Football Action Under the Dome

The view from our box had a great view of the pitch

Last night I had a chance to watch some footie action -- the local Vancouver Whitecaps against the Chicago Fire in BC Place.

A family friend had scored a corporate box for the game after having the winning bid in a charity auction. So he invited 14 other friends and family to come.

There's no more paper tickets -- you have to download the ticket from an email into your Apple wallet on your phone or on Ticketmaster. We had some issues with my ticket and had to wait in line to get this sorted. No wonder each customer took forever because it was all technical issues in learning how to download the ticket.

Once that was sorted the next issue was security checks. Luckily I had brought a small handbag because people are only allowed to bring small bags or clutches into the stadium. They even measured it and looked inside my bag for security reasons -- twice.

Finally we made it through the metal detector -- I had to walk through without my handbag -- and then we were inside the corporate box area. 

Each room can accommodate up to 15 people, where there are some seats inside the stadium facing the pitch, and they are pretty close, and open. Inside each room is a bar table with some seats around it, some bar seats facing the pitch. The rest of the people have to stand. 

It's a great way for people to socialise and have comfortable seating and access to drinks and snacks, and a dedicated server comes in and out to bring food and clear plates and glasses. 

Whitecaps ambassador Valentine visits fans

Interestingly hosts are encouraged to order food in advance and the family friend was told the portions were enough for 15 people. But in reality it was enough for only a fraction of that which was misleading. Also if you over order, you can't take the leftover food home! It's quite the dilemma.

And if you're special, a former Whitecaps player will visit your VIP box, shake hands, chit chat and take pictures, which is what Carl Valentine did for us. He's now a staff coach and ambassador for the Whitecaps.

Oh and the game? Sadly the Whitecaps were not in top form and were outrun by the more organised Chicago who won 3-1.

The highlight was watching the dance section in the half time, where the camera focused on people around the stadium. As soon as they realised they were on the big screen they made sure they danced even harder. One guy with long hair kept twirling his head like a clothes dryer on high spin.

Nevertheless it was fun being in the box. Who knows the next time I'll have an opportunity like that!