Whitecaps bid adieu to Swangard: a look back
Posted October 24, 2010 9:28 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BURNABY (NEWS1130) – What a run at Swangard!
The Whitecaps played their last game in Burnaby last weekend, and Dr. Sport, Greg Douglas, says for the time, Swangard Stadium was terrific. “It was a great venue, the crowds just seemed to fit. They flocked to Swangard in good solid numbers and that’s why the Major Soccer League potential even came about, because of the success of the Whitecaps at Swangard.”
But the good doctor says time goes on with the Whitecaps moving up to “the bigs” next season, relocating to Empire Field and, eventually, into a revamped BC Place. The jury is still out on whether the new retractable roof at BC Place will offer the same kind of open-air experience as Swangard.
Dr. Sport thinks team owner Greg Kerfoot’s push for a soccer-specific stadium downtown is done. “It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in my lifetime in sports. Here’s a guy who wants to build his own arena downtown, pay for everything, and he’s turned down. I think he’s just thrown his arms and said if that’s the way it’s going to be, then let’s get on with it.”
The original North American Soccer League Whitecaps of the 1970s and 80s played most of their existence at the old Empire Stadium before moving to BC Place in 1983 and then folding in 1984.
Swangard Stadium was home pitch for the Vancouver 86ers, later renamed the Whitecaps, from 1986 until 2010.
