Lions win bid to host first Grey Cup at BC Place in 10 years

Nov 3 2022, 6:16 pm

The Grey Cup is coming back to Vancouver in 2024.

It’s been a while.

Vancouver has hosted the Grey Cup 16 times before, including nine at BC Place. The Lions last hosted in 2014.

The 10-year gap in between Grey Cups is the longest drought Vancouver has had for hosting the CFL’s top event since the Lions entered the league in 1954.

ā€œWeā€™re absolutely thrilled to announce weā€™re bringing this iconic event to British Columbia,ā€ said CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie. ā€œThe Lionsā€™ bid was very strong. And it was buoyed by the tremendous excitement the team is generating across the province and the country.ā€

This is the first time the Lions will host the Grey Cup with their new owner Amar Doman, who bought the team last year.

ā€œOn behalf of our entire organization, and Lions fans everywhere, I thank the CFLā€™s Board of Governors for entrusting us with the honour and privilege of hosting the Grey Cup, one of Canadaā€™s biggest and most important events of any kind,ā€ Doman said.

ā€œWe know weā€™ll have some very tough acts to follow, with Saskatchewan hosting this yearā€™s Grey Cup in a few weeks, and Hamilton hosting in 2023. But weā€™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.ā€

BC last won the Grey Cup in 2011, as the host team.

The Lions are hoping their championship drought doesn’t drag until 2024 though. BC Place is set to host the first Lions playoff game in six years on Sunday, and the upper bowl is open. The Lions are playing the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Semi-Final.

The Lions finished with the second-best record in the CFL this season, with 12 wins and six losses. Most of those losses came with starting quarterback Nathan Rourke injured though, and the Lions expect their MVP to play on Sunday.

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