Whitecaps FC
Whitecaps FC is Vancouver’s professional soccer organization. They rely on ticket sales and donations to help them donate money to charities and soccer matches to build their fanbase. With the season being stopped a few matches in, there is not very much money flowing through the Whitecaps to charities and no matches no entertain viewers, so the Whitecaps have adapted to the situation at hand to try and solve these problems. Some of the things they have been doing are as follows:
- Sell face masks with Whitecaps and VanAquarium designs on them to save the Aquarium
- They have sold over 100,000 masks
- All net sales benefits go towards the aquarium
- 10 max. per order
- Reruns of past soccer games
- Putting on at-home skills clinics on Wednesdays as well
- as stay home challenges
- Whitecaps players have been training from home and have recently began non-contact training on the field in small groups
- Feature frontline heroes on their social media
- They have introduced a children’s program called ‘Caps Clubhouse
- Includes a book reading session with Spike, a player or club ambassador, and a sign-language interpreter, an energizing mid-episode stretch, at home activity (sing-a-long, arts and crafts, etc.), and every Friday episode features a dance tutorial with the BCAA mascot Blue
- Sell limited edition print by local artist Carson Ting to support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (see picture above)
- All proceeds benefit the GVFB
- 4 max. per order
- Available in colour and in Blue
- Features frontline workers, Seth Rogan, Bonnie Henry, and more.
In the past, Whitecaps have done auctions of Whitecaps Swag including signed jerseys, soccer, balls, hats, etc. I think that I would hold an online auction with items like these to raise money for a charity. I think I would choose BCCH as to donate at least some of the money to as they use their 50/50 ticket sales during home matches to raise money for BCCH and they cannot do those at the moment because of the pandemic.
Another thing that I think that I might do during these times would be to offer “chalk talks” by coaches in the club to explain different positions and systems to the public and maybe even Whitecaps players to continue player development and game understanding.