'We definitely will run out': Pacific FC's championship win sends merchandise and season ticket sales soaring
It was a welcome at the Victoria International Airport reserved only for champions.
When Pacific FC made their way out of the arrivals gate on Monday, they were greeted by cheering fans. Many of those fans have been supporting the team since its inception three years ago.
"The championship is the first of many for sure but that doesn’t diminish the once-in-a-lifetime feeling of it," said one fan.
"This is the championship that we’ve been waiting for," said another.
"Having these fans come out means everything," said Jamar Dixon, a Pacific FC player.
When Pacific FC scored the winning goal in Sunday’s game, a 55-year Vancouver Island championship drought was lifted, and with that comes some obvious benefits.
"Since Sunday night we’ve done quite well," said Alexa Costa, director of partnerships and business operations with Pacific FC. "People are excited to get their hands on (merchandise)."
The league has put out a championship line of team swag. It’s exclusively sold through the team’s online store and the demand has been nothing short of staggering.
"I’m up 73 per cent," said Brad Norris-Jones, vice president of operations with Pacific FC. "I just checked that this morning to where we were last year on sales, so that’s a pretty good up."
If someone you know is looking for a championship shirt or hat this year, you better act fast.
"We definitely will run out," said Costa.
Pacific FC merchandise is shown: (CTV News)
"Since we won Sunday night we have exploded," added Norris-Jones. "Our season tickets are what’s for sale right now."
It’s early days and numbers haven’t yet been totalled, but season ticket sales for next year are on pace to outsell this season’s already.
"Season tickets are definitely up over last year's trending for sure," said Norris-Jones.
Work is already going on behind the scenes to expand the Starlight Stadium to accommodate all those fans.
"We’ll make sure we’ll expand the stadium here so that we can have more fans enjoying this great game of soccer," said Stew Young, the Mayor of Langford.
The City of Langford is currently in talks with BC Hydro about the expansion.
"What’s going to happen is that pole right there will be gone once hydro takes that out in 2022," said Norris-Jones, as he pointed to a giant power pole that runs along the property that the stadium sits on.
Once that hydro pole is removed, Langford will begin work on expanding Starlight Stadium to accommodate an extra 4,000 fans. Included in that expansion will be 13 new luxury suites, bringing the stadium’s capacity from 4,800 to nearly 9,000.
That expansion is expected to be completed by 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.