Vancouver Whitecaps in talks on building new PNE stadium | Daily Hive

The temporary 27,500-seat Empire Field stadium at Hastings Park in Vancouver, as seen in June 2011. (Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports)

Nearly two decades after the City of Vancouver rejected Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s proposal to build an outdoor stadium on the downtown Vancouver waterfront, renewed discussions are now underway to potentially establish such a soccer-specific venue.

But the location now being eyed is at the PNE fairgrounds at Hastings Park in East Vancouver.

The Whitecaps issued a statement this Friday evening confirming that it is in active talks with the City of Vancouver, which owns the PNE and Hastings Park.

You might also like:

“We can confirm that Whitecaps FC is currently in discussion with the City of Vancouver regarding the construction of a stadium at the PNE fairgrounds site,” reads the statement by the Whitecaps.

“The club’s ownership has always been clear on their goal of constructing a purpose-built stadium and the importance of a suitable venue to both fan experience and financial performance for any professional sports franchise. We look forward to continuing our constructive engagement with the City and appreciate the City’s continued support for Vancouver’s thriving soccer community.”

Aerial of Hastings Park, including the PNE fairgrounds, in East Vancouver. (Google Maps)

home + away staircase bleachers empire field hastings park

Aerial of a portion of Hastings Park, with this perspective showing Playland amusement park, Agrodome, Pacific Coliseum, Hastings Racecourse, and one of the turf playing fields of Empire Field. (City of Vancouver)

Aerial of Hastings Racecourse at Hastings Park in Vancouver. (Great Canadian Gaming Corporation)

Daily Hive Urbanized reached out to the City of Vancouver and the PNE for comment. In response, the municipal government confirmed that “discussions at a high level” between the City and the Whitecaps have taken place.

The team did not specify the potential footprint within Hastings Park for such a stadium. Major League Soccer (MLS) stadiums typically range between 18,000 and 30,000 seats.

Currently, the Whitecaps’ home field is downtown Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium, with the team typically using under half of the venue’s capacity of 54,500 seats. The stadium is normally configured for a capacity of 22,120 seats during MLS matches, with the draping system concealing the upper bowl to create a more intimate venue.

However, a longstanding criticism of the Whitecaps’ use of the stadium is its cavernous feel — even with the draping system — and the less-than-optimal sightlines for soccer, which leave spectators farther from the field due to the shallow seating grade.

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, BC Place Stadium will undergo some upgrades to its spectator amenities, including new fan zones, new elevators, a replacement centre video board, and the installation of natural turf — at least temporarily for the duration of the tournament.

Vancouver Whitecaps home match at BC Place Stadium. (Bob Frid/USA TODAY Sports)

BC Place lit up with the Northern Lights display

BC Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver. (Pavco)

When the Whitecaps first entered the MLS in 2011, they played at the 27,500-seat temporary outdoor stadium of Empire Field at Hastings Park, as BC Place Stadium was under construction for its new retractable roof and major renovations. This was also a temporary venue for the CFL’s BC Lions, as they were also displaced by the construction.

After BC Place Stadium reopened in September 2011, Empire Field was dismantled, and its footprint was transformed into two artificial turf fields, a running track, a children’s playground, a BMX, pump track, and other recreational and playing features.

According to the PNE’s website, the non-profit organization manages and operates the fairgrounds at Hastings Park, but it does not oversee Empire Field, which is under the Vancouver Park Board, and Hastings Racecourse, which is operated by Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. Over the years, there have been some suggestions for repurposing the racecourse, which occupies approximately 50 acres of Hastings Park, and includes a casino beneath its 9,000-seat grandstand.

The footprint of Empire Field was also the site of the 33,000-seat Empire Stadium, which was built in 1954 for the Commonwealth Games and demolished in 1993 — after it was deemed unnecessary due to the growing use of BC Place Stadium. Until the completion and opening of BC Place Stadium in 1983, Empire Stadium was the home of both the BC Lions and the Whitecaps under the North American Soccer League.

pne empire stadium ski jump vancouver 1958

The former Empire Stadium at Hastings Park, demolished in 1993. (City of Vancouver Archives)

empire field pne hastings park vancouver stadium 2010 2011

The temporary Empire Field stadium on the former site of Empire Stadium, 2010-2011. Captured during a CFL BC Lions game. (Unitech Construction Management)

The temporary Empire Field stadium on the former site of Empire Stadium, 2010-2011. (Unitech Construction Management)

Existing sports fields at Empire Field of Hastings Park in Vancouver, following the removal of the temporary stadium. (Kenneth Chan)

The team’s reference today to its commitment to building its own stadium dates back to its failed plans for the proposed “Waterfront Stadium.”

In 2006/2007, the Whitecaps proposed building a 100 per cent privately funded, outdoor soccer-specific stadium on an elevated deck over the Gastown railyard — within air space that had been acquired by club owner Greg Kerfoot. The Whitecaps’ proposal called for a 15,000-seat venue, expandable to 30,000 seats.

However, the municipal government rejected the concept due to technical constraints of the site and safety concerns related to the presence of hazardous materials in the railyard. An alternative proposal — which shifted the stadium’s footprint northward over the water onto land owned by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority — also failed to gain traction.

Another stadium location briefly considered in the 2000s was a large vacant site between Pacific Central Station and the southern edge of Vancouver’s Chinatown district. This is now the site of the new St. Paul’s Hospital, which will reach completion and open in 2027.

Before entering the MLS, the Whitecaps were under the United Soccer League, and played at the 5,300-seat Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. The City of Burnaby is in the early stages of considering a potential major renewal of Swangard Stadium, which will be the new home of professional women’s soccer team Vancouver Rise FC.

whitecaps stadium waterfront gastown railyard

Cancelled proposal: Artistic rendering of the never-built outdoor soccer stadium over the waterfront railyard north of Gastown. (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)

Cancelled propoasl: Artistic rendering of the never-built outdoor soccer stadium over the waterfront railyard north of Gastown. (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)

Cancelled proposal: Artistic rendering of the final concept of the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Waterfront Stadium. (Vancouver Whitecaps)

This clear renewed interest by the Whitecaps on building a new stadium for their specific needs follows the current ownership’s announcement in December 2024 that the team is for sale.

According to Daily Hive Offside, BC Place Stadium is one of the only government-owned stadiums in the MLS, and this affects their revenue opportunities as they are just a tenant. Forbes previously valued the Whitecaps at $420 million in February 2024, ranking 28th out of 29 MLS teams.

The franchise’s control of its own stadium — designed to meet its specific needs — could potentially increase the team’s value. Additionally, it could bring an end to the use of artificial turf at home games, replacing it with natural grass. Over the years, artificial turf has been blamed as a factor in the team’s struggles to attract the world’s top-tier players, as well as in discouraging high-profile visiting players from playing at Whitecaps’ home matches.

But the Whitecaps’ departure from BC Place Stadium would be detrimental to restaurants, shops, and other businesses in downtown Vancouver that benefit from the flows of tens of thousands of spectators. Each regular MLS season has 17 home games.

As well, while BC Place Stadium is located in close proximity to several SkyTrain stations, bus routes, and other major public transit services, Hastings Park does not offer the same level of accessibility and convenience by public transit. But the stadium could help drive the need for significantly improved public transit along the Hastings Street corridor, such as the addition of a new rapid transit line from downtown Vancouver.

The 28,000-seat BMO Field, home of MLS’ Toronto FC. (Jack Landau/BlogTO)

The 19,600-seat Saputo Stadium, home of the MLS’ CF Montreal. (CF Montreal)

However, similar to the synergies of Toronto FC’s 28,000-seat BMO Field at Exhibition Place, the home of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), the PNE could also benefit from having a similarly sized venue at Hastings Park.

This was made apparent by the temporary Empire Field stadium that opened in June 2010 and closed in November 2011, after BC Place Stadium’s renovations reached completion. Although the temporary venue’s construction was funded by provincial Crown corporation Pavco, the PNE operated the facility, including security, food and beverage service, guest service, ticketing, maintenance, and the overall management.

For the 2010 PNE Fair, which marked the 100th anniversary of the annual Fair, the PNE staged a celebratory concert at the newly opened temporary stadium, featuring Bryan Adams and The Beach Boys. It was a sold-out crowd of 23,000.

The following year, for one day during the 2011 PNE Fair, the PNE and the Whitecaps — celebrating their inaugural MLS season — offered free Fair admission to match ticketholders at the temporary stadium.

Pacific Coliseum at Hastings Park. (PNE)

pacific coliseum figure skating olympics 2010

Pacific Coliseum during the 2010 Olympic figure skating competitions. (Olympic Broadcasting Services)

A new outdoor stadium, with the Whitecaps as the anchor tenant, would add another venue to the fairgrounds and provide the PNE with the ability to expand its programming, including during the annual Fair. The PNE has faced challenges since the late 1990s, when most of its fairground buildings were demolished to make way for landscaped park spaces.

Such an additional venue would complement the PNE’s existing indoor stadiums — the 17,000-seat Pacific Coliseum, formerly home to the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, and the 3,200-seat Agrodome.

As well, the PNE is currently in the process of building a new 10,000-seat covered outdoor amphitheatre at a cost of up to $137.5 million. Replacing the previous 1960s-built temporary amphitheatre, this new modern venue will drastically increase the number of concerts and other events at the fairgrounds, and provide new revenue to the PNE. It is set to reach completion and open in late Spring 2026, just in time for its use for the five-week-long 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival.

After the tournament, the amphitheatre will carry the name of Freedom Mobile Arch, after its naming rights sponsor.

After the amphitheatre’s completion, the PNE is expected to turn its attention toward advancing the long-planned redevelopment Playland into a vastly improved attraction of a theme park — an evolution from its current calibre of an amusement park. This will include a significant seven-acre expansion of Playland northward, replacing the existing surface vehicle parking lot at the northeast corner of Hastings Park.

pne amphitheatre new design revery architecture

Artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (Revery Architecture/PNE)

new pne amphitheatre vancouver freedom mobile

Artistic rendering of the new PNE Amphitheatre. (Revery Arhitecture/PNE)

Previous preliminary concept of the Playland redevelopment project. (PNE)

Previous preliminary concept of the Playland redevelopment. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

2010-approved Hastings Park/PNE master plan for introducing more green spaces and improving the entertainment and event-hosting facilities on the fairgrounds, with the new amphitheatre and Playland expansion also depicted. (City of Vancouver)

You might also like: