Following the impact of post-tropical storm Fiona in Nova Scotia, the Halifax Wanderers rescheduled match against Pacific FC will be played on Tuesday night at the Wanderers Grounds (7 p.m. AT kickoff).
The club would like to recognize the efforts of everyone working throughout the province to help Nova Scotians with cleanup and power restoration, along with our staff and stadium partners who have ensured the stadium and pitch are ready for the match.
“As our community comes together to recover, our thoughts are with those around Atlantic Canada dealing with the aftermath of the storm,” Wanderers President and Founder Derek Martin said. “We were fortunate to have minimal damage at the stadium following Fiona and felt it was important we push onwards with the match to give all of our fans something to look forward to during a tough week. We are so grateful for everyone that pitched in to have us in a position to play today’s match.”
The most significant effect of Fiona on the Wanderers Grounds was the displacement of the media tower on the stadium’s south end. The structure houses the public address system, television cameras and seating for media covering the match. With the assistance of Sancton, the scaffolding was safely removed from the Grounds and will be replaced in 2023.
“Right now, safety is paramount, and we took every step to ensure the Grounds is ready to host a match,” Martin said. “Engineers were called in to inspect our stadium infrastructure and signed off that the grandstands and other structures are safe for our fans. The drainage system at the pitch also did its job well, and the field surface will be safe for the players.”
Tuesday’s match was initially scheduled for Saturday afternoon and pushed back to Sunday. To prevent congestion downtown and assist the city in cleanup and power restoration efforts, the Wanderers worked with league partners and the HRM to further postpone the match to Tuesday night.
For the match, the Wanderers are partnering with Q104’s Thanksgiv’er in support of Feed Nova Scotia to help restock the shelves after Fiona. Fans attending the match are encouraged to bring non-perishable food or cash donations.
“This match is secondary to everything going on around us since Friday, but we want to play our small part to help Nova Scotians bounce back,” Martin said. “Sport has the power to help unite communities together, especially in times of need, and the thousands of dollars worth of food we will collect tonight will go towards those in our Nova Scotia community that need it right now.”
Gates open at 5:30 p.m., with kickoff set for just after 7:00. Anyone looking to make a donation to Q104’s Thanksgiv’er in support of Feed Nova Scotia can do so at any gate of the stadium.