MLS has received a formal offer to buy the Vancouver Whitecaps from a prospective owner who intends to move the team to Las Vegas.
The potential buyer is Grant Gustavson, the son of Kentucky billionaire Tamara Gustavson and grandson of B. Wayne Hughes, founder of Public Storage, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions. Forbes estimates Tamara Gustavson’s net worth at $8.5 billion.
Gustavson’s group released a statement regarding the bid: “Las Vegas is known the world over as a welcoming destination for millions of people each year and has a growing, passionate community of soccer fans. An investor group, led by Grant Gustavson, submitted a bid for consideration to the MLS League Office.
“The investment group will privately finance this endeavor and is not connected to any of the recently announced arena ideas in Las Vegas. In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to the opportunity to share more, however, out of respect for the league’s deliberations and community stakeholders, we are refraining from sharing details of our proposal. We look forward to continuing to work for a positive outcome for the game, the fans, the league and Las Vegas.”
Sources indicate Gustavson has committed to building a soccer-specific venue in Las Vegas as part of the offer, with the flexibility to play at an alternate venue while the stadium process is underway. Terms of the offer were not immediately known.
Gustavson, 30, lives in Las Vegas. A graduate of the University of Southern California, he has been involved with the athletic department at his alma mater and helped to develop the Name, Imagine and Likeness (NIL) program there. He continues to work with the basketball program there and is also involved in the management of his family’s farm, “the country’s premier thoroughbred farm with decades of storied champions throughout the stables.”
The Athletic reported earlier this week that a special committee of MLS owners met earlier this month to discuss the potential relocation of the Whitecaps to Las Vegas. That news has created a groundswell of support from Whitecaps fans around a #SaveTheCaps movement in an attempt to keep the team in Vancouver.
It has also jumpstarted further talks between the city, province and MLS.
The club issued a public statement on Monday, saying: “We are aware of today’s reporting. The club has faced well-documented structural challenges around stadium economics, venue access, and revenue limitations that have made it difficult to attract buyers committed to keeping the team in Vancouver. Over the past 16 months, we have had serious conversations with more than 100 parties, and to date, no viable offer has emerged that would keep the club here. … If there is a local ownership group with the vision and resources to chart a path forward, we urge them to come forward.”
Vancouver mayor Ken Sim also released a statement urging the team and province to find a bridge deal that could help keep the Whitecaps in the market.
“We are calling on the team’s ownership to publicly and clearly articulate what they need to stay here in Vancouver, and we are calling on the Provincial Government to come to the table and make that a reality,” Kim said. “To all Vancouver Whitecaps fans, to the Southsiders, and to all of the supporter groups, we need you to keep the fight going. We need you to stay strong, and we need you to stay loud. Losing the Whitecaps is not an option. #SAVETHECAPS.”
David Eby, the premier of British Columbia, met with MLS executives and released a statement saying they were “fighting to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver.”
There was also a fan protest held outside of the FIFA Congress on Thursday in Vancouver.
