadium Lifeline
While Vancouver’s efforts to sort out the stadium situation remain in the early stages, CF Montréal received some immense news on Thursday: the Province of Québec had approved plans to renovate and modernize the interior of the Olympic Stadium, which has deteriorated beyond use.
The renovation project would include refurbishing the stands, creating premium spaces and upgrading all restroom and food facilities, while keeping the capacity near its current 56,000-person capacity. If renovations proceed on time, it will line up for a 2028 re-opening, allowing CF Montréal to move in for the 2028–29 MLS season.
Until 2023, CF Montréal had used the Olympic Stadium for early season matches and, in 2015, hosted the Concacaf Champions League’s final stages at the venue, which hosted the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the same year.
Although the renovation timeline would mean an altered schedule for Montréal in the first winter-based MLS season in 2027–28, the plans would allow the club to enjoy stability, including a state-of-the-art stadium, which Garber has already praised.
“What I saw when I toured the stadium was just incredible; it was an incredible vision for the province, for the park, for the city, and for a soccer market that absolutely loves the game,” Garber said when he visited in May. “Montréal deserves a world-class stadium that reflects the ambition of the city and represents its future on a global stage.
“If this vision can be fully realized, Montréal will have one of the great stadiums in the entire world. That might sound ambitious, and might sound a little odd for all of you who have been living with the Olympic Stadium since the Olympics. Still, great cities pursue ambitious projects, and what I saw today was absolutely remarkable.”
While Montréal’s situation appears to have avoided reaching the same level of relocation threat as Vancouver’s, both cities have moved in the right direction towards keeping their longstanding clubs, dating back to 1992 and 1974, in their markets for the future.
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