The British Columbia government is ready to consider a proposal from the Vancouver Whitecaps to take over the operation of B.C. Place, but no formal plan has been submitted, according to Ravi Kahlon, the minister of jobs and economic growth.
Kahlon, who oversees the B.C. Place file, stated that while the Whitecaps have expressed interest in having their own stadium and have considered moving to the Pacific National Exhibition grounds, they have not yet provided a concrete proposal for managing the provincial venue. “We have opened our books to them so they understand the costs to operate the building. They understand the debt servicing. We have millions of dollars we’ve spent to fix the stadium up,” Kahlon said. “But they have not proposed that.”
MLS Relocation Concerns
Kahlon’s comments follow a report from The Athletic that Major League Soccer has begun discussing relocation scenarios for the Whitecaps if the team cannot resolve its stadium situation. The club’s ownership has been seeking new investors for over a year and a half and has stated that remaining at B.C. Place under the current lease is not financially viable. Since joining MLS in 2011, the Whitecaps have paid minimal rent, with stadium operator PavCo retaining most food, beverage, and sponsorship revenues, while the team kept ticket sales.
Financial Struggles
Rising operating costs in MLS, particularly for player salaries and travel, have led the Whitecaps to report losses of millions of dollars annually. For the current season, the province and team agreed to a one-year lease that returns all profits from Whitecaps games—including concessions and parking—to the team to help reduce its deficit. Last year, the province estimated the team generated only $1.5 million in profits, while Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster has indicated a need to increase revenues by $40 million to reach the league average.
Kahlon also revealed that the provincial government has recently agreed to shift advertising revenues to the team, bringing the total financial support to $3 million. However, he emphasized that any proposal to take over B.C. Place must include a plan for debt servicing. “If that’s what they’re looking for, they need to put a proposal forward that comes with debt servicing. It can’t be us investing millions in a roof and fixing the stadium and them saying ‘OK we’ll take the profits,’” Kahlon said.
Examples from Other Markets
There are precedents in MLS for teams operating publicly owned stadiums. In Toronto, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment runs BMO Field; in Portland, the Timbers operate Providence Park; and in Seattle, the Sounders and NFL’s Seahawks manage Lumen Field. Internationally, Eintracht Frankfurt took over Deutsche Bank Park in 2020, turning it into a success story. Notably, Deutsche Bank Park shares the same roof system as B.C. Place.
Kahlon praised the Whitecaps’ professionalism in discussions but noted the province lacks visibility into the team’s financial structure. “If they had a proposal that they felt would solve their issues, we’d love to see it. We haven’t seen that yet. They’ve raised good issues with parking, concessions, and advertising, and we’ve been addressing them as we hear them,” he said.
