A look back at a few of the top sports stories in Langley in 2016.
It was early May when the long-awaited rumour was confirmed and the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants announced their relocation to the Langley Events Centre.
The Giants had spent the first 15 years of their existence playing out of the Pacific Coliseum in East Vancouver, but made the move to the Fraser Valley as they saw their fan base dwindle.
Through the team’s first 21 home games in their new arena, they attracted a total of 78,481 fans, for an average of 3,737 per game.
But this was just one of several new events or teams to make their way to town.
WFC2, the top affiliate team of the Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC, played three games out of McLeod Athletic Park in front of packed houses in August, September and October.
Thunderbird Show Park also hosted a major event, welcoming some of the top equestrian riders from around the world in August for the Longines FEI World Cup event.
And also that month, NBA player Jamal Crawford was in town at the LEC as Surrey-based Ball Don’t Stop organized Battle at the Border, an exhibition basketball game between a team of Seattle-area professional, college and university players against their Vancouver counterparts. NHL player PK Subban was also a surprise guest at the game, which was played in front of a capacity crowd of 2,200.