Mixed fan feelings on Vancouver lacrosse team rebrand
The team is "building for the future" and fans are following closely
Reported by Liam Hill-Allan
While the recent purchase of the Vancouver Warriors has been good for the team, reactions by fans have been mixed.
The team is now almost a year into its new ownership, and according to head coach Chris Gill, the changes have had a positive impact on the team.
“[The Warriors are] part of the Canucks organization and you know they’re not going to be frugal or you take you for granted,” Gill said. “There was a lot of lot of perks.”
No more Stealth
In September 2018, the Vancouver Stealth lacrosse team was bought by the Vancouver Canucks and rebranded as the Vancouver Warriors, which changed their uniform colours and logo. The acquisition saw the team relocate to from Langley to Vancouver and they now play home games at Rogers Arena.
The rebrand coincided with efforts to reorganize the team’s roster.
“We got rid of some guys who maybe didn’t fit in with the program,” player Mitch Jones said. “We brought in a lot of local talent.”
Fans respond
Karen Hertslet, a longtime fan, said the move has made it harder for her to attend games.
“At first, I was annoyed because I live in Port Coquitlam,” she said.
According to Hertslet, there have also been upsides to the move.
“I was really impressed that their prices were actually lower than what I paid the year before,” Hertslet said. “I ended up buying season tickets again.”
Fan Dylan Forest said he likes the teams new gold, white and black color scheme, but is uncertain about the new jerseys.
“There’s not a lot going on,” Forest said. “They’re just plain white, plain black.”
Going for (future) gold
After facing a rocky season, the team did not qualify for this year’s National Lacrosse League Championship.
“There’s a lot of turnover in players and not so many draft picks in the last couple years,” Gill said.
Despite the team’s rocky season, the head coach is maintaining his optimism.
“We’re kind of building a team for the future,” said Gill. “All signs are pointing up for this team.”
Comments are closed.