- 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 =
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=_horizontalonwhite|pattern_ra1=
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=000066The 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 1979Soccer Bowl . The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home grown" stars like Bobby andSam Lenarduzzi ,Buzz Parsons , and Glen Johnson. In 1979 the team from the "Village of Vancouver" (a reference to ABC TV sportscasterJim McKay 's observation that "Vancouver must be like the deserted village right now", with so many people watching the game on TV) beat the powerhouseNew York Cosmos in one of the most thrilling playoff series in NASL history to advance to theSoccer Bowl . In the Soccer Bowl, they triumphed against theTampa Bay Rowdies in a disappointedNew 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 - 1979tatistics
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 15,208Notable Former Players
*flagicon|England Alan Ball (1979-80) 38 apps 10 goals
*flagicon|EnglandPeter Beardsley (1981-83)
*flagicon|Canada Chris Bennett (1974)
*flagicon|EnglandPaul Bradshaw (1984)
*flagicon|IrelandLiam Buckley (1981)
*flagicon|EnglandJohn 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|EnglandSteve Harrison (footballer) (1978)
*flagicon|EnglandKevin Hector (1978-80)
*flagicon|EnglandSteve Hetzke (1976)
*flagicon|ENGAlan Hinton (1978)
*flagicon|IrelandJimmy Holmes (1981-82)
*flagicon|EnglandSteve Kember (1980-81)
*flagicon|EnglandRoger Kenyon (1979-81)
*flagicon|EnglandRay Lewington (1979)
*flagicon|SCOPeter Lorimer (1981-83)
*flagicon|SCOTony McAndrew (1976)
*Bob McNab (1979)
*flagicon|IrelandMick Martin (1983-84)
*Mark Nickeas (1981-84)
*flagicon|IrelandPierce O'Leary (1981-84)
*flagicon|ENGCharlie Palmer (1974-75)
*flagicon|ENGDerek Possee (1977-79) [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player2/derekpossee.htm]
*flagicon|SCODavie Robb (1980) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#R]
*flagicon|ENGJon 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|EnglandTony Towers (1984)
*flagicon|CanadaBruce Twamley (1975) [http://home.att.net/~nasl/players.htm#T]
*flagicon|ENGDavid Watson (footballer born 1946) (1983)
*flagicon|EnglandTrevor Whymark (1980)
*flagicon|WalesTerry Yorath (1981-82) 59 apps 4 goals
*flagicon|Rhodesia flagicon|South Africa|1928Bruce Grobbelaar (1979-81)
*flagicon|SCOGerry Heaney (1974)ee also
*
Vancouver Royals
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