Community program distributed 520 World Cup tickets to B.C. youth: report

A community benefit program distributed 520 tickets to Vancouver World Cup matches through 56 charities, non-profits and Indigenous community organizations, according to a report from B.C. Pavilion Corporation, or PavCo.

The tickets were intended for children and youth across British Columbia facing financial, health, displacement and other barriers. At least seven recipient organizations were Indigenous-focused, including Stó:lō Service Agency, the Urban Native Youth Association and the First Nations Health Foundation. Other recipients included the Canucks Autism Network Society, Special Olympics British Columbia, Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Burnaby FC and the Pacific Autism Network Society.

PavCo said the City of Vancouver bought the tickets and allocated them to the B.C. Place Community Benefit Program, which it operated with the city and province. Stacey Ganaden, PavCo's senior communications and community engagement manager, said eligible organizations were invited to apply through a public process and that strong demand prompted an expansion of the program. PavCo did not disclose the number of applications received.

Vancouver hosted seven sold-out World Cup matches at BC Place from June 13 to July 7, drawing 367,479 fans, provincial figures show. The donated tickets represented about 0.14 per cent of attendance and averaged fewer than 10 tickets for each recipient organization.

The report does not explain how tickets were divided among organizations. When the province announced its participation May 14, it said up to 350 tickets would be made available for youth facing barriers at two Vancouver matches.