Saying good-bye to an Empire

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It was home to the BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps for over a year and the latter will play their final game there tonight.  News1130 caught up with Whitecaps President Bob Lenarduzzi who says the whole experience has been a trip down memory lane.

“Certainly for me who played with the original Whitecaps at the old Empire Stadium.  But I can tell you I get as uptight before a game now as I did when I was playing.”

He adds it’s also been nostalgic for soccer fans who watched the team play at Empire during the 1970s.

Looking ahead to their new and improved home at BC Place, Lenarduzzi explains they’ll actually have a second roof.  “It comes out over the lower bowl and then goes up to either the roof or the opening in the roof.”

The team was adamant about that feature to help keep that ‘intimate feeling.’  “We will have seats down on the field, on three sides of the field aside from where the coaches benches are.  Fans will be right up next to the action.”

The club’s first game at BC Place is October 2nd against the Portland Timbers.

BC Place strike

The BC Lions’ first game at BC Place is safe, but all games after that could be in peril.  A strike vote will be held on September 29th for unionized workers at the newly renovated stadium.

“This is not about money, it is about job security.  Christy Clark spent the week talking about wanting to create jobs yet her own crown corporation is trying to get rid of them.  We know that BC Place is already contracted out our security jobs to Genesis Security,” says Karen Tankard is with the BC Government and Service Employees Union.

If the staff votes to strike, it would mean the union would be able to give 72-hours notice, but there is no word on what would happen after that.

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