Today, Friends of Soccer expressed their total support for the Whitecaps bid to bring Major League Soccer to Vancouver. Below is a letter sent today to MLS Commissioner, Don Garber. Please show your support for the Whitecaps bid by going to the Official Whitecaps MLS Site Today!
Don Garber
Commissioner
Major League Soccer
420 5th Avenue, #7
New York, NY
10018
Dear Commissioner Garber,
My name is Bill Currie, and I'm the founder of the Friends of Soccer movement in Vancouver, BC. Since October, 2005, our group has been successful in mobilizing thousands of citizens to support the Vancouver Whitecaps' efforts to build a downtown waterfront stadium. Today, I am writing to let you know that we are throwing our complete support solely behind the efforts of Greg Kerfoot, Steve Nash, and Bob Lenarduzzi to bring Major League Soccer to Vancouver for 2011.
I believe Vancouver's long history of soccer culture, along with the positive vision of the current Whitecaps organization, creates a natural fit for MLS. Vancouver has always supported top level soccer in one form or another since the early 1900's. I believe the arrival of MLS holds the potential to match or even surpass the popularity of the Whitecaps from their NASL era. Mr. Kerfoot and Mr. Lenarduzzi have been generous and responsible operators of the current Whitecaps organization, and their continued success in MLS would be a great asset to the league and to soccer in North America as a whole. With Greg Kerfoot, Steve Nash and Bob Lenarduzzi at the helm, Major League Soccer's success in Vancouver would be virtually guaranteed.
While business interests are important, soccer is, above all else, about building community. On this front, the Whitecaps have gone well beyond the call of duty as servants of the game. They have built fields and training facilities. They've created a development system throughout the entire province of British Columbia. They provide free soccer clinics to youth throughout the city. They've generously funded and supported women's soccer all the way to Canada's national team. Best of all, their outreach has created a level of harmony between the amateur and professional game here that has never existed before. They are outstanding citizens who have built tremendous goodwill in our soccer community and our city. This level of goodwill would take years to recreate with any other potential ownership group for MLS expansion. In short, I believe good citizens make good owners.
We hope that you'll grant soccer fans in B.C. our wish to see the Whitecaps take on the best of MLS in BC Place come 2011. Vancouver would be excited and honoured to become part of Major League Soccer. To resurrect the Whitecaps under Greg Kerfoot, Steve Nash and Bob Lenarduzzi would put the league's success in Vancouver in safe hands.
Yours in Sport,
Bill Currie
Friends of Soccer
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4 comments:
Wholehearted agreement with every sentiment expressed in this letter. One other thing worth mentioning is that the Whitecaps Women are practically the national team!
The BC Soccer Web (www.bcsoccerweb.com) is 100% behind the Whitecaps' MLS bid.
Even if another team from Vancouver made it to the MLS I would not follow or cheer for them. I have been a Whitecaps fan since the 1970s and that is it.
Excellent statement Bill. Most in Vancouver know there is only 1 top tier club in Vancouver known worldwide & that's the Whitecaps.
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