Friday March 13, 2020 ~ LANGFORD
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
The Canadian Premier League (CPL) 2020 season — which is scheduled to start April 11 — may need to be postponed if the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to that point.
With the Victoria/Langford-based Pacific FC team set to hold their first home game on April 11 at Westhills Stadium, CPL has set up a committee to review the COVID-19 situation.
BC public health officials this week set a limit of 250 people attending any event. If that parameter is still in place by early April, the Pacific FC first game in Langford (or even the first part of all CPL Season 2) will almost certainly need to be cancelled and rescheduled.
Westhills Stadium seats at least 6,000, with overflow standing room for more.
As stated on the Pacific FC website: “The Canadian Premier League with its Clubs have been closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation on an ongoing basis. The CPL has established a working committee that has been monitoring the most recent developments and communicating with our Clubs regarding the appropriate measures to take as the situation continues to evolve.”
“League has been working around the clock with input from relevant government agencies and medical experts to do our part in combating this public health crisis. The health and safety of our players, staff, fans and partners is of the utmost importance as we manage through this situation. We will continue following the guidelines set forth by our public health authorities and government agencies.”
“It is important to note that the CPL’s season does not start until April 11th and we are not playing in public venues at this time.”
“We will maintain our consistent dialogue both internally and externally and as more information becomes available, we will continue to provide public updates. This includes details about potentially rescheduling or postponing matches.”