Whitecaps FC

One of my favourite travel traditions is taking an annual self-indulgent, solo trip to satisfy my inner baseball nerd. Over the years, that now has me sitting at visiting 16 of the 30 major league ballparks with my brain constantly working on the logistics to tick off the final 14. The pandemic years put a halt to my progress that I’m glad is changing this year as I have plans to visit Detroit and Cleveland later this summer.

Last summer, looking to scratch the itch of live baseball, I decided to take the relatively short trip to Vancouver for a few nights of minor league baseball. The Vancouver Canadians, an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, play out of the cozy and idyllic Nat Bailey Stadium. For the low cost of $25 you can have the best seat in the house behind home plate. A beautiful Vancouver summer evening, cold local craft beers and the crack of the bat….. couldn’t be better!

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I was thrilled when the MLS schedule was released to see there was a Whitecaps FC match in Vancouver while I was visiting. After a long string of trips where I just missed out on soccer matches, this made it three in a row of visiting soccer cities and getting to see a match (Prague for a Sparta match and Rome for a Lazio match). On a picture perfect Vancouver evening, I made my way to BC Place. People were out early for the game and enjoying the sun just outside the stadium The only letdown was a malfunction in the retractable roof that kept the evening’s game from being played under a clear sky.

I was there for the doors opening so I could wander around the stadium and grab supper while watching warmups. BC Place is a beautiful place to watch a match: