BID TO HOST GREY CUP
Riders eye 2020 game
Why not Regina in 2020?
That was the sentiment expressed by Regina Mayor Michael Fougere on Tuesday, one day after Saskatchewan Roughriders president and CEO Craig Reynolds disclosed that the CFL team is planning to bid for the 2020 Grey Cup game.
Regina hasn’t played host to a Grey Cup game since 2013. The 2020 Grey Cup game would be a showcase for Mosaic Stadium, which opened in 2017.
“When Winnipeg had their stadium, they got the (2015) Grey Cup game a couple of years after it had been built,” Fougere said. “We have our stadium running really well and there isn’t any problem there.”
The success of the Grey Cup games in 1995, 2003 and 2013 in the Queen City is another reason for the CFL to seriously consider Regina. The 2013 game was truly memorable as the Riders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-cats 45-23 at old Mosaic Stadium.
“The Riders are very much the financial bedrock of the CFL and there is the guarantee of a return that is probably incomparable,” Fougere added. “The fans and the way the whole province embraces the Grey Cup is a great element of sale as well.”
Fougere said Rider Pride is another reason for the CFL to consider Regina.
“When you think of Saskatchewan, you think of the Riders in so many ways,” Fougere said. “It’s a chance for us to show that once again we are a great city and a great province.”
The Grey Cup Festival would be held at Evraz Place, which has available the 150,000-square-foot International Trade Centre and Affinityplex, the indoor soccer centre. The Co-operators Centre features six hockey rinks that can be used as sites for team parties and the Brandt Centre could play host to major concerts.
“It’s an opportunity to do a festival like we’ve never had before,” said Evraz Place CEO Tim Reid. “We have the indoor field turf and the Co-operators Centre, which is a lot of open space where we can get together. What’s unique about this bid, from our perspective, is we have an ability to create one site (for the Grey Cup festival), perhaps like nowhere else does.”
The bid is to be submitted to the league in early November. The CFL’S board of governors is expected to announce the successful bid later this year or early in 2019.
The 2018 Grey Cup game is to be held in Edmonton, followed by the 2019 event in Calgary. It would make three consecutive Grey Cup games in Western Canada if the Riders’ bid is accepted.
“(The CFL) may want a regional balance, but it’s more about what’s best for the CFL, what is the best return and what is the best way to showcase the Grey Cup itself,” Fougere said.
The Hamilton Tiger-cats are reportedly interested in playing host to a Grey Cup game. Hamilton would be a compelling selection considering Tim Hortons Field opened in 2014 and Hamilton hasn’t played host to a Grey Cup game since 1996.
Hamilton would have to overcome a shortage of hotel rooms in order to land another Grey Cup game.
“There will likely be some competition for 2020 and I don’t know who that will be,” Fougere said. “I don’t suspect it will be a slam dunk for us. We have to present the best face forward for the city. We have all the makings of a great Grey Cup with the best stadium in Canada, the best volunteers and fans, and one of the best financial returns to the CFL as well.”
I don’t think that anyone who has a CFL franchise will able to compete with the site that we have.
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has said the league is looking to raise the bar when it comes to Grey Cup games and the festival. Edmonton may be on the forefront of that movement with $12 million budgeted for the Grey Cup game and festival, which includes 30 live acts.
“A couple of years ago, I was part of the (2018) Grey Cup bid committee in Edmonton,” Reid said. “Having seen that document, I thought they did a remarkable job, and I’m sure they will deliver an exceptional experience.
“I don’t think that anyone who has a CFL franchise will able to compete with the site that we have (in Regina).”