Full house expected despite slow sales

Grey Cup organizers are reporting a recent uptick in ticket sales for Sunday’s CFL championship game and are confident a sellout crowd will be on hand to watch the Calgary Stampeders play the Ottawa Redblacks at BMO Field.

The Toronto Argonauts reduced ticket prices for the game last month to an $89 starting price with thousands more available for less than $150. That was down from a previous pricing plan where tickets were no cheaper than $169 apiece.

The CFL club would not reveal Monday how many tickets had been sold, but a mid-afternoon check of the Ticketmaster website showed about 1,700 tickets were still available. Unsold tickets ranged from a base price of $134.10 on the low end to $899 for a field-level seat.

“We are not disclosing how many tickets are left, but I can tell you that overnight and into (Monday) we have seen a big spike in ticket sales,” Argonauts communications manager Anton Bennett said in an email. “It’s natural to see a bump like this after the Eastern and Western Finals. But with the proximity of Ottawa to Toronto, it’s been especially strong. And we expect those strong sales to continue throughout Grey Cup week and anticipate a full house on Sunday.”

In announcing the ticket pricing change last month, the Argonauts said they were listening to fans who told them they needed prices to reflect the fact that Toronto has been a very busy sports market, with the World Cup of Hockey and playoff runs by the Blue Jays, Raptors and Toronto FC.

The Argonauts’ 5-13 season also did little to generate football buzz. The team won only twice at BMO Field, where they averaged 16,380 fans.