BC Place is getting awfully close to opening up again in Vancouver. I noticed this post over at stadiumporn.com (awesome name btw). The light panels on the outside of the stadium are pretty sweet. And that roof. Wowzers.

(H/T to SF for posting this).

While the Vancouver Whitecaps are set to announce their first MLS head coach today, the club also posted a cool video about the progress of their future home at BC Place. I gotta say the roof-in-roof design is pretty sweet. I can’t wait to see the final product next year when its finished.

(H/T to MLS Insider for posting this)

We learned earlier this morning about Portland’s stadium upgrades that will soon be coming but what about their MLS expansion mates Vancouver? Well it turns out they probably won’t be playing in BC Place right away in 2011 but instead will be in a temporary venue.

They will (along with CFL side BC Lions) play at Empire Field’s temporary stadium as seen above.

The temporary stadium is expected to seat around 26,000, with covered stands, and will also feature luxury suites.

Yes, this is a temporary stadium. Honestly I don’t know the location of this stadium in regards to downtown Vancouver but damn this seems like a good option to have for Vancouver, even if it will be playing on FieldTurf (yes another new club coming in with that stuff).

I won’t lie either, this temporary digs looks better than some current stadiums in MLS.

The old Empire Stadium in Vancouver.

Here’s some interesting news about Vancouver’s expansion bid that most may not know of yet. They will have to play in two different stadiums in their first year in Major League Soccer in 2011. The Vancouver Sun is reporting today that due to the renovations to BC Place the expansion Whitecaps (or whatever they will be called) will also play an unknown number of home games at a temporary facility on the old Empire Stadium.

“It means a bit of an inconvenience for a few games, but then there’s a pretty good trade off at the end,” said Lenarduzzi, carekeeper of Greg Kerfoot and Co.’s $35-million investment. “The most important thing was getting the certainty of the retractable roof and everything else that comes with the improvements.”

“They [MLS] were originally concerned, like we all were, but once the financing for the upgrades got done they were more than okay,” Lenarduzzi said. “

Very interesting that we didn’t hear about this until now but I suppose it is better late than never. A lot of clubs go through temporary sites before they get into their home stadiums in this league so we shouldn’t be too concerned over this news. I’d imagine the league may even be able to set the schedule up in a way that sees them on the road early on so they only have to play a game or two at the most at this temporary venue.

According to the reports, the roof should still be finished in time for the start of the 2011 season for the Whitecaps.

The Globe and Mail has learned that both B.C. Lions owner David Braley and Vancouver Canucks chairman Francesco Aquilini have expressed interest in partnering with the province.

In theory, either man could help finance the project in exchange for the right to develop provincially owned land – some of the last available real estate in downtown Vancouver – around the stadium. It is also possible that a private investor could demand control over operations of the facility, which is currently held by PavCo, a Crown corporation.

Earlier this season there was reports that the funding had gone dry for this project. Hearing that there could be true hope for this project really helps the Vancouver MLS bid out. Had the roof now been part of the stadium plan there could have been a chance at the league removing the franchise from the city (though honestly I think that was a long shot at happening).

As of today the league should be pretty happy to hear that their two 2011 clubs are in good standing for their stadium situations that have been ongoing since their bids were announced earlier this year.

We’ve been talking long and hard about Portland’s troubles with their stadium but now it looks like Vancouver could be joining the mix? While both cities were awarded expansion bids it went with certain stadium situations that the league agreed on. Now Portland seems to have taken care of their issues but now Vancouver could be headed down a tough road of stadium fun.

Reports coming out of Canada suggest the retractable roof plan for BC Place, the home of the Vancouver expansion club, are either on hold or off the table all together.

Construction on the downtown Vancouver stadium was expected to start soon after it serves as host for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics, and was part of a larger overhaul of the facility that was expected to be finished by the summer of 2011.

But a source told Global News on Tuesday that the roof replacement may no longer be a key government priority and it may be forced to pull its funding in the current economic climate. It means the project could face some serious delays or be cancelled altogether, the report said.

Delays to the upgrade could also jeopardize the city’s hope of landing a Major League Soccer franchise. The Vancouver Whitecaps was awarded the league’s second Canadian franchise in March based on a bid that included a refurbished stadium.

“That won’t be a great scenario for us,” Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi said of the possible delays or cancellations. “The fact that it was going to be an open-air stadium was something that was very appealing to the MLS.”

Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi was on “It’s called Football” (btw, you need to check that show out if you haven’t yet) yesterday and said that he did not expect any problems with the roof at BC Place.

You have to wonder what really is going on surrounding this deal in Vancouver and if it could really hurt the expansion plans there for MLS.

We saw things finally go the right way for MLS in Portland so we can only hope it ends up that way in Vancouver. I’m sure more stories of this will be coming out before long so just stay tuned!

Well, that was kind of quick. Just a short while after posting about the potential issues that could surround BC Place and it’s renovation to include a retractable roof are now somewhat resolved. The NDP who was threatening to take the roof renovations off the menu have claimed that it was a “Liberal lie.”

The NDP also claimed to have always been in support of the retractable roof at BC Place.

Whatever. All it really means is the roof renovations are still a go and BC Place is back on track to becoming a good soccer venue for MLS. That’s all that is important here folks.

Yes, there is a potential issue with BC Place and its renovations to do a retractable roof. No roof on retractable roof could really hurt this venue.

The proposed slashing of the retractable roof will additionally limit the facility as a venue for concerts and other events, according to Mayenknecht. Thus, it’s not simply the costs that need to be compared, but also the potential lost revenue. He calculates that the net difference between the original retractable roof plan and a cheap fixed roof would work out to only about $125-150 million. Yes, that’s a fair bit of money, but is it really enough to sabotage two beloved professional sports teams for?

Moreover, this is a ready-made infrastructure investment, which the NDP should be all in favour of. The plans are completed, the money’s been found, and the renovations will provide jobs in the construction community and the services sector once the new facility opens. Green and Martignago go into more detail on the matter in their post:

“PavCo estimates that the full renovation and retractable roof plan will generate $100 M in annual economic activity, cause savings in energy costs associated with a fixed air-supported roof and create more than 2,000 jobs. Government officials have reported that 300 people are already working on-site on the initial phases of the renovation.

Estimates for the economic impact of an MLS franchise playing at BC Place are in the $25 M per annum range. The BC Lions could drive $35 M to $40 M annually with the increased attendance projected from a retractable roof. The 2011 CFL Grey Cup would generate at least $75 M (based on results from the last hosting in 2005).”

So what does this mean for the Whitecaps and MLS? Could mean a tough break for soccer in Vancouver. I had my doubts about BC Place until I saw the plans for it to be come a facility similar to Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt, Germany. Without those kinds of plans in place this facility will not work out in the long run for the club and for the league.

Its almost back to hoping the owners can get that Waterfront Stadium sooner rather than later again.