A new era in soccer opens Sunday on the Island, as the long-held dream of a domestic Canadian pro league is finally realized when Pacific FC meets HFX Wanderers of Halifax at a still-under-construction Westhills Stadium in Langford.
The game is officially sold out, with 5,100 tickets purchased.
“I’ve always said this is a soccer community and a soccer Island, and this response shows it,” said Josh Simpson, president and co-owner of Pacific FC.
“This is a dream come true.”
Workers are scrambling to get Westhills ready for Pacific FC’s inaugural game, but Simpson vowed the facility will be prepared to host its first Canadian Premier League game.
He pointed to the flurry of activity around the stadium Friday and said: “Langford is relentless.”
Stadium seating is being expanded from its original 1,718.
“There is a team of Italians from the seating company working in conjunction with Langford crews,” Simpson said. “There has been the buzz of several hundred workers in every corner of the pitch the last three weeks. And it will not stop until the summer.”
Westhills will eventually seat 6,000 once work is completed in August. A permanent west grandstand still needs to be constructed behind the goal.
“But we are match-day ready for football Sunday. It will be an outstanding atmosphere with [the Pacific FC team colour] purple everywhere,” said Simpson, who came out of the Juan de Fuca youth association to play pro soccer in Europe and represent Canada 43 times.
It wasn’t easy getting even to this point, primarily due to several weeks of work lost because of the winter snow.
Simpson compared it to the opening of Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, where construction dust was still in the air and the paint was barely dry before the first event in 2005, prompting Rod Stewart and his band and back-up singers to famously take to the stage in hard hats.
Selling out Pacific FC’s opener is one thing. Sustaining that momentum will be the true measure of the Canadian Premier League venture, as Canada attempts to end the sporting shame of being the only advanced nation without a domestic pro soccer league.
“We are now pointing to Wednesday night and encouraging fans to buy season tickets,” Simpson said. Pacific FC’s second home game is on Wednesday, against Valour FC of Winnipeg.
Langford Mayor Stew Young noted that his city is seeing plenty of sporting activity. The Westhills Stadium upgrade has attracted pro soccer. The Canadian boxing championships are taking place this week on Bear Mountain. The women’s rugby Canada Sevens is coming next month to Westhills.
A boxing centre and climbing wall will soon be constructed. Young met this week with Cycling Canada officials to plan a potential major national road race. And more than 100 Olympians in various sports are training in Langford.
“Watching all this sport in our community in turn inspires our youth to be active,” he said.
