With anticipation building amongst sports fans for a return to live sports, Langford made a pitch to be a hub for the Canadian Premier League when matches start up.
Langford Mayor Stew Young said Langford has been working with Pacific FC to offer itself as host for all eight teams, with matches anticipated to begin in August. Nothing has been confirmed, as they wait for approval from the federal government and province.
“I think they would support it,” Young said. “It’s easy to isolate [Westhills Stadium] out and isolate the players.”
Young said that while details aren’t finalized, the athletes would likely be housed in Langford at hotels and they would go directly to the stadium and back to the hotel as needed.
For those wanting to watch the matches, Young said he thinks it would be possible to televise and that there’s talk about doing a reality television show following the players during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Langford would be showcased all across Canada and even North America,” Young said. “There would be games every day.”
Langford isn’t the only city hoping to become the sports hub for the Canadian Premier League. Young said the Halifax team is looking to host the rest of the season on P.E.I. Whether or not this happens is still up in the air, however.
“This is a pretty big thing to do to make sure all of the approvals are in place and the health part of it is number one,” Young said.
“And of course, things may change.”
Pacific FC was unable to comment on Friday as they await information from the province.
as they await information from the province.