Soccer fans celebrate winning day for Halifax Wanderers

A sea of blue shirts flooded downtown Halifax Saturday afternoon for the Halifax Wanderers first game on home turf.

The city's new pro soccer team in the Canadian Premier League attracted 6,500 fans to a sold-out contest at Wanderers Grounds. The fans got to go home happy after a 2-1 win.

Many spent time before match against Forge FC of Hamilton, Ont., at a number of bars in the downtown area.

"I'm a very big fan," said Herman Pastor. "From the moment they announced it to now — hopefully [with this game] being the first home-game winner."

Pastor, along with his girlfriend, Karen O'Sullivan, dressed head to toe in Wanderers gear.

The Wanderers are not Nova Scotia's first kick at professional soccer.

The Nova Scotia Clippers played in the Canadian Soccer League in 1991, but the team only lasted a season. They played at Dartmouth's Beazley Field.

"We've thrown events before where … a handful of people showed up," said Jacquelyn Walters, who is on the board of directors of Privateers 1882, the Wanderers' supporters club. "And just the last couple of months we've grown. The attendance is growing and growing and the excitement is growing."

Members of Privateers 1882 met up at lounge before the game.

Walters said the swell of support for the sport in Halifax stems from the growing immigrant population in the city — people who grew up playing and fans of other teams from around the world.

"Soccer has been traditionally a lot more popular in other parts of the world than it has been in North America, so there's been that thirst there, too," Walters said.

"You see when World Cup time comes around, like you go to the bar and it's just full of people that have been hungering for soccer coverage in this part of the world."

Gabrielle Tanyan, a fan from Halifax who attended the Privateers 1882 pre-game party, said fans have been waiting for Halifax to have its own professional team for a long time.

"The home opener is really giving us chills right now," Tanyan said ahead of the game.

"For such a small province, I think the home team is a huge accomplishment."

After fans left the bars, they began marching toward the Wanderers Grounds and chanting: "Who do we sing for? We sing for Wanderers."

Akeem Garcia and Luis Alberto Perea scored in the home victory. Perea's goal broke a 1-1 draw in the second half.

Some fans noted the game was refereed by a woman. Marie-Soleil Beaudoin is an internationally acclaimed referee based in Halifax. 

Jonathan Hunt, another Wanderers fan, said he's played and coached soccer his whole life and said his daughter now plays.

"Because our country is so multicultural and diverse, I think it's just a natural fit and I think it's going to be really popular country-wide," Hunt said.

Halifax evened its record at 1-1 after losing its season opener in B.C.