Yesterday, we had a site survey at the new Empire Field on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds in Vancouver. The temporary Stadium is constructed on the former site of Empire Stadium which is steeped with history. It was the site of the British Empire Games (Commonwealth Games) which included the Miracle Mile. Elvis and the Beatles both played short concerts there and it hosted the BC Lions and Vancouver Whitecaps in their peak years. It also has the distinction of hosting a Stadium ski jump event. Makes you think that it would have been an interesting venue for the Olympics. If not for ski jump perhaps for Medal Ceremonies.

This will be the temporary home for the BC Lions in in the 2010 and part of the 2011 seasons. Our first reaction on entering the stadium was how intimate and clean the venue looks. It will be a great place to watch a football game. It actually has the feel of a European soccer stadium. Can’t wait to see the Whitecaps in 2011 in the MLS. The venue construction was handled by Nussli, a Swiss company that we worked with at Whistler on the Paralympic Closing venue. We’ve seen other examples of their work around the world and they are all quite impressive.

I imagine there will be some initial challenges as people figure out the best route to the Stadium and where the washrooms and concessions are but once people settle into a routine it should make for an exciting venue for a couple of seasons.

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