An investment group has come forward to buy the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the Major League Soccer club to Las Vegas.
The group is led by Grant Gustavson, grandson of B. Wayne Hughes, founder of Public Storage. The Whitecaps were put up for sale 16 months ago. However, no buyers had emerged publicly until Thursday.
“In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to the opportunity to share more, however, out of respect for the league’s deliberations and community stakeholders, we are refraining from sharing details of our proposal,” Gustavson said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to work for a positive outcome for the game, the fans, the league and Las Vegas.”
Gustavson said the investment group will privately finance the deal to buy and relocate the team. It is not connected to any recently announced arena ideas in Las Vegas.
Whitecaps Future
Major League Soccer said it would “evaluate all options” for the Whitecaps’ future, including a possible move. The team currently plays at BC Place, which will host seven games of this summer’s World Cup. However, the league says the lease situation is untenable. In addition, it also prefers a soccer-specific stadium.
“It’s reaching a critical point,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. British Columbia’s government recently said it is working with the Whitecaps to help lower costs and generate more revenue at BC Place. However, it will not buy the team to prevent it from moving.
Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs and economic growth, said the team is now using the stadium at no cost and any breaks received this year could be extended for another year.
“Look, I think we should all be concerned,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said after the congress at the Vancouver Convention Center. “That concern predates Vegas coming into the picture. We’ve been working on this for more than a year. We can’t control what other groups interested in our team do. All we can do is control our destiny.”
Eric Butler is a Contributor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on Instagram and X via @ReportandOpine
