Swangard Stadium may become home of Vancouver Rise FC

Vancouver Rise FC, a new soccer club partially owned by well-known Burnaby soccer player Christine Sinclair, is currently in talks with the City of Burnaby to decide whether the club’s new home will be located in Swangard Stadium. 

The club’s chief business officer, Sinead King, presented the proposal to council on Monday, Oct. 21. A 28-page document accompanied the proposal and is available to the public on the city’s website. 

Vancouver Rise FC is a new women’s professional soccer club. Recently, Burnaby-born Sinclair joined the club’s owners. The club aims to launch its inaugural season in April 2025. 

According to the proposal, the stadium will require significant upgrades for the club to make Swangard Stadium its home. The proposal provides the following list of needed upgrades: 

• Grass Pitch Maintenance: Enhanced mowing and maintenance specifications. 

• Seating Capacity: Expansion to 6,000+ seats with backs, with a gradual increase to 9,000 seats by Year 3, in line with anticipated attendance growth (6,000 in Year 1, 7,500 in Year 2, and 9,000 in Year 3). 

• Locker Rooms: Renovations are needed to meet the new layout and sizing requirements. 

• Scoreboard: Upgrade to a modern, high-definition scoreboard. 

• Branding: Installation of permanent NSL and Vancouver Rise FC branding at the stadium. 

• Design Enhancements: Improvements in aesthetics inside and outside the stadium, including colour schemes and general cosmetics. 

• Interior Design: Upgrades to locker rooms and other interior spaces such as corridors. 

• Staffing: Development of a staffing plan to handle increased event needs due to higher attendance.

The proposal suggests a cost-sharing model with the city and several funding sources, including the Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF), Annual Facility Grant (Accessibility), Capital Grant Program, Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program, and the Enabling Accessibility Fund. 

During the council meeting, most council members enthusiastically supported the proposal, but several spoke about the effect of the stadium’s use on the various cultural events that take place in Swangard. According to the proposal document, the project will affect several large festivals including Pinoy Festival, Bubble Tea Festival, and Pumpkins After Dark.

“A significant part as well is that it is used for cultural festivals by groups that really have nowhere else to go, and that’s why they’re there. This past summer, over just the eight weeks, there were probably five cultural festivals,” Coun. Maita Santiago said. “I’m excited to see what might be possible, as long as current community users aren’t displaced or negatively affected.”

Coun. Sav Dhaliwal commented on the timeline, saying it would be too short to complete the upgrades. 

“Another challenge that has been already mentioned by my colleagues, is about the commitments that we already have to some of those groups that would be conflicting with your schedule. And of course, once we make this commitment to schedule, it would be the one that we will honor,” Dhaliwal said. 

City to expand IMBL program to include home healthcare providers

During the meeting, council members voted on a proposal to expand the Metro West Inter-Municipal Business Licences (IMBL) to include mobile healthcare providers and to adjust the IMBL fees. 

“As a result of a request submitted by representatives of mobile health care operators, the IMBL working group undertook a review and has agreed to seek approval of each of the respective Metro West municipal Councils to expand the Metro West IMBL definition of ‘inter-municipal business’,” said a staff report submitted to council. “The review found that home health care and other in-home support services businesses are good candidates for the Metro West IMBL. Many of these mobile businesses serve clients in multiple Lower Mainland municipalities providing services such as midwifery, registered massage therapy, fitness training, and counselling services, among others.” 

Dhaliwal expressed concerns regarding the proposal and whether it would replace essential healthcare services that the government should provide. 

“I think we want to be sure that we’re not competing with something that is currently a responsibility and also an aspirational objective of our health authorities to provide those services. If that is the case, then I think we need to have some more consultation on this before we continue to support private businesses…instead of services that are available through health care systems,” Dhaliwal said.

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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