Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)

Football club infobox
clubname = Vancouver Whitecaps


fullname = Vancouver Whitecaps
nickname = The 'Caps
founded = 1974
dissolved= 1984
ground = Empire Stadium (1974–1983)
BC Place (1983–1984)
Pacific Coliseum (NASL Indoor)
capacity = 30,000 (Empire)
60,000 (BC)
16,000 (Coliseum)
chairman =
manager =
league = North American Soccer League
season =
position =
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leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=000066|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=000066|socks1=FFFFFF
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_whitehorizontal|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=000066|body2=000066|rightarm2=000066|shorts2=ffffff|socks2=000066

The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Whitecaps achieved good success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home grown" stars like Bobby and Sam Lenarduzzi, Buzz Parsons, and Glen Johnson. In 1979 the team from the "Village of Vancouver" (a reference to ABC TV sportscaster Jim McKay's observation that "Vancouver must be like the deserted village right now", with so many people watching the game on TV) beat the powerhouse New York Cosmos in one of the most thrilling playoff series in NASL history to advance to the Soccer Bowl. In the Soccer Bowl, they triumphed against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a disappointed New York City.

It was during this short period that soccer interest peaked in Vancouver. The Whitecaps attendance at Empire Stadium grew to regular sellouts, at 32,000. The team also recorded two tracks, with "White is the Colour" becoming a hit on local radio during the run-up to their championship win.

After playing at Vancouver's 32,000-seat Empire Stadium for most of their existence, the team moved into the cavernous 60,000-seat BC Place Stadium in 1983. Although the novelty of the stadium drew capacity crowds for the first few games, attendance waned quickly, due to the declining league and, in the opinion of many fans, the harsh environment of the domed stadium.

With the subsequent demise of the NASL, in 1984 the Whitecaps, along with many other teams in the NASL, were forced to fold.

Honours

* Soccer Bowl winners - 1979

tatistics

Attendance

The record home attendance for a Whitecaps game was on June 20, 1983. 60,342 came to watch the caps take on the Seattle Sounders in the first game at BC Place Stadium. It is also the largest crowd to ever see a club soccer match in Canada.

NASL average attendance

*1974 10,098
*1975 7,579
*1976 8,656
*1977 11,897
*1978 15,724
*1979 22,962
*1980 26,834
*1981 23,236
*1982 18,251
*1983 29,164
*1984 15,208

Notable Former Players

*flagicon|England Alan Ball (1979-80) 38 apps 10 goals
*flagicon|England Peter Beardsley (1981-83)
*flagicon|Canada Chris Bennett (1974)
*flagicon|England Paul Bradshaw (1984)
*flagicon|Ireland Liam Buckley (1981)
*flagicon|England John Craven (footballer) (1978-80)
* David Cross (footballer) (1983/84) 46 apps 29 goals
* Ray Hankin (1980-82)
* David Harvey (1980-83) 19 apps o goals
*flagicon|England Steve Harrison (footballer) (1978)
*flagicon|England Kevin Hector (1978-80)
*flagicon|England Steve Hetzke (1976)
*flagicon|ENG Alan Hinton (1978)
*flagicon|Ireland Jimmy Holmes (1981-82)
*flagicon|England Steve Kember (1980-81)
*flagicon|England Roger Kenyon (1979-81)
*flagicon|England Ray Lewington (1979)
*flagicon|SCO Peter Lorimer (1981-83)
*flagicon|SCO Tony McAndrew (1976)
* Bob McNab (1979)
*flagicon|Ireland Mick Martin (1983-84)
* Mark Nickeas (1981-84)
*flagicon|Ireland Pierce O'Leary (1981-84)
*flagicon|ENG Charlie Palmer (1974-75)
*flagicon|ENG Derek Possee (1977-79) [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player2/derekpossee.htm]
*flagicon|SCO Davie Robb (1980) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#R]
*flagicon|ENG Jon Sammels (1978-79) [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/jonsammels.htm]
*flagicon|ENG Dave Thomas (1981) [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/davethomas.htm]
*flagicon|England Tony Towers (1984)
*flagicon|Canada Bruce Twamley (1975) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#T]
*flagicon|ENG David Watson (footballer born 1946) (1983)
*flagicon|England Trevor Whymark (1980)
*flagicon|Wales Terry Yorath (1981-82) 59 apps 4 goals
*flagicon|Rhodesia flagicon|South Africa|1928 Bruce Grobbelaar (1979-81)
*flagicon|SCO Gerry Heaney (1974)

ee also

*Vancouver Royals