New Westminster is set to kick off consultation about a professional soccer proposal for the city.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the City of New Westminster recently signed a memorandum of understanding toward launching a United Soccer Leagues (USL) pro franchise in the Royal City.
“We are thrilled to announce our efforts with the City of New Westminster to bring a new professional soccer team to its vibrant sports- and family-oriented community,” said club president
Bob Lenarduzzi, president of the Vancouver Whitecaps, said a USL PRO franchise is an important step in the club’s efforts to support the development of players. While the Whitecaps are “very excited” about the prospect of bringing the team to New Westminster, he said other cities are also interested in hosting the team.
If the project proceeds, Queen’s Park Stadium would be the franchise’s home field.
The City of New Westminster will be holding its first consultation meeting on Tuesday, July 29 at Centennial Lodge in Queen’s Park from 7 to 9 p.m. The open house will begin at 7 p.m. and the Whitecaps will make a presentation at 7:30 p.m., followed by a discussion about the proposal.
The second meeting is set for Saturday, Aug. 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Centennial Community Centre. It will also include an open house, presentation by the Whitecaps and a discussion period following the presentation.
In addition to the current Whitecaps FC ownership group, the franchise will be co-owned and operated by Ian Gillespie of Westbank Projects Corp. and New Westminster native Gary Pooni of Brook Pooni Associates.
Pooni said he couldn’t be more thrilled that the Vancouver Whitecaps FC want to invest in New West.
“People who know me well know I am incredibly passionate about my hometown and that I would only get involved with a group that had the best interests of the city at heart,” he said. “I think that there’s incredible opportunity for New Westminster in this project.”
Pooni, who attended John Robson Elementary School and New Westminster Secondary, played soccer with the Royal City Youth Soccer Club for many years. When he graduated from high school, he received a scholarship from the Vancouver 86ers, which paid for his first year of tuition at university.
“My whole first year tuition at Simon Fraser was paid by them,” he said. “I’d always been eternally grateful because they helped change my life. Coming from a working class family, it wasn’t going to be easy – my sister had gone to university and my brother was about to go to university and I was starting.”
Pooni, a longtime supporter and season-ticket holder, has become friends with some people connected to the Whitecaps through the years. A conversation with one of those friends centred around the need to invest in young soccer players aged 18 to 22 and cities that may be interested in getting onboard.
Pooni, who recalls playing soccer and watching Whitecaps camps in Queen’s Park Stadium, immediately thought of New Westminster. Aside from its central location in Metro Vancouver, he said New West shares the same community and national pride that’s part of soccer.
“When you think of New Westminster being a multicuturally diverse city. You look at its central location in the region, you look at the incredible community pride New Westminster has in anything that is Royal City related,” he said. “On top of that, you have a city hall that is community friendly and business friendly. All of those elements combined was a perfect combination in my mind to become a home for a Whitecaps entity.”
Pooni is co-chair of the City of New Westminster’s 2014 economic forum, Invest New West. He believes a pro soccer franchise would be a tremendous asset for the city.
“Of course, there are some things we are going to have to work on with the community when it comes to game day,” he said. “But when you look at the historic use of the stadium and the events that have occurred there over the several-decade long history of the stadium, it has been a sports and recreation hub for the city. It has been a cultural and community hub for the city, perhaps even the region, given the history of it. When you look at other smaller international football stadiums and soccer facilities, the game of soccer at its root is about community. This is a community use, it would be a community game.”
Lenarduzzi called Pooni the “driving force” who brought the Whitecaps and the city together.
“I think it would be incredible for the youth in our city. I think it puts New Westminster on the map from an economic perspective. It’s a fabulous opportunity for local businesses to capitalize and flourish, and establish into a partnership with everything that we are trying to do,” Pooni said. “On top of that, I can’t think of a better community partner than the Whitecaps’ organization. They made 400 appearances last year in local communities. Anywhere where they have been involved, they become a part of the community. That really is the spirit of community soccer. That is the vision the Whitecaps have for this.”
