Canada’s most prestigious sporting event is returning to the West Coast. The Canadian Football League announced on Thursday that the 111th Grey Cup in November 2024 has been awarded to the BC Lions, the City of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to announce we’re bringing this iconic event to British Columbia,” said Randy Ambrosie, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League. “The Lions’ bid was very strong. And it was buoyed by the tremendous excitement the team is generating across the province and the country.”
"I can tell you Vancouver will not let the CFL down. In fact, we want to take it to another level in 2024."#BCLions owner Amar Doman with @RandyAmbrosie and @TSNScianitti as Vancouver was officially announced as 2024 Grey Cup host 🏆 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/sbFCCjNQLB
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) November 3, 2022
Vancouver will play host to the Grey Cup for a 17th time, the second-highest total behind only Toronto, while BC Place stages the grand football event for a 10th time and first since 2014.
BC Place is also home to this Sunday’s Western Semi-Final as the Lions begin their November journey against the Calgary Stampeders at 1:30 pm. The winner moves on to Manitoba for a Western Final showdown with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers one week from Sunday.
Under the stewardship of Amar Doman who purchased the club in August 2021, the Lions enjoyed a resurgence this season finishing with a 12-6 record, their highest win-total since 2016, while exciting and energizing the fan base both on the field and in the community.
“On behalf of our entire organization, and Lions fans everywhere, I thank the CFL’s Board of Governors for entrusting us with the honour and privilege of hosting the Grey Cup, one of Canada’s biggest and most important events of any kind, we know we’ll have some very tough acts to follow, with Saskatchewan hosting this year’s Grey Cup in a few weeks, and Hamilton hosting in 2023. But we’re determined to deliver the greatest Grey Cup festival and, working with the CFL, the greatest game day in the history of the CFL, come 2024.” Doman said.
“Vancouver will be a terrific host city for visitors and local residents to celebrate the Grey Cup, Canada’s unofficial national holiday,” the Premier said. “Our fans are ready to celebrate, and there’s nothing like the sound of BC Place Stadium packed to the rafters with cheering fans. I know the 2024 Grey Cup will be a roaring success for the CFL.”
Premier-elect David Eby spoke about the event being a driving force for BC's economy.
Exciting news — the Grey Cup is coming to Vancouver in 2024! Great for CFL fans and great for small businesses. https://t.co/Ekg9dSEZFS
— David Eby (@Dave_Eby) November 3, 2022
“We are thrilled that Vancouver was selected to host the 2024 Grey Cup, for the first time since 2014,” said Lisa Baer, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.
The 109th Grey Cup game will be played this November 20th at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. The championship game of the CFL, it has been sold out for weeks. It will be broadcast on TSN and RDS, as will the CFL playoffs.
Photo courtesy of Twitter (@BCLions)