Some friendships are built on shared history โ and in Vancouver’s German-speaking soccer community, that history has a very specific starting point: a table at The Pint on Abbott Street during the 2014 World Cup. ๐ป
That’s where Dan Tanner (Jennings Culture, Squamish), Elke Porter (Westcoast German News/WBN, Kitsilano), and Artikas Keschvari (Senior Manager, Customer Care at Bosa Properties, Vancouver) first came together around a common love: German soccer, and the community that gathers to watch it.
The Organizer
Dan has been the steady hand behind Vancouver’s England House and German House since 2014 โ over a decade of pulling together venues, crowds, and good chaos every World Cup and Euros in between. ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ
The Official Chapter
Artikas is the official head and founder of the German National Football Team Supporters Club (DFB-Team) chapter in Vancouver. Through his dedication, Vancouver’s German gatherings earned official recognition as a chapter of the real DFB supporters club โ no small feat, and something that gives Vancouver’s Germany watch parties a legitimacy few other cities’ fan gatherings can claim. ๐ฉ๐ช
The Storyteller
Elke runs Westcoast German News and Westcoast German Media, and also works part-time for the Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce โ which means her loyalties run wide: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Canada all get her attention every tournament. ๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ๐น๐จ๐ฆ
The Venues, Through the Years
Every World Cup has had its home base:
- 2014 โ The Pint, Abbott Street ๐บ
- In between โ The Manchester Pub (since torn down)
- 2026 โ Dublin Calling, now the Official Jaegermeister German House ๐
And this year, the fan map expanded even further: Steamworks served as the official Swiss fan base, while the Austria Vancouver Club and The Rogue hosted Austrian games.
A Decade-Plus of Community
What started as a handful of fans in one pub in 2014 has grown into a network of officially recognized fan homes across Vancouver โ and it’s still the same three people, in different roles, keeping it running. Dan builds it, Artikas gives it official standing, and Elke tells its story.
