Vancouver Whitecaps |
 The Vancouver Whitecaps are Vancouver's favourite Soccer team. The Vancouver Whitecaps have both a Men's and Women's team. In 2006 Both teams won their respectful National Championships, proving that soccer in Vancouver is taken very seriously... Vancouver Whitecaps Suite 250. 780 Beatty Street Vancouver, BC V6B 2M1 Phone: 604.669.WAVE (9283) Fax: 604.684.5173 URL: www.whitecapsfc.com They play in the USL First Division of the United Soccer Leagues at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia. The Whitecaps colours are white and blue. Honours CSL Champions - 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 (runners-up in 1992) CSL Regular Season Champions – 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 North American Club Champions – 1990 APSL Regular Season Champions - 1993 A-League Western Conference Champions - 2001 Cascadia Cup Champions - 2004, 2005 Nations Cup Champions - 2006 USL First Division Champions - 2006 The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded in 1974 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Whitecaps achieved good success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Peter Beardsley and Alan Ball, but also "home grown" stars like Bobby and Sam Lenarduzzi, Buzz Parsons, and Glen Johnson. In 1979 the team from the "Village of Vancouver" (a reference to ABC TV sportscasters Jim McKay's observation that "Vancouver must be like the deserted village right now", with so many people watching the game on TV) beat the powerhouse New York Cosmos in one of the most thrilling playoff series in NASL history to advance to the Soccer Bowl. In the Soccer Bowl, they triumphed against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a disappointed New York City. It was during this short period that soccer interest peaked in Vancouver. The Whitecaps attendance at Empire Stadium grew to regular sell outs, at 32,000. The team also recorded two tracks, with "White is the Colour" becoming a hit on local radio during the run-up to their championship win. After playing at Vancouver's 32,000 seat Empire Stadium for most of their existence, the team moved into the cavernous 60,000 seat BC Place Stadium in 1983. Although the novelty of the stadium drew capacity crowds for the first few games, attendance waned quickly, due to the declining league and, in the opinion of many fans, the harsh environment of the domed stadium. In 1986, a professional soccer team was again launched in Vancouver, the Vancouver 86ers -- so named because of both the year of the team's founding and to commemorate the year Vancouver was founded (1886). The 86ers played in the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) winning 4 straight CSL Championships (1988-1991) and the inaugural North American Club Championship (1990) until that league too folded, at which point the team joined the American Professional Soccer League (A-League), later renamed the USL. In 1988–1989, the team, coached by Bob Lenarduzzi, set a North American professional sports record by playing 46 consecutive games without a loss. In 2001, the team reverted back to the old Vancouver Whitecaps moniker (signifying both the 'white caps' of the nearby mountains, and the waves of the Pacific Ocean). In 2003 the name was again changed, albeit only slightly, to Whitecaps F.C. which encompasses the men's, women's, and youth development teams within the organization. At this time, the Whitecaps logo changed slightly in colour (the light teal-green was replaced with a brighter blue) and the word "Vancouver" was dropped from the image. In 2006, the Whitecaps organization won an unprecedented double-championship, claiming both the USL Division 1 men's trophy and winning the W-League women's trophy. The men's team also won the Nation's Cup, a new tournament established by their club as a way to feature the Whitecaps playing against international competition. The 2006 Nation's Cup tournament featured the Chinese and Indian U-20 National teams and Division One Welsh club Cardiff City F.C. (the "Bluebirds"). The following season, the Whitecaps signed a deal to play an exhibition match against the L.A. Galaxy, now featuring international superstar David Beckham, and promoted Director of Soccer Operations Bob Lenarduzzi to team president. The City of Vancouver is currently considering a proposal for Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium, a new stadium to be built over the railway tracks east of Waterfront Station on Burrard Inlet. This 15,000 seat stadium would replace Swangard Stadium as the home field for the USL's Vancouver Whitecaps, with a proposed opening date in 2010. |
Hotels near Swangard Stadium Burnaby, Home to the Vancouver Whitecaps’ men’s and ladies’ soccer Hilton Hotel Burnaby Metrotown Holiday Inn Express Burnaby Metrotown
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