A few temporary changes are being made to the Willoughby Stadium ahead of tonight's (Friday, Sept. 6's) soccer match up between the Vancouver FC Eagles and the York United FC.
With only three more home games before the VFC season wraps up, the Langley-based team is unveiling a new video screen that will offer live feed of the match, plus instant replays.
And that's not the only change in the works. They've also announced adjustments to the entry gates in time for the Sept. 6 Marvel Superhero Night.
Vancouver provided feedback opportunities following the club’s inaugural season and throughout this season to gauge the interests and recommendations of the communities VFC is serving, said Stephanie Wood, VFC's vice-president of marketing and business development.
“We are incredibly excited to be testing out these stadium upgrades on Friday,” she elaborated.
The most visible change fans will notice is the new video board in the south end of the stadium. Wood said any fans who’ve previously purchased tickets in that section will be relocated.
“We have listened to what our fans and supporters have told us and are doing everything in our power to implement improvements to our game day experiences. The end goal is to provide the best entertainment experience and these temporary adjustments are another step in us reaching that goal,” she said.
The other change is the entry gate, with the ones on the east side of the stadium being closed to the public.
The main entry gates in the northwest of the stadium will host the VIP entrance, will call, and be accessible to all other ticket holders – including for game day ticket purchases. Fans will also now be able to enter the stadium through new gates at the southwest corner of the stadium.
Also special for tonight's game, VFC is hosting a multitude of activities for all ages and opportunities to support the Langley Community Health & Hospital Foundation (LCHHF) for its Sports Injury Month campaign.
VFC is joining forces with other Langley-based sports organizations to raise funds for a new X-ray machine at Langley Memorial Hospital.
They're doing their part in a number of ways, including offering raffles for game-worn Eagle Kit jerseys from Callum Irving, Rocco Romeo, Vasco Fry, and Alejandro ‘Wero’ Díaz, as well as two pairs of Marvel boots.
All proceeds from the raffles, as well as $5 from every Eagle Kit sold on Sept. 6, will be donated to the hospital foundation, Wood explained.
Fans can still purchase tickets to the match via online or at the northwest gates of Willoughby Stadium (next to Langley Event Centre) on game day.
For more information about Sports Injury Month, please visit their website.
In the meantime, the players are focused fully on making the playoffs, having spent this week training hard ahead of the game against the visiting Toronto team.
VFC is currently holding on to the fifth and final playoff spot in their second season with the Canadian Premier League.
Although facing what head coach Afshin Ghotbi calls a tough upcoming schedule, the Eagles are only two wins away from closing the gap to York and being in contention for a home playoff game.
For tonight's (Friday, Sept. 6) game, gates will open at 6 p.m., with kick off at 7.