Last Sunday, Bobby and I got to walk down memory lane as we were invited to Graham Laxton’s home for a Vancouver Whitecaps FC original supporters club reunion. It had been a number of years since we had seen some of these dedicated fans who shared many glorious moments with us in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.
Laxton was the president of the Whitecaps supporters club and it was a surprise to Bobby and myself to find out the amount of fundraising they did for our club, even using some of the funds to buy a coffee machine for us at the old office.
It was amazing walking into the house and seeing all the memorabilia that had been kept in great condition over these years. As the saying goes, pictures don’t lie and looking back on some of the albums showed Bobby and I had some real “taste” back in the day. That’s what we thought anyway.
A lot of fun was had as we swapped stories, especially the Soccer Bowl win and the supporters group’s trip to New York to watch the final game. It reminded me of how close the players and fans were back then, and it’s the reason longtime Whitecaps supporters speak so passionately about those times.
It was a great day all around. I sure hope the next reunion is not so long!
