There has always been an abundance of lush green grass in Vancouver, but one place in particular has been void of it, and that’s BC Place. That has changed, as a newly installed grass surface is in place ahead of tomorrow’s match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Ryan Reynolds’ club, Wrexham AFC.
The installation of real grass began on Sunday, with 30 trucks delivering the natural surface from Washington state.
The request for grass to be installed at BC Place was made by Wrexham and Australian event promoter TEG Sport. The grass surface will be in place for this match only. It’s a first for BC Place, which won’t see real grass again until 2026, when the FIFA World Cup comes to town.
Similar to some Copa America venues, a protective layer and concert floor boards lie between the artificial turf and the real grass that will be played on. Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster quelled concerns related to the club playing on the recently installed grass surface.
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“I’m not [concerned],” Schuster told Daily Hive. “It’s the same construction that they have used for Copa [America]. I know people were complaining about it, but I don’t think it was really a health risk, it was just not the best surface to play [on]. I’m very confident that it will be good and it will not have a negative impact on the health of our players.”
Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld will not be available for the Wrexham match as he recovers from a grade 1 MCL sprain he suffered on July 20 against Houston at BC Place.
Prior to his injury, Gauld spoke to Daily Hive about the preference to play on grass.
“I have no idea how it’s working, how it’s going to get installed and stuff,” Gauld said. “Judging by what guys are saying at Copa America, the managers didn’t seem to like the pitches that had just been laid down on top of turf. Hopefully, ours can be in a better condition. If you ask any player, we all prefer to be playing on grass so hopefully it’s a good pitch and something we might see in the future.”
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There is plenty of curiosity from players and fans in the buildup to Saturday afternoon and that extends to Vanni Sartini who notes the uniqueness of having a grass surface in place.
“We never put the grass on the pitch,” Sartini told Daily Hive. “I don’t know, we will see. I think that they will do everything perfectly, so no problem. But of course, it’s going to be strange also to maybe play at BC Place with natural grass.”
The longest-tenured Whitecaps first team player is looking forward to the opportunity to play on a surface that has not been previously present at BC Place.
“I’m excited,” Ryan Raposo said. “I think grass is what will take BC Place to the next level of being probably one of the best stadiums in the league. I’m excited to play on the grass and I know a lot of the guys are.”
Neither Wrexham nor the Whitecaps were scheduled to have a training session on the grass surface at BC Place this week. Wrexham arrived in Vancouver on Thursday after playing Chelsea to a 2-2 draw in Santa Clara, California on grass at Levi’s Stadium.
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Not having an opportunity to get a feel for the grass and the way the ball plays on the grass surface is preferred by Schuster and the Whitecaps who will train elsewhere.
“I think it’s actually even better for the grass that no one trains on it,” Schuster said. “I think every session will be demanding for the grass. It’s better with no training and to have it completely new and fresh.”
The Whitecaps are on a break from MLS as they prepare for two of Leagues Cup matches next week.
“We’ll approach the game to give everyone around 45 minutes to play,” Sartini said. “We’ll see if we have a full team with the first team players so we don’t need the young guys. If we don’t have 20 outfield players, we’ll call some of the young guys that deserve the recognition and a closer look from us.”
Sources can confirm to Daily Hive that there is no contractual agreement in place regarding the number of first team players that Vancouver must play in the match against Wrexham.
The vendor selected for the grass surface was primarily selected for their ability to meet the promoter’s requirements within the tight timeline in place for this match.
“Hopefully they can do a good job of laying it down,” Gauld said. “It can just be a fun 90 minutes for everyone to watch and there’s no big talking points about the turf after.”
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