CITY HALL REPORT REVEALS 78% SUPPORT FOR WHITECAPS STADIUM

FRIENDS OF SOCCER
OFFICIAL MEDIA RELEASE

June 1, 2006

CITY HALL REPORT REVEALS 78% SUPPORT FOR WHITECAPS STADIUM
Friends of Soccer call for expedited process

The City Hall policy report on the proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium was unveiled on Wednesday. It revealed that 78% of Lower Mainland residents who contacted the City Planning department are in favour of building the stadium on the downtown waterfront. The report also set out a series of requirements the Whitecaps need to address to move the project forward,

The recommendations were:

• Provision of an adequate street network
• Resolution of risks and liability associated with dangerous goods in the rail lands
• Reconfiguration of the stadium structure to ensure a better ‘fit’ with Gastown
• Resolution of impacts on the livability of residential areas south of the rail lands and impacts on future Port Lands development

“In all, this is very positive news,” said Friends of Soccer founder Bill Currie. “The Whitecaps now know exactly what they need to do to move forward, and they seem confident that they can partner with all of the stakeholders involved. We support the Whitecaps completely in this endeavour, and trust that the last six months will help expedite the process as the stadium moves towards the re-zoning phase.”

“Every step of the way, the Whitecaps have been open and transparent, and the Citizens of Vancouver responded by showing overwhelming support for this much needed facility. It's an incredible gift to the City from the Whitecaps, and we should exhaust every option possible to ensure that the stadium is built in time for 2010. I encourage everyone to contact City Council and tell your politicians to show real leadership on this issue. Let's get a certain time frame for the process and capture this opportunity that will bring a world class facility to our world class city.”

City Council will hold a special meeting on the stadium proposal on June 27. Bill Currie and the Friends of Soccer (www.friendsofsoccer.org) urge all citizens of Vancouver to continue to write, phone and visit City Hall on June 27th to make their voices heard. Friends of Soccer is a grassroots movement that supports soccer projects as well as the Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium.