Since 1974
#savethecaps
VANCOUVER - So you've heard.
The current Whitecaps ownership group officially put the team up for sale in December 2024. Since that initial announcement, local media has largely downplayed any chance of relocation. At the time, the focus seemed to be on bringing in additional monetary support for a team that was on an upwards trajectory, and needed more resources in the day-to-day responsibilities in training, added staff, media productions, et al.
Quietly behind the scenes, the Whitecaps ownership group were having talks with their stadium landlords, and it wasn't going well. BC Place is wholly owned and operated by a BC Government Crown Corporation called PavCo, and is regulated under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. It's a lengthy document, but thebreaker.news obtained a copy of the current agreement between PavCo and the Whitecaps, through a FOIA request, and is dated 2011.
The agreement goes over the entirety of the use license for the Whitecaps, and covers topics such as rent control, ticket costs, suite costs, and recovery of food and beverage revenue above certain thresholds, and more. The agreement as it stood expired in March 2026, and only a one year contract was signed in February 2026 by the team, to continue to call BC Place their home.
PavCo claims to be operating on a Net Zero on the current one year lease set to expire at the end of 2026, so both the team and PavCo are apart in their needs.
The team (and MLS) say that the argument as it currently stands is "untenable" for their future operation. What we as fans understand that to be is the team isn't taking home enough of the revenue share from ticket sales, and food & beverage sales, to support their internal development.
"Unfortunately our gap between being top seven in attendance and last in revenue is so significant that this effort alone isn’t the game changer that is needed for long-term sustainability,"
- Axel Schuster
In December 2025 the City of Vancouver* and the Whitecaps signed a Memorandum of Understanding, indicating that there was interest in acquiring a space of land on the former Hastings Racecourse land.
https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/city-of-vancouver-and-whitecaps-mou-fact-sheet.pdf
https://council.vancouver.ca/icre20251209dec.htm
While this seems to signal that the team wishes to stay in the city, a relocation down the street isn't set in stone, and far from it. The City of Vancouver owns the land that the former Hastings Racecourse grounds sit on. The city keeps ownership of the land under this MOU, which opens the door to licensing agreements for use by the Whitecaps. The stadium, however, would be funded by the team and the ownership group, so to that end, there may be a larger possibility of the overall revenue share, as well as priority tenancy over external events (such as the Vancouver International Boat Show (no shade, just an example)).
What the MOU doesn't do is place any formal agreement in standing written order that keeps the Whitecaps, and MLS from exploring alternative options. In recent days, the speculation surrounding relocation has greatly increased.
Current Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett has made landing an MLS club a legislative priority, and last October saw the approval of a sale of a piece of land to the city that has been identified as a potential stadium construction site.
- Forbes
Where there's smoke, there's often fire.
For the fans this instability comes at a time when sports in Vancouver is seemingly on the rise. We just hosted an electric Western Conference final with over 53,000 fans in the stands. Personally, you don't understand what that feels like and sounds like until you're there, in person, with everyone waving towels, signing Mr Brightside, and chanting with the supporters groups. Up 2-0, then tied 2-2, eventually winning in a shootout after loosing 2 players and playing 30 minutes as 9 vs 11. Absurd.
Down the street the PWHL's Goldeneyes inaugural season has been welcomed with great support and fanfare. Similarly the Vancouver Rise women's NSL soccer team has been welcomed with wide open arms, and won the inaugural NSL Championship. The BC Lions were a win away from the 2025 Grey Cup, and aside from the Vancouver Canucks, it's generally a good time to be a sports fan in Vancouver.
The rumours however continue. Indianapolis, Detroit, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Sacramento, and Edmonton are reportedly keeping an eye on the situation, and that the Whitecaps would need a formal stadium agreement beyond 2026 to avoid relocation.
The Whitecaps supporters groups; The Southsiders, The Rain City Brigade, The Vancouver Sisters, The Vancouver Costal Guardians, and the Vancouver Albion, and fans alike, have all come together recently with a campaign to #SAVETHECAPS. A united fan front with supporter growing even in other MLS markets for the Whitecaps to stay in Vancouver.
Support the #SAVETHECAPS movement wherever you're a fan from, by visiting the website below, signing the wall, and supporting this team, now and in the future.
