ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦

On Sunday at Willoughby Community Park we mark 'One Year Out' as the Vancouver FC countdown to the 2026 World Cup begins – that is the biggest, most watched sporting event on earth coming to Vancouver for the first time. 
 
There were 128 million viewers of this year's Super Bowl – while more than five billion people will watch the World Cup action unfold from June 2026, with over 900,000 visitors expected in our beautiful city for the eight games being hosted locally. 

Compared to the 500,000 visitors for the 2010 Winter Olympics, the World Cup will be the biggest draw to the region since the transformational Expo 86 nearly 40 years ago. Maximizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity is one of the core reasons why in 2022 we founded Vancouver FC in ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦.
 
We are entering a moment in time where we can change the sport of soccer in Canada forever.

The Canadian Premier League (CPL) was created to fill the missing link for talented young players, administrators, coaches, and officials looking for exposure to professional soccer through an interconnected global football ecosystem – a gap that was created upon the failure of the Canadian Soccer League in 1992. 

In modern times, this made Canada the only developed country in the world without a tier 1 domestic professional league – until the CPL arrived in 2019 (as a condition of being eligible to host a World Cup). 

While the Whitecaps have always tried their best to foster home grown talent, it was always a challenge as a Canadian team in the U.S. domestic professional league (MLS) – significantly limiting opportunities for Canadians to the select few and leaving everyone else to find their own path or give up the sport forever.
 
Kids in our community deserve a clear pathway from grassroots up through the ranks of playing professionally, to progress further, achieve their dreams and work towards representing Canada at future World Cups.

We are a nation full of soccer talent, we just didn’t know it because our kids had to stand out as stars at 13 given the few opportunities, instead of having the time to develop and mature.
 
In two short years, VFC has created pathways for many future stars, such as Grady McDonnell and James Cameron. Kevin Podgorni is our latest starlet to earn an international call-up with Canada's U-17s, just months after signing his first pro contract.

Such is the abundance of young talent in our ranks, we had the honour of hosting national team head coach Jesse Marsch last week to watch our draw with Atletico Ottawa. In his quest to bolster the national system, he was very keen to see our guys in action.

Our success in achieving this long-term aim is also the success of the incredible youth academies and leagues in B.C.

We hope to shine a light on them by building out the next steps for the talented kids they bring through, collectively building a strong team Canada for many generations to come. This can only be done in collaboration with organizations such as ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ United Soccer Association, Fraser Valley Soccer League, and beyond. 
 
The mindset of investing back into the game has never been more prevalent than around a World Cup – with preliminary estimates suggesting the tournament could generate more than $1 billion for B.C.'s tourism sector alone.

So, it’s important soccer and sport benefits directly from this.

While hockey remains Canada’s game, soccer is the global game, and the most participated sport in Canada.

To capture increasing popularity of the sport for both men and women, and to continue strengthening our national teams, it is critical that governments consider investing in better infrastructure to complement the work being done.

Vancouver Football Club is on a long-term journey.

We will continue to compete for championships, but ultimately what we are doing is a bold mission to develop a permanent and sustainable soccer ecosystem that unlocks the future of our youth that love the beautiful game.

The World Cup is a huge milestone on that journey and the countdown starts on Sunday, June 15.

Sunday's One-Year-Out celebration precedes the club's and from 11 a.m. at Willoughby Community Park and ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ Events Centre will be bustling with a pre-game family tailgate, free hotdogs, live music, facepainting, and World Cup themed giveaways.

– Dean Shillington is the co-owner of Vancouver FC – alongside Rob Friend – and managing partner of SixFive Sports & Entertainment.