South Vancouver residents decry lack of consultation on FIFA training site [Video]

A portion of a park in southeast Vancouver is slated to close for close to two years as one of two sites selected by the city for training facilities for visiting teams during the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

A grass field encircled by a track in Memorial South Park will close next month and won’t reopen until sometime in the fall of 2026.

More than ,1700 people have signed an online petition opposing the selection of this particular park because they say the track and the field are both well-used community amenities.

The city held an open house at nearby John Oliver Secondary School on Saturday.

Local resident Jeff Verbeem, who uses the track once or twice a week, went to the event, and said it was informative but he doesn’t think it qualifies as community consultation.

“It seemed to me that it was a done deal,” he told …