the newest number is just under 13 000-- they have sold almost another 3 000 STs in under 2 weeks http://www.whitecapsfc.com/archive/feature06181001.aspx 9 months to go-- the caps say they will set STs at 16 500-- i think they will have to increase that # as the demand keeps growing
Very good to hear. Personally, I believe they should not let the cap go any higher than 18,000 because Empire will only hold, what, 27,500? And since word is that the Caps will have to play the whole season at Empire, it seems like a good mix for numbers STH/walkups. Once they move into BC Place though, I think the cap should go to 22,000 and the capacity should go to 32,000. This is Vancouver. History shows that we support Tier 1 soccer. The attendence average for the last 7 years of the NASL Caps was something like 22,000, and that was when Vancouver was half the size it is today. Not to mention how much soccer has grown in popularity since the 70's.
BC Place Stadium should be ready by the early summer, 2011 the way the stadium is configured it is possible to extend the capacity of the lower bowl to accommodate just under 26 000-- trying to go to 32 000 will mean they have to get into the upper bowl which changes the soccer intimacy as there will be empty spaces to be seen, something which the Caps do not want its better to have a capacity of 26 000 without any empty seats, than extending into the upper bowl to 32 000 and having lots of empty seats i think the Caps will go to a capacity of just under 26 000 in the lower bowl and cap the STs at about 20 000 -- just a guess-- they have sold 13 000 with little effort so reaching 20 000 STHs is not a stretch
BC Place will not be ready by early summer (or so is the word). This is a complex project that has never been done before; there are bound to be delays and such in order to get it right.
recent pic of the renos: http://www.earthcam.com/clients/bcplace/index.php?cam=2 i still figure sometime in early-mid- july, 2011-- after that you win the contest if you decide to unmask yourself and i loose, i buy you a beer for being right; or if i win, you buy-- do we have a bet? and i am NOT a southsider searching you out
It was actually much higher than that if you throw out the last year when everybody knew the league was dying and the club only averaged 13,000 a game-but still lead the league in attendance that year.
I think this is why I don't like BCP: The Caps have to choose between 26k and 55k??? The first couple seasons, 26k will likely be fine, but when they grow, how will they grow? What did Seattle do to get to 36k?
Seattle doesn't have intimacy problems in their huge stadium. Just tarp off the unused sections with tarps with the clubs crest all over it. Seems to not look so bad when you watch Sounders home games on TV.
Its not bad being there ethier, the tarped sections are together and high-up so it is easy to forget that they are there.
F**k me. Awesome numbers Vancouver. I hope they open up the end zone seating so you guys can fill up the entire lower bowl. As far as intimacy goes, isn't BC Place going to have an "interior roof" that will essentially make the stadium feel like a single bowl? That will definitely make the place feel intimate.
I think the deal is the roof can be lowered to cover just the lower bowl, or raised to the top of the upper deck but not in between. I'm not certain of this. If that is the case they'd have to bring the roof up to the top if crowds were to get into the 30,000+ range.
as far as i know, the stadium will have 2 retractable roofs-- a lower roof to create a lower bowl cover that will cut out the upper bowl (just under 26 000 possible seats will be shown); and an upper roof that will cover over both upper and lower bowls (almost 60 000 seats will be shown)
That "lower roof" was only in renderings. Remember, those renderings were done when the Whitecaps did not conceive of selling out the lower bowl so easily. Don't count on it being in the stadium. I think you will see tarping of the upper bowl seats, which is great because you can open a few upper sections for people and have the rest covered with logos or something. Having a "lower roof" covering up the upper bowl is useless if you want to have more than 26,000 (or whatever the lower bowl will be) attending your games. Based on how things are going, I would expect the Caps can average over 30,000 for their first season in BC Place if they open up some upper bowl seats. It would be stupid to cap your attendance at the lower bowl only; and leave yourself missing out on 5 to 10 thousand more. MLS attendance expectations have soared since the original BC Place drawings were done.
I feel dirty, but I'm going to agree with the Sheik. The inner roof seemed like a waste to me as soon as it was proposed. Vancouver has tended supported their soccer team in larger numbers than Seattle has and with Seattle currently at 36k, I don't see why Vancouver would limit themselves to just 20k (with the possibility of up to 26k) in the lower bowl. They're only a couple thousand away from selling out their current allotment of season tickets with 9 months left, I don't see them turning away money just to keep an inner roof that seems unnecessary.
Not that I don't trust the IronShiek's sources... but he must know something that both Bob Lenarduzzi and Whitecaps COO Rachel Lewis don't then... http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-...uvers-BC-Place-to-boast-two-retractable-roofs http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/65885
I never said I had a source; I was giving an opinion on the concept that having the entire upper bowl covered would be unlikely as we get closer to opening BC Place due to the higher than expected ticket demand. In other words, the plan very well is to have this "lower roof".. but as we are seeing ticket demand is higher than anticipated, and with the success in Seattle it is clear to me that they could draw over 30,000 if they opened SOME of the upper deck seats. And that it would be poor business to cap it at 26.000 and miss out on 5 - 10 thousand more tickets. My opinion is, the lower roof concept will end up being abandoned as they will NEED some of the upper bowl to satisfy the ticket demand.
I find it funny that the lower capacity is supposed to be the one appropriate for soccer crowds. I don't see the Whitecaps drawing less than the BC Lions. I think they'll draw about the same, somewhere around 30,000 a game.
Yes I agree its poor business sense to cap it at a certain number when you can easily get more, but I'm sure they'll follow in the footsteps of Seattle (and to a lesser extent Toronto) and want to create demand by selling out games and gradually increase capacity over time. I believe the total capacity of the lower bowl is around 26,000. When the MLS franchise was awarded they said they would cap the capacity at 20-22,000 and in the initial renderings for the renovations you can see there are tarps/curtains blocking off some areas behind the goal. By setting the bar low, if they do have a strong demand and do infact open up the entire lower bowl it makes them look good from a marketing perspective as it shows they're exceeding expectations. Those of you predicting 30,000 + every game might be a little bit optimistic at this point. Personally I think the entire lower bowl around 26,000 is perfect for them and a pretty realistic expectation for attendance. Don't get me wrong though I'd love to see them open up the whole stadium and consistently average 45-50,000 or better but I think we may be a few years away from that...
As a soccer fan who spent some time recently in Vancouver and British Columbia, I wish you the best of luck. Vancouver and BC are both fantastic !! I will be buying your jersey as soon as its available !!
I don't doubt that Vancouver will support the MLS Whitecaps, but NASL attendance figures should be used with caution. NASL clubs gave out a lot of free tickets. Since I watch DCU in lovable but decrepit old RFK Stadium I'm pretty baffled by talk of all of the roofs on yours, but I trust that if nothing else nobody will get rained on. Welcome to MLS!
Some NASL clubs gave out lots of free tickets. I can safely say that Vancouver was one club that didn't. At the time the Whitecaps were the most popular team in the city, and they didn't need to give tickets away.