New bid could keep Vancouver Whitecaps in B.C., minister says

A local business group wants to buy the MLS team and keep it in the city, a B.C. minister said—offering fans renewed hope.

There is new hope for Whitecaps fans in Vancouver, after Jobs and Economic Growth Minister Ravi Kahlon revealed a potential bid that could keep the team in the city.

“I hear a new bid has come forward to keep the team here in British Columbia,” the minster told reporters in Victoria on Wednesday afternoon.

“The bid so far seems interesting, it seems like it’s grounded in a plan to keep the team here, and that’s all I can share. We don’t have the details of what the bid is right now, other than there’s a group of business leaders that have come together to try to keep the team here.”

Kahlon said he would leave it to the group to share the information publicly when they are ready, adding “I would say sooner would be better because there’s a lot of anxiety amongst Whitecaps fans that they want to see a local proponent come forward.”

The minister’s comments come just hours after Vancouver Whitecaps FC CEO Axel Schuster gave an update on the future of the club Wednesday morning.

The media roundtable came amid growing speculation that the team may be sold and moved to the U.S.

“Silence means only that we are very hard working,” Schuster told reporters. “You can imagine we have a lot of things to do right now.”

Schuster shared that top MLS executives will return to the city next week to continue conversations, and that “there should be no doubt the league is continuing to work towards a solution in Vancouver.”

• Related: The Whitecaps are a top team in the MLS. Why is Vancouver struggling to keep them?

The club has been up for sale since the end of 2024. The current ownership group—which includes Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett and former NBA star Steve Nash—says despite discussions with more than 100 parties, no viable local offer has emerged to keep the team in the city.

Anxiety has been growing amongst Whitecaps faithful, as an investor group from Las Vegas has submitted a bid to major league soccer to buy and re-locate the team.

Supporters have spent the past few weeks rallying to try and keep the team in the city. Fans held a “Save the Caps” rally outside the Vancouver Convention Centre last week, while the FIFA Congress was taking place. At a game in April, hundreds of people marched to the stadium behind a giant banner reading “Save the Caps.” Once inside, more than 2,000 fans held signs with the same message as players walked out onto the field.

Schuster said that support is not going unnoticed.

“I have seen a lot more people reaching out who want to help and think they can be part of a solution,” he said.

Still, he cautions that team officials “haven’t seen an increase in people or new people who really want to buy the whole club,” and says he doesn’t want to create false hope.

Complicating matters is the team’s stadium situation.

The Whitecaps play at BC Place, a provincially owned, multi-use venue that limits revenue opportunities compared to soccer-specific stadiums.

Schuster said the main thing the club needs is more match day revenue, and that they are open to looking at every possible solution.

“Is it us managing, is it a different deal, is it partnering, is it working in certain categories or areas together, is it running events together in a different way?” he said.

But he says that the stadium alone is not the answer to the club’s problems, noting that they are also “at the bottom end of corporate sponsorships” in the league.

“I understand the concerns,” said Schuster. “That doesn’t mean we are not working on solutions, that doesn’t mean that I am not also hopeful that we will find a solution, but I am concerned.”

When asked why the team doesn’t just pack up and go, Schuster said it wasn’t an option.

“I have to give everything and try everything, that’s our mentality,” he said.

With files from CTV’s Andrew Johnson and The Canadian Press