Celebration Matches

As part of celebrations for International Women’s Day, our Women & Girls in Sport Match honours the incredible women and girls working, playing, and setting new standards in sports. Recently it featured:

• The launch of a new Whitecaps FC Women & Girls in Sport logo by local artists and Whitecaps FC designers Nicolle Arzua and Ambar Ochoa
• Pre-match festivities including a clinic coached by the Girls Elite coaches and players as well as a Women's Soccer Rally with Stephanie Labbe, Emma Humphries, and Georgia Simmerling
• Match to the March led by the South Sisters
• Live pitchside mural painting by professional athlete portrait artist Carling Jackson
• Halftime mini matches with teams from the North Shore Girls Soccer Club, Canada’s largest female-first soccer club

Our Vaisakhi Match celebrates our vibrant South Asian community and the Solar New Year, with an event that captures one of the main principles of the Sikh culture: Love for all people, and equality among them. This Celebration Match is consistently an explosion of bright colour and local talent, recently featuring:

• The debut of a new Whitecaps FC Vaisakhi logo by local artist Jessie Sohpaul, along with limited-edition Vaisakhi scarves and shirts
• Match to the March led by the Sikh Motorcycle Club
• Spectacular pre-match and halftime bhangra performances by the Shan-E-Punjab Arts Club
• Music by acclaimed artist DJ Heer and national anthem sung by award-winning Bollywood singer Jugpreet Bajwa, plus a halftime performance by world-renowned recording artist Jazzy B

Our Indigenous Peoples Celebration Match uplifts the community of our Indigenous Nations and honours the shared lands on which we play. Delivered in partnership with the Host Nations, it recently featured:

• The return of the commemorative logo designed by Musqueam artist Debra Sparrow
• A pre-match soccer jamboree with participants from Musqueam Nation, Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Katzie First Nation, and shíshálh Nation Youth Soccer
• An Indigenous Artists’ Market on Terry Fox Plaza
• A live paddle carving by Canoe Cultures, dedicated to the art and culture of the canoe
• Host Nation performance of the Coast Salish anthem
• Performances by DJ O Show, Tsatsu Stalqayu (Coastal Wolf Pack), and Madelaine McCallum

Our Pride Match celebrates the unifying power of love along with our 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The 10th annual Pride Match was a recent milestone, and featured:

• A ‘Caps and Queens Drag Happy Hour to kick off the festivities
• The return of the Whitecaps FC Pride logo designed by local artist Christina Hryc
• The launch of the limited-edition Whitecaps FC Pride scarf, and Love Unites warm-up tops
• A special performance by the Rainbow Concert Band, Canada's only LGBTQ2S+ concert band, and a halftime lip-syncing performance by drag queen Synthia Kiss
• A $10,000 donation from the Club to non-profit organization QMUNITY, with all proceeds going directly to support mental health services for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and at-risk youth.