The Women’s World Cup Venue is one of Canada’s Most Unique Grounds
By Dan Stelly | Photo via BlueAndWhiteArmy
Tenants: Vancouver Whitecaps
Location: Vancouver, BC
Capacity: 21,000
Opened: 1983
You might say BC Place has a thing for roofs. When Vancouver’s multi-purpose stadium opened in 1983, it featured the world’s largest air-supported roof to go along with its turf surface and stunning, waterfront location. The original design lasted until 2010, surviving a tear in the roof’s fabric along the way, when a $150 million renovation outfitted the ground with a cable-supported retractable roof, also the largest of its kind.
Although the Whitecaps didn’t call BC Place home until joining MLS in 2011, the stadium’s first major event was a clash between Vancouver and the Seattle Sounders with an attendance of over 60,000. The CFL’s BC Lions soon became the main tenants, and the venue’s high point arrived in 2010 with the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games. Of course, another point of pride for the stadium will be hosting the nine matches during the Women’s World Cup including the event’s final.
Note: Each week, we highlight a new stadium, from Old Trafford and the Camp Nou to Rhyl FC’s 3,000-seat Belle Vue ground. If you’d like to have this feature (along with other dispatches from the soccer universe) delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our weekly bulletin.
Additional photos: Buie & Richard Eriksson
