"Whitecaps to announce MLS franchise secured"-Vancouver Sun

[WestCoastJoe]

$40 M for a franchise in a soccer league in North America? Yikes.

Greg Kerfoot and his friends, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash, can certainly afford it.

And Vancouver can certainly support a competitive team in a high quality league.

I'm looking forward to seeing some games in the renovated, open-air B.C. Place.

[Soundy]

My boss plays beer-league soccer, he's been a fan for years, but never got to many games since he lives at the far end of Maple Ridge. As soon as the MLS franchise was announced though, he called up and got season tickets for this season, just so he'd have the inside track for tix for 2011. Looking forward to hitting a game or two with him this year!

[cromartie]

I am still wondering if there will be an MLS in 2011

Toronto and Seattle can't float the entire league

The founding families of the league (including the Hunt family) lost something akin to $500 million over the first decade. Soccer team ownership is an errand for the benevolent. (I'll be nice and not call it a fools errand).

There is a fixed revenue model for the franchises. Keep the salaries low, own your own facilities including concessions and parking if at all possible.

Don't rely on television revenue, as no one will be watching anyway.

[nelson95]

we'll see how the sounders do once the mariners season starts

given the poor US economy the MLS seems shaky

[Robbie]

Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that the first wave of five thousand (5,000) $50 season ticket deposits for Vancouver Major League Soccer 2011 are now gone.

Check out the new Vancouver MLS page:

http://www.vancouvermls2011.com/

[footy]

Dont worry about the Sounders they have sold all of their season tickets and like Toronto who have a waiting list of 14,000 for season tickets are gauranteed to make a profit. I guess thats why today by the Whitecaps meeting their 1st phase of season tickets will easily sell out every game in 2011 as season tickets are capped at 16,000 and with just 4,000 casual tickets floating around game tickets will be tough to come by.

Also to the non soccer folk on this board who like to slam soccer you can *beeotch* all you want but its going to be a blast in 2011 to go to Whitecaps games as male sports fan it will be a unique atmosphere and a hot ticket.

[Soundy]

The 'Caps allotted 5000 $50 "reservations" for season tickets for 2011 (beyond the current season ticket holders). Reservations went on sale Saturday morning... by Sunday night 4750 had been sold. By the end of today, all 5000 were spoken for.

[Robbie]

Once the Whitecaps play in the MLS in BC Place in 2011, it will certainly be deja vu.

Did any of you attend the first Whitecaps game inside BC Place in 1983 against the Seattle Sounders? Peter Beardsley scored the first pair of Whitecaps goal in BC Place.

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