Biggest non-concert BC Lions attendance in years expected tonight
Nathan Rourke is back in the CFL, and the BC Lions are expecting a large crowd to pack BC Place later today to witness his first game in black and orange threads since 2022.
The 26-year-old Victoria, BC native signed a three-year contract with the Lions last week, making him the highest-paid player in the CFL. This came after a difficult few months in the NFL, during which he was released by three separate teams.
With Rourke back to where his professional career started, excitement around his 2024 season debut has reached a fever pitch in Vancouver. According to TSN’s Farhan Lalji, the team has opened five additional sections to meet ticket demand for today’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
A crowd between 33,000 and 34,000 is expected to watch Rourke make his season debut. This will be the largest non-concert crowd the Lions have seen since Amar Doman purchased the team in 2021.
The #BCLions have opened up 5 more sections in the past 2 days to meet demand. This will be the biggest ānon-concertā regular season crowd since Doman bought the team. Expecting 33-34k at @bcplacešš½ https://t.co/5LYWFCPgiv
— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) August 18, 2024
Rourke carved out a name for himself during his initial stint with the Lions, breaking the single-season CFL record with a 78.7% pass completion rate in 2022. Shortly after that season, he signed on with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.
He comes onto the team at a pivotal point in the season. The Lions have seen themselves drop three straight games and are currently fighting for the top spot in the West Division with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. If Rourke can add some juice to this team, it will make for an interesting run at a Grey Cup that is set to be held in their stadium this November.
The Lions are no stranger to big crowds this season. The team was able to draw a record-setting 53,788 fans to a game that saw hip-hop legend 50 Cent perform on the field in a custom-made jersey.Ā