WHO'S ON THE V LIST? - Virani Real Estate Advisors

1974. He’s served as coach and now administrator, and he’s never been
more optimistic. “Greg’s commitment is for the long haul,” Lenarduzzi
says. “So we can build from the bottom up, and that’s what we’re
doing.”
>>>Already the Whitecaps organization has grown from one men’s and
one women’s team to 16 teams, including youth and reserve squads.
Last year’s handful of sellout games were a good indication that they are
heading in the right direction. Maybe his passion stems from his Italian
roots, but Lenarduzzi is positive that this stadium is the ticket to the next
level.
>>>Of course it’s the pinnacle tournament, but he points to the
excitement generated by the World Cup as a signal of the sport’s
potential. This summer, Germany impeccably hosted the event,
watched by an accumulated audience of 34 billion. Billed as “the fans’
World Cup,” it seemed to demonstrate more than ever the global
appeal of soccer. Unlikely teams proved themselves against perennial
powerhouses. The Ukraine, competing for the fi rst time, reached
the quarter fi nals, and Australia also emerged from its group. Ghana
defeated pre-tournament favourites from the Czech Republic, and tiny
Trinidad and Tobago earned fan points by putting up a good fi ght against
England in a 2-0 loss. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by
South Africa, furthering soccer’s foothold in every corner of the earth.
>>>In Canada this summer, World Cup games attracted 38 million
accumulated viewers. “Those numbers are staggering,” he points out.
“That’s a pretty good base to work from.”
>>>In his effort to build more fan support, Lenarduzzi hopes to attract
more interest from Vancouver’s multicultural communities. In July, the
Whitecaps hosted the Nations Cup, bringing in teams from Cardiff City
(Wales), China and India. The Indian games drew more than 5,000
local fans. Giving credit to Kerfoot’s willingness to test markets like this,
Lenarduzzi imagines the club playing host to other nations, such as Iran.
The new stadium will likely be the primary venue for the 2011 Women’s
World Cup, an event that is growing tremendously in popularity.
The old fans that drifted away from soccer after 1984 may have been
unimpressed with the level of play. By the time the new stadium is built,
Lenarduzzi aims to have the men’s Whitecaps playing in the Major
League Soccer, which is the best in North America. Already the stadium
has proven at least an initial appeal, as 61 companies have made initial
deposits for suites.
LIFESTYLE
>>>In a professional career that began at age 15, Lenarduzzi visited
many stadiums. And yet when he’s asked which one was his favourite,
it’s not a shiny new facility that springs to his mind, or the scene of a
personal triumph. It’s Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, where he played
several times in World Cup qualifying games. He even jokes that his
Canadian squad was welcome there because they were easy targets for
the Mexicans.
>>>The concrete structure is not architecturally interesting, and when it’s
empty it looks old and gray. What makes it fantastic is the people. With
120,000 fans perched on a steep incline and screaming for their team,
the player on the fi eld feels like the walls are falling down. “We just need
to get some of that passion here,” he says. “And we will.”