OT: 2018 Vancouver Whitecaps Thread

[clunk]

Of course players prefer grass. Of the 31 nfl stadiums 18 had grass and 13 had turf. All cfl stadiums have turf except Toronto.

MLS and cfl seasons combined run from March to November. Can grass hold up in B.C. place during the non sporting events like the home and boat shows that are held during that period?

Toronto’s bmo field holds 30k while Montreal’s holds 20k. How does hat wo k economically?

World Cup >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Home and boat shows. SURELY they can find another venue to host these? I'm aware they've been going on at BC Place for a long time, but when you have the opportunity to host games in the World ****ing Cup, a ONCE in a lifetime opportunity likely for most people in the Vancouver area to see competitive World Cup matches live, you do everything you can to make it happen. The NDP is penny pinching once again, which is not the least bit surprising, with the most beneficial things, and yet will still probably blow billions of dollars on some failed renewable energy or government housing project.

3.5+ billion viewers. Potentially hundreds of millions of eyes for those three games in Vancouver and the province, and you give it up because 'you can't get clarification on the costs' ?????????????????????????????

 

[bossram]

World Cup >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Home and boat shows. SURELY they can find another venue to host these? I'm aware they've been going on at BC Place for a long time, but when you have the opportunity to host games in the World ****ing Cup, a ONCE in a lifetime opportunity likely for most people in the Vancouver area to see competitive World Cup matches live, you do everything you can to make it happen. The NDP is penny pinching once again, which is not the least bit surprising, with the most beneficial things, and yet will still probably blow billions of dollars on some failed renewable energy or government housing project.

3.5+ billion viewers. Potentially hundreds of millions of eyes for those three games in Vancouver and the province, and you give it up because 'you can't get clarification on the costs' ?????????????????????????????

This is a hilarious statement. Don't people always accuse them of overspending?

And large sporting events are not good for cities and countries. They cost way more than any perceived "benefit". If you think it's worth paying through the nose for a nice two week to month long party, that's fine. But don't make up lies.

 

[clunk]

This is a hilarious statement. Don't people always accuse them of overspending?

And large sporting events are not good for cities and countries. They cost way more than any perceived "benefit". If you think it's worth paying through the nose for a nice two week to month long party, that's fine. But don't make up lies.

They penny pinch when it's detrimental and overspend on stupid ****, like I said.

And you have no ****ing idea how much it's going to cost, so don't act like you do. .

I love how you cherry pick one part of my entire post, while failing to read where I mentioned that they blow money on stupid things that usually always end up failing.

That's why they are a failed party that promises false hope to the lower class, and lets once in a lifetime opportunities like this go.

I see you're a supporter. Clearly, because you think that hosting the World Cup and having hundreds of millions of eyes on your city and province would have little benefits. Right.

This is indefensible. Don't try to turn it around on me.

 

[Pump n Dump]

This is NDP failure. And yes, 3 games is absolutely worth it. This is, again, the biggest sporting event in the world. The last World Cup had 3.2 BILLION viewers. What a mistake to not showcase Vancouver's beauty and give a very sporty town another big event that it PROVED it cherished in 2010. Hosting the World Cup is not only 270 minutes of games. It creates an atmosphere around the city. People get pumped up. Fans visit from around the world, and take in Vancouver, etc.

What a missed opportunity. I'm sad for Vancouver that the BC government didn't go for this, especially when the city and mayor were 100% on board.

And yeah, Crobro made a very good point. Wtf?

For sure! We want the world will see how great this city is so more rich people will want to own property here and drive up prices! Sounds just like the pitch for Expo 86 which, was what BC Place was originally built for .

(N.B. Quote shortened for brevity)

 

[clunk]

For sure! We want the world will see how great this city is so more rich people will want to own property here and drive up prices! Sounds just like the pitch for Expo 86 which, was what BC Place was originally built for .

(N.B. Quote shortened for brevity)

Dude, you literally have your location set as North Vancouver, BC. Wouldn't this be a good thing for you, or do you not own property?

Also, if they rejected this to prevent more people from being exposed to Vancouver/British Columbia, this decision is even more ridiculous than I thought.

Holy ****, I wouldn't put it past the NDP either.

Yeah, rob sports fans who will likely never get to see World Cup games in their city in their lifetime the opportunity of being able to witness one, just to prevent people from maybe one day deciding to move here. Wow.

I mean, I'm against the overwhelmingly Asian real estate hawks as much as the next guy, but to rob Vancouver of an opportunity like this because of politics?

Just, wow.

 

[Rocko604]

Given it's the NDP, they probably looked at how much hosting the entire tournament would cost, and went with that number. I cannot believe they balked on hosting just three games. The economic spinoff from that would have been insane. They like to brag about how well the Rugby Sevens tournament does for the local economy, well multiply that by 10 given the games would have double the total attendance, and spread out over 2-3 weeks allowing people spend time, and money, in the city. Or Whistler. Or the Okanagan.

But I get it. If we hosted these games, there would be no money left over for affordable housing, and the Downtown Eastside.

I hope the CSA doesn't host any national team games in Vancouver until after the NDP is out of office.

 

[Jyrki21]

Toronto’s bmo field holds 30k while Montreal’s holds 20k. How does hat wo k economically?

Do you mean how do these cold cities maintain grass (the answer is by playing their home games in a narrower window than most MLS clubs), or do you mean how are they viable venues for the World Cup? The answer to that one is that they aren't – unless there is some way to add loads and loads of temporary seating vertically, you can bet grass will be laid down inside the SkyDome and Big Owe for their games there. That'll be a sight to behold... after Qatar builds like 85 new ultra-modern stadia in its tiny country (on the backs of slave labor, yes), we'll be watching the World Cup in the cavernous, dilapidated indoor stadium designed for the 1976 Olympics.

(And as a guy living in Ottawa, I'm kind of excited for the chance to watch it there).

 

[StreetHawk]

Do you mean how do these cold cities maintain grass (the answer is by playing their home games in a narrower window than most MLS clubs), or do you mean how are they viable venues for the World Cup? The answer to that one is that they aren't – unless there is some way to add loads and loads of temporary seating vertically, you can bet grass will be laid down inside the SkyDome and Big Owe for their games there. That'll be a sight to behold... after Qatar builds like 85 new ultra-modern stadia in its tiny country (on the backs of slave labor, yes), we'll be watching the World Cup in the cavernous, dilapidated indoor stadium designed for the 1976 Olympics.

(And as a guy living in Ottawa, I'm kind of excited for the chance to watch it there).

Meant economically for the World Cup as USA stadiums are going to be 70K and more in seating capacity. I googled the 2026 World Cup and so far the Canadian host stadiums are Commonwealth, The Big O, and BMO field not Rogers Centre. The Grey Cup in BMO Field held up to 34K. Knew that they couldn't go with the Saputo Field in Montreal as it had to be the Big O. Man, that's going to be a 50 year old minimally maintained building.

As for BC Place and grass, great if they could have it for the Caps and Lions, but MLS is almost a 9 month season and there are non-sporting events held there. How much damage to a grass field would the non-sporting events cause and then how much is the cost to repair it and get it back to the level necessary to play on it? That adds to the cost of the field. But, no way is BC Place kicking out non-sporting events just to have grass.

For a World Cup, they can put it in for the 2-3 weeks and be fine.

NDP is going to need to answer for why they said no thanks, when 3 other cities were ok with it. What is causing them the greatest concern? BC Place needs no work done to it other than installing grass to make it ready to host the games.

 

[604]

This is a hilarious statement. Don't people always accuse them of overspending?

And large sporting events are not good for cities and countries. They cost way more than any perceived "benefit". If you think it's worth paying through the nose for a nice two week to month long party, that's fine. But don't make up lies.

I'd say the Olympics really increased Vancouver's profile.

We've probably made as much on PTT due to the games as we spent on them.

 

[bossram]

They penny pinch when it's detrimental and overspend on stupid ****, like I said.

And you have no ****ing idea how much it's going to cost, so don't act like you do. .

I love how you cherry pick one part of my entire post, while failing to read where I mentioned that they blow money on stupid things that usually always end up failing.

That's why they are a failed party that promises false hope to the lower class, and lets once in a lifetime opportunities like this go.

I see you're a supporter. Clearly, because you think that hosting the World Cup and having hundreds of millions of eyes on your city and province would have little benefits. Right.

This is indefensible. Don't try to turn it around on me.

LOL, nice assumption. Have never voted NDP in my life. I'm just able to approach things with a clear mind.

If you want to have a nice tournament, yah that's great. But the empirical data would support that large scale sporting events are largely a net economic loss.

"Once in a lifetime opportunity". OK sure, you criticize me for not knowing the numbers. And you know the numbers to make that claim?

Honestly, I would like to see BC host some World Cup games. I'm someone who would buy tickets. I'm on a damn sports forum, obviously I'm some kind of sports fan. But there are rationale arguments each way, and it's possible to recognize that. Would I like to see some WC games? Sure. Do I think it's a detriment to BC if we don't host them? No. Will I lose sleep that we're not getting the WC? Also no.

 

[bossram]

I'd say the Olympics really increased Vancouver's profile.

We've probably made as much on PTT due to the games as we spent on them.

General public profile? Probably.

In terms of attracting investment and/or increasing economic activity, I doubt companies or high-skilled individuals care that you hosted the Olympics or World Cup in the past.

Infrastructure improvements like the Canada Line likely did more to spur economic activity in Metro Van.

 

[Rocko604]

Chicago pulled out this morning for the same reasons. Wonder if all this will start a domino effect? LA, NY/NJ and Dallas likely won't bail, but I wonder about cities like Seattle, Kansas City, Miami, Boston, Philly etc.

 

[bossram]

Would anyone like to change their tune? Hmm? @clunk @Rocko604

This is a pretty crap deal.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Would anyone like to change their tune? Hmm? @clunk @Rocko604

This is a pretty crap deal.

Doesn't matter. It's still the World Cup. You'd have to be Benning level stupid to pass on it.

 

[bossram]

Doesn't matter. It's still the World Cup. You'd have to be Benning level stupid to pass on it.

"The general tax exemption, the FIFA bid manual states, 'must comprise all taxes that may be applicable in the host country/host countries.'"

“unrestricted import and export of all foreign currencies to and from the host country/host countries by means of bank transfer, as well as the unrestricted exchange and conversion of all foreign currencies into local currency, U.S. dollars, Euros or Swiss francs, is unrestricted, not subject to any taxes in the host country"

“It is also requested to grant exemptions from labour law and other legislation for companies and personnel directly involved with the competition"

"Security operations, to be paid by host governments, will extend from stadiums to team training facilities, official hotels, media centres, the FIFA Fan Site, airports, train stations and bus stations. Host governments will also assume liability for safety and security incidents."

"FIFA wants a visa-free environment where work permits are issued 'unconditionally and without any restriction or discrimination of any kind.'”

And that's not including the inevitable bribes to be paid to FIFA to even have the chance to host the WC.

I'd like a nice, fun two-week party and chance to host some WC games too. But you have to make a good decision about it. This is not a good deal.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

"The general tax exemption, the FIFA bid manual states, 'must comprise all taxes that may be applicable in the host country/host countries.'"

“unrestricted import and export of all foreign currencies to and from the host country/host countries by means of bank transfer, as well as the unrestricted exchange and conversion of all foreign currencies into local currency, U.S. dollars, Euros or Swiss francs, is unrestricted, not subject to any taxes in the host country"

“It is also requested to grant exemptions from labour law and other legislation for companies and personnel directly involved with the competition"

"Security operations, to be paid by host governments, will extend from stadiums to team training facilities, official hotels, media centres, the FIFA Fan Site, airports, train stations and bus stations. Host governments will also assume liability for safety and security incidents."

"FIFA wants a visa-free environment where work permits are issued 'unconditionally and without any restriction or discrimination of any kind.'”

And that's not including the inevitable bribes to be paid to FIFA to even have the chance to host the WC.

I'd like a nice, fun two-week party and chance to host some WC games too. But you have to make a good decision about it. This is not a good deal.

So instead the NDP will focus all its resources to a pipeline deal that will get done regardless because the Canadian government will eventually step in and make it happen.

Makes sense.

It's also 8 f***ing years away and these donkeys won't be around anyway.

 

[StreetHawk]

Would anyone like to change their tune? Hmm? @clunk @Rocko604

This is a pretty crap deal.

In reading ESPN the USA lead person said it’s not a big issue to lose Chicago and the others because they only need to use 16/23 possible sites. In the end Canada and mexico likely to use 2 stadiums each. With USA using 12.

Makes more sense for consolidate the stadiums. No reason to use more than 16. Likely it would have been east and west for Canada. So either Vancouver or the Edmonton hosts and they choose between Toronto and Montreal in the east.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

The World Cup bid would have had Vancouver hosting what, 2 or 3 group stage games? Honestly it's kind of depressing how wholeheartedly Canada wants to launch itself into being an afterthought in what is essentially an American affair. This isn't the 2010 olympics, or the 2015 women's world cup. It's too bad Vancouver won't join the pantheon of great world cities to hold group stage games like Polokwane and Manaus, but I can live with it.

 

[Fulham]

Im a massive soccer fan, caps sth and hate the NDP.

yet spending crazy money for security and upgrades to potentially hold a couple of group stage games is asinine.
I don't want a billion dollar bill for the right to watch Togo play Paraguay

 

[bossram]

In reading ESPN the USA lead person said it’s not a big issue to lose Chicago and the others because they only need to use 16/23 possible sites. In the end Canada and mexico likely to use 2 stadiums each. With USA using 12.

Makes more sense for consolidate the stadiums. No reason to use more than 16. Likely it would have been east and west for Canada. So either Vancouver or the Edmonton hosts and they choose between Toronto and Montreal in the east.

Alberta provincial government has pulled out too. It's a raw deal.

 

[bossram]

Im a massive soccer fan, caps sth and hate the NDP.

yet spending crazy money for security and upgrades to potentially hold a couple of group stage games is asinine.
I don't want a billion dollar bill for the right to watch Togo play Paraguay

Thank you.

Yes, everyone wants the WC. But we have to think rationally here.

 

[bossram]

So instead the NDP will focus all its resources to a pipeline deal that will get done regardless because the Canadian government will eventually step in and make it happen.

Makes sense.

It's also 8 ****ing years away and these donkeys won't be around anyway.

Ahh the timeless whataboutism fallacy, a classic of poor argumentation.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Big football fan and would have killed to see a WC game here but not at the expense of our social democracy. The FIFA conditions would have undermined the autonomy of our state and BC/Canadians would have absorbed a ton of risks and potential cost overruns. Brazil is in a sad state of affairs and many former Olympic and World Cup venues have fallen into a sad state of disrepair.

FIFA and the IOC have been plagued by corruption and it's rather telling when recent and future host countries have been plagued by corruption. South Africa, Brazil, Russia, Qatar and potentially Morraco? Actually the uproar about this is hilarious because we all know Morraco is going to win the bid. Read up on how favored they are in the bidding process due to the Anti-Trump sentiment worldwide.

All this whining and crying about nothing. I would rather see another Womens WC or Gold Cup/Copa America tournament be hosted here.

 

[VeteranNetPresence]

Can't believe people are mad at this province not footing the bill (blank cheque btw) so this city can host a few crappy group round games. 1040 was unbearable yesterday with all the whining

 

[TruKnyte]

There are a lot of other things I'd rather see the government spend money on than a soccer tournament (as much as I enjoy watching the World Cup as a spectator).