Could New Westminster's loss be the Tri-Cities' gain when it comes to being home for a pro soccer team?
While officials for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC aren't saying much about a possible destination for their farm team, both mayors in Coquitlam and PoCo are wading into the possibility.
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart said the soccer club has approached the city
about having a minor league team play in of the community, noting Town Centre Stadium is a coveted facility.
He said at this point there have been no formal talks on the issue and any conversation would have to include consultation with the public. Stewart pointed out the city's facilities were built and meant to be used by residents and young people in the community.
"My decision would weigh heavily toward our local community," he told the Tri-Cities NOW.
However, the mayor said he would be willing to entertain complimentary uses.
"If we can accommodate other uses without unduly affecting the main purpose, we may have something to talk to them about," he said, noting he'll bring the issue up with his council colleagues to gauge whether the city wants to move forward.
On Monday, New Westminster city council rejected a proposal by the Whitecaps to establish a United Soccer League pro franchise in Queen's Park in March 2015, saying the plan would be too costly.
That's left the club looking for another municipality to park a team.
There are reports Surrey is interested and also rumours floating around that the City of Port Coquitlam might also be keen on landing the farm team.
PoCo Mayor Greg Moore said he's heard the rumours too, but added he's not sure there's much truth to them.
That doesn't mean he's not interested. "With our [Port Coquitlam Sports Alliance] and everything we're doing around sports, it would be an interesting opportunity if it presented itself," he said.
But Moore suggested one of the challenges for PoCo is finding a place for the team to play, pointing out the city right now is focused more on a new recreation centre.
He also said the city would need to learn from New Westminster's experience and make sure current sports clubs are not affected by any expansion.
"You just saw what happened in New Westminster, it was very divisive between baseball and soccer, which doesn't help build a community that in PoCo has a very long, strong tradition of sport," Moore said.
Both mayors agree though the Tri-Cities, whether Coquitlam or PoCo, has been a strong supporter of soccer.
Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi wouldn't confirm if the club was looking at either city as a possibility for the farm team.
"What we're doing moving forward, if it comes out from the municipalities we can't control that, we're just focused on trying to secure a community that we can play out of next season," he told the Tri-Cities NOW.
"We're not going to identify any of them at this point, because it's just too preliminary."
He did note the Whitecaps want to get a team in the USL and a deal done as quickly as possible.
The proposal in New Westminster would have cost $11.4 million to refurbish the stadium, relocate baseball to another field and replace the stadium's grass field with artificial turf.
"It seemed like we were turning down a star, we were turning down a golden opportunity to have something extra special that would set New Westminster aside," New West Coun. Lorrie Williams said.
– with files from the Royal City Record
