If anyone is going to the BC lions and Whitecaps game this weekend id be interested to know how the experience is for the two games with the different seating arrangements. Cheers.
I'm going to both... I'll have a full report on Sunday night (or Monday morning depending how drunk I get after the Caps' beat the Timbers)
update on the Polytan artificial surface Polytan LigaTurf 240 RS + ACS70 with Brown BionPro Infill. Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Blades+glory+place+Whitecaps/5469111/story.html#ixzz1ZLrq6whU how long will it last when you have 2 different sports playing on it, especially with CFL football beating it up? and it will be interesting to see how the CFL lines disappear for the Caps game 2 days later
The roof wasn't "leaking". They simply had not finished sealing all the areas; and couldn't for a few days due to the hard rain. "Leaking" implies it was complete and couldn't hold water.
I noticed in this video some retractable seating at the end zones, so im hoping the seating is very close to the goals for the Whitecaps games.
They put up white flag things to separate off the upper bowl - I'm going to assume to keep the noise in the lower bowl and reduce echoing. It also makes it look less empty on TV I suppose. You could still see the lions yard marks on the field, but they weren't too obvious
I was at both games. There was A LOT less echo with the PA announcer during the Caps game. I would assume that has to do with the curtains they had up there.
How well did they "cut off" the top from at atmosphere POV? Did you feel like you were in a smaller stadium?
I noticed that too. It was definitely louder overall at the Lions game, but I guess that is expected with 50000+. I heard the whitecaps was a sell-out, I wonder why they didn't open up a couple of those back rows and release some more tix? Also, I sit a couple sections over from where they let the Timbers Army sit and man are those guys impressive. loud, together, and kept going the whole game. They even had some little dances for some of their cheers.
Yeah, I remember reading somewhere that the Whitecaps were going to have a separate turf placed on top of the Lions turf. Guess that didn't happen. I saw the lines too.
The tarps certainly didn't come out looking as good as they did in the renderings but in no way were they as ugly and noticeable in person as some pictures suggest and what some people are making them out to be. Hopefully with more time they'll be able to adjust it to fill in some of the gaps though. The rest of the stadium is amazing though and the turf is 1000x better than Empire.
There will always be the negative types who will find something to complain about with the stadium, and they would complain no matter what the stadium looked like. But the reality is, this is a major league facility and it really had the feel of a big game in there. In daylight and the fresh air on Sunday it was quite remarkable.
Thx for the updates. I must admit I had a different impression of how the curtain would look, but its seems like it does the job. I like the fact the crowd were closer to the goals as well. By all accounts the stadium is great. Im hoping I can see it next year in person !! Im also hoping next season the results will be better so that they can open all the stadium up for whitecaps games !!
u and i are beginning to agree more and more-- SCAREY!! what is your section and seat # at BC Place? -- lets meet and have a few laughs, kinda like an unmasking-- i promise i wont tell the SS group
ok people. you sound like you're being paid by the Caps brass. BC Place is the biggest joke of Vancouver. I've been a season ticket holder for 3 years and i won't be renewing next year. i don't know where to start. it's not outdoors. it wouldn't make any difference if the roof was open or closed to me that's how small the opening is- it's a bloody joke! it's not even as big as the field as they tried to say after estimates of the opening got smaller and smaller. someone f'd up bigtime in engineering and now they're trying to sell us that it's a great stadium...what happened to full retractable roof? what happened to the waterfront stadium idea? do you not remember even swangard in real outdoors with the sun going down over the mountains while sipping a $5 beer and sitting within spitting distance of Steve Kindel? build another few seats around that pitch and it's 10 times better than the big ugly dome. We play on artificial turf where no right-minded good club will even play on!! for 1/2 billion!!!!! the beers are $8 expensive as Canucks game where the backup goalie salary trumps the whole of the Whitecaps-does that make sense? Are we supposed to pretend there isn't another 40,000 empty seats above us? would i rather be sitting in that oversized dome in 30 degree mid-July? Classic rain-soaked mud battles are done. What a waste of time,money. We certainly took a few steps back. Whitecaps sales people: call me when we get a real stadium.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Would the waterfront stadium be better? Obviously, is it an option? No. BC Place is a fantastic #2. Have you been in there yet? Sky looks pretty nice. It was never going to be a fully retractable roof, the opening was always roughly the same dimension of the field. Even if the Caps were playing at Swangard, I think Beers would be up at $7.50, its the price of major league sports - sadly. Fortunately, unlike at swangard BC Place has a variety of options to get a nice pre game (and post game) drink at much more reasonable prices. Atlantic Trap and Gill was full, but Rosie's a block down had a great variety of both Canucks and Whitecaps fans. 4.25 beers and a sausage sampler was a great start to the evening. Swangard sucked, I would rather stay at Empire then go back there. Sure, view was nice but I hated the location and the grandstands.
Sounds like you want to watch Division 2 soccer with Swangard and the $5 beers and such. We're in the MLS now so that won't cut it.
well said! to others who have crabbed about the drapes, i think every1 knows there are another 30 000-35 000 empty seat above the draping- but the draping does create a more intimate setting and probably more importantly, creates a better sound -- not sure why there are gaps between the sheets, but really... aren't there more serious things to be unhappy about, like a gross loosing season with a disfunctional team and management style? enjoy a vastly improved stadium-- Swangard served its purpose, but it was long overdue to say goodbye, and hello to better quality soccer
Draping: I was at the Lions game too. There is quite an echo with the PA sound at the Lions game. There is almost no echo at the Caps. I assume this is part of the draping. Although it looks a bit odd, it does keep the sound in and all the crowd noise (ie - Southsiders singing) stays in the lower bowl. It may evaporate without the drapes. Beer: I can not believe people still whine about beer prices at big stadiums. This has been a reality since the 90's when cities started building new stadiums. Why not have a nice beer before and after the game and skip the 10 dollar stadium beers? I know people find it nice to drink one at the game, but $10 beers have been a reality in large stadia for a long time. No need to use it as a reason to hate the stadium WhiteCrapper: The Caps have no other option than to play at BC Place and on turf. The turf is probably the best on the planet so it is about as good as it gets. The waterfront stadium is long dead and will not be coming back. To cancel your tickets and stop going to games would tell me that you may not be a soccer supporter in your blood. Or, perhaps you just like small games on grass in small venues. That is ok, there are plenty of VMSL games to go check out. There is quite a breeze in the stadium now, so you do know you are outdoors. It may even rain tonight and the roof will most likely be open. And yes, rain soaked mud battles are a thing of the past in big league soccer in North America. On a warm July day BC Place will be nice; the light comes through the glass and the sun will be down on the field. I know big stadia are not for everyone, but if you want to see the best soccer available in our city, this is where it is. It is a big league facility. I would say you are not much of a soccer fan if you would rather sit at home and watch the games on TV on your couch instead of sitting in stadium with 20,000 other supporters and fans.