How big a crowd would David Beckham draw here?

[120dB]

If the L.A. Galaxy did play an exhibition game here as Bob Lenarduzzi suggested, how big a crowd would David Beckham draw here? 60,000? assuming of course the roof stays intact

[TheLionKing]

I can't see them drawing 60,000. When Pele came to town with the New York Cosmos they came nowhere close to drawing 50,000 let alone 60,000

[Lions_Fan_4_Life]

probs 40k, seriously vancouver's not the biggest soccer friendly town in the world.

[KnowItAll]

I would pay more to see Pele

[TheLionKing]

I wouldn't pay to see soccer. Too boring and too much acting for my liking.

[TheZeppo]

I can't see them drawing 60,000. When Pele came to town with the New York Cosmos they came nowhere close to drawing 50,000 let alone 60,000

huh?

Where would these 50-60,000 fans you refer to have sat? When
the New York Cosmos played in Vancouver, the biggest stadium in
town was Empire Stadium. IIRC the Cosmos, with Pele
in their lineup, last played here in 1979, and all 30,000 seats
in Empire Stadium were filled.

[TheZeppo]

I would pay more to see Pele

And you would have got your money's worth.

I saw Pele play in Vancouver in the late sixties when he was still with
his Brazilian league team (I think the team was called "Santos").
They were playing an exhibition game at Empire Stadium against
the Vancouver Royals (the predecessor of the Whitecaps). Pele
was still in his prime back then, and was simply awesome. A man
among boys!

I saw him later on when he was with the Cosmos. He had lost
a lot of his skills, but was still such a presence on the field you
always knew where he was.

[Canuck_4_Life]

Galaxy vs another MLS team: 25-30K
Galaxy vs Whitecaps: 30-35K
Galaxy vs top tier European team: 35-40K

In any event, it will have to be priced properly in order to draw well.

I saw him play when he was still at Manchester United and it was, to say the least, and underwhelming experience.

[Robbie]

If 58,452 packed BC Place on October 1, 1983 to see the final Soccer Bowl '83, I'm sure they can draw the same if Beckham came to town. Although the Whitecaps only impress a certain amount of people in Vancouver, I'm sure international soccer celebrities are still a different story.

[Jedrock43]

I worked in sporting goods for awhile and the outift I was with was based in Vancouver.. Soccer was far and away one of the two best selling sports (Basketball was the other) for them in Vancouver.. Way above football.

I think you'd be surprised at how many would show. I think minimally 50k although IMO it would sell out quite easily...


They love their soccer out there..

[Toppy Vann]

I can't see them drawing 60,000. When Pele came to town with the New York Cosmos they came nowhere close to drawing 50,000 let alone 60,000

huh?

Where would these 50-60,000 fans you refer to have sat? When
the New York Cosmos played in Vancouver, the biggest stadium in
town was Empire Stadium. IIRC the Cosmos, with Pele
in their lineup, last played here in 1979, and all 30,000 seats
in Empire Stadium were filled.

Highest Attendances for Soccer In Canada (League) (50,000+)

60,342 - Vancouver Whitecaps vs Seattle Sounders June 20, 1983 (BC Place)
60,051 - Tulsa Roughnecks vs Toronto Blizzard Oct 1, 1983 (BC Place)
58,542 - Montreal Manic vs Chicago Sting, Sept 2, 1981 (Olympic Stadium)
56,255 - Vancouver Whitecaps vs Montreal Manic July 20, 1983 (BC Place)
50,755 - Montreal Manic vs Washington Diplomats Aug 18, 1981 (Olympic Stadium)
50,205 - Vancouver Whitecaps vs New York Cosmos July 10, 1983 (BC Place)

Whitecaps partial history explains:

View below a history of the franchise.

In 1974 Vancouver is awarded a NASL (North American Soccer League) franchise.The name "Whitecaps" is chosen signifying "Whitecaps" on the water and the Mountains.

A logo is unveiled and the team debuts in front of 18,000 people at Empire Stadium against the San Jose Earthquakes losing 2-1 in a shootout.

By 1978 the Whitecaps had grown to the city's top sports franchise, and soccer had become the most popular sport in the province.

1979 was a magical year for soccer in Vancouver. Coming off a record breaking year in 1978 including a 13 game winning streak, and "North American player of the year" honors for Bob Lenarduzzi, the caps were poised to take Vancouver on a magic carpet ride that would go down in history.

The year opened with a new look, and a sign of things to come. After a high flying season, they marched into the playoffs led by "King" Kevin Hector, "Wee" Willie Johnston, Phil "Lofty" Parks, England World Cup hero Alan Ball, and homegrown star Bob Lenarduzzi.

The caps were drawn against the L. A. Aztecs and the great Johan Cruyff in the conference semi-finals. After dropping the first game 3-2 in L. A., the caps needed not only to win the return game at Empire, but also a tie-breaking mini-game. In front of jam packed full house of 32,000, the caps take the opening game 1-0 in a shoot-out, and then in nail biting finale, win the mini-game in a 1-0 shoot-out.

On to the conference finals against a star studded New York Cosmos line-up that included, the "Kaiser' Franz Beckenbauer, and Italian star Georgio Chinaglia. All 32,000 seats sell in "1 hour" for game one at Empire. In a suspense filled game, the caps win 2-0. The return game in New York will go down as one of the greatest games in North American soccer history. The Cosmos take the game to tie the series, but the caps prevailed in 1-0 shoot-out win on a goal by Derek Possee.

The Whitecaps capture the NASL "Soccer Bowl" championship - defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 on goals by Trevor Wymark. The Whitecaps come home to the largest reception in BC history, over 100,000 people.

In 1983 the Whitecaps move into BC Place. The first game, a 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders, draws 60,000 fans. The move was short lived however, for in 1984 the NASL and Whitecaps after 10 seasons folded due to league instability.

[D]

I would pay more to see Pele

And you would have got your money's worth.

I saw Pele play in Vancouver in the late sixties when he was still with
his Brazilian league team (I think the team was called "Santos").
They were playing an exhibition game at Empire Stadium against
the Vancouver Royals (the predecessor of the Whitecaps). Pele
was still in his prime back then, and was simply awesome. A man
among boys!

It was 1967 .... I was 8 and at the game

[KnowItAll]

I would pay more to see Pele

And you would have got your money's worth.

I saw Pele play in Vancouver in the late sixties when he was still with
his Brazilian league team (I think the team was called "Santos").
They were playing an exhibition game at Empire Stadium against
the Vancouver Royals (the predecessor of the Whitecaps). Pele
was still in his prime back then, and was simply awesome. A man
among boys!

It was 1967 .... I was 8 and at the game

I was 12 and the only games I got to go to was the Mounties. Lots of free baseballs though

[TheZeppo]

I would pay more to see Pele

And you would have got your money's worth.

I saw Pele play in Vancouver in the late sixties when he was still with
his Brazilian league team (I think the team was called "Santos").
They were playing an exhibition game at Empire Stadium against
the Vancouver Royals (the predecessor of the Whitecaps). Pele
was still in his prime back then, and was simply awesome. A man
among boys!

It was 1967 .... I was 8 and at the game

Good memory Derek!

That would have made me 11 at the time.

[Lions_Fan_4_Life]

If 58,452 packed BC Place on October 1, 1983 to see the final Soccer Bowl '83, I'm sure they can draw the same if Beckham came to town. Although the Whitecaps only impress a certain amount of people in Vancouver, I'm sure international soccer celebrities are still a different story.

but back then that crowd would've went to a Lions game. See my point?