Vancouver vibe might get 'even more intense' for second FIFA World Cup match
While the first FIFA World Cup match in Vancouver drew both crowds and an atmosphere reminiscent of the 2010 Olympics, it might be even busier for the city’s second game.
Tomorrow, BC Place is hosting a match between Canada and Qatar at 3 p.m.
“We are expecting it to be even more intense,” said Stacey Forrester, the co-founder of Good Night Out Vancouver. “Not only do we have a Vancouver game, but we also have Canada playing, so we do expect that excitement and maybe tensions and intoxication are going to be high.”
“Our mantra has been, ‘Prepare for absolute chaos, and anything better than that, we will be pleased,'” she said.
However, Adam Donaldson, the media relations officer for the Vancouver Police Department, told Daily Hive that they are expecting crowds similar to what they saw on Saturday.
“It is a Canada match, but it is also a weekday. Nonetheless, our deployment plan is sound, as evidenced by the success of Saturday night and the low number of arrests,” he said in an email.
On Saturday, they had 1,200 officers (not only from the VPD but also the RCMP and Calgary Police), which will be the same for all match days.
Meanwhile, Good Night Out Vancouver, a non-profit that promotes safety in Vancouver’s nightlife scene, has amped up its outreach for the World Cup.
Normally, they run a street outreach team on Friday and Saturday nights from midnight to 4 a.m., but over the tournament period, their teams are working in the downtown core, at the FIFA Fan Fest every day it’s open, and at the Last Mile Match Day Spectator Route on match days.
The outreach teams are donned in pink shirts with a heart on them and slogans like “get consent,” “drink water,” “eat a snack,” and “take a break.” They’re looking for people who need support and carrying harm reduction supplies, like water, sunscreen, and snacks.
One of their goals is to prevent sexual violence in spaces where there’s often music, crowds, alcohol, and other drugs.
Forrester explained that research shows there are “very clear risk factors” that sexual violence can happen, go unnoticed, or be normalized, including where there are large crowds, alcohol consumption, power differences, and environmental factors like distractions or people getting separated from their peers.
With one week down, she said they were “definitely busy.”
Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive
“There was a lot of alcohol consumption, both on game day and on all the other game days, because people go to a pub and they watch a few games and are celebrating.”
But so far, she said that the atmosphere has been positive and people have been looking out for each other.
“We’re going to ride that out and hope that people continue to look out for each other and find us if they need support.”
How to take care of yourself during the World Cup
Both Forrester and Donaldson shared some tips for people to enjoy the World Cup safely.
Since we are experiencing warmer weather, Forrester reminded people to wear sunscreen, drink water, and pace themselves. She added that it’s important to take time to eat and to take breaks.
“And please, please get help if anything causes you concern, whether that’s from our team in pink or any other of the safety resources.”
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” she said.
Donaldson advised people coming downtown to take public transit and to have a plan to get home safely if they are consuming alcohol.
He added that they’ve observed a number of people flying drones in restricted airspace.
“You cannot fly a drone of any size in the area around downtown and False Creek, above the Fan Fest site at the PNE, or around the Killarney practice centre. The airspace restriction extends one nautical mile from each site.”
He said their enforcement ranges from a “friendly warning to several thousand dollars in fines and/or seizure of the drone.”