2019 Grey Cup game to be held in Calgary: report
It appears the Canadian Football League has determined where the 2019 Grey Cup game will be held.
Being at CFL Week reminds me of how much I will enjoy the Grey Cup in 2019 in Calgary … not that I'm saying that's for sure happening or anything
— Danny Austin (@DannyAustin_9) March 23, 2018
Calgary Sun beat reporter Danny Austin teased the location of next year’s Grey Cup on Thursday evening amid CFL Week celebrations in Winnipeg. The tweet caused some stir from fans in Hamilton and Regina, two hotbed CFL cities with shiny new stadiums that have yet to host the big game.
It'll be in Calgary next year, I promise
— Danny Austin (@DannyAustin_9) March 23, 2018
It doesn’t appear the CFL is ready to make a formal announcement in the next few days, but a decision can’t be far off given that the game is only a year and a half away.
Re: 2019 Grey Cup.
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie wouldn't comment on host, but said to expect an announcement within the next 2-3 weeks— Danny Austin (@DannyAustin_9) March 23, 2018
Calgary is the worst place to have a Grey Cup!! Come on!! The stadium is a dump, worst in the league and the fans dont even support fully their own home team. What a bust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How do you justify the fans comment? Stamps fans are die-hard and probably the proudest (to the point of being arrogant) in the league. Justifiably so. …And no offence on the arrogance comment. I would be too if the Riders were on top of the West year after year.
McMahon is bad enough on a regular sellout, let alone a GC game. I’ve been there and done that. The facility can’t handle the numbers. I’ve missed more than an entire quarter waiting in line for the bathroom and watched people (I won’t mention which team they were cheering for, but it was 2009) pee into the sinks because the lines were so long. Add in the time it takes to get a few beers, let alone something to eat, and you’ve missed almost an entire half. I love the Stamps, have been a season ticket holder for more than 2 decades, but I will never attend another GC in that stadium, regardless of who is playing. It’s a dump, and the oldest, worst, stadium in the CFL.
Yeah you’ll notice I didn’t disagree with his statement on the facilities, just the fans… 🙂 I’ve never actually been to McMahon so I cant testify to its state! You would think that the City of Calgary would build the Stamps something epic tho. They’ve been the class of the CFL for a number of years now all I hear about is how gross McMahon is.
Mcmahon is old but its very well maintained. It’s not a dump
Sugar coat it all you want… It’s a dump
Ya…..those Montreal fans always pee in the sink no matter where they go 🙂
I don’t actually blame them, if it had been the Stamps playing, I’d have probably done the same thing. Missing up to a half of a championship game your team is in is unacceptable. If the team/league wants to put 50K in ancient McMahon, that’s exactly what will happen again.
Exactly!! Many teams in the league would be more overjoyed to have the season ticket base and game day attendance the Stamps get.
Hoping they do some interim Renos to the stadium before the Grey Cup.
The up-keep and maintenance for McMahon is super annually. It is easy to add additional seating to accommodate 50,000 fans. Yes, it has the old style main floor concession facilities but it is solid concrete and steel construction. Calgary has great facilities for all other venue requirements. Good choice. Sask should be 2020 with their new stadium.
I don’t have a problem with the stadium so much as with the late night transportation. I’ve personally witnessed many PO’ed visitors who found out the hard way that Calgary busses and LRT shut down at 1:00AM, Grey Cup week or not, and taxis can be a 3 to 4 hour wait at that time. I never experienced this in other Grey Cup host cities.
Add in the fact that when it snowed the cabs went home. When we finally did get one we asked why so many cabs disappeared off the street and he said it’s because their insurance is so high they won’t drive in the snow. So we were left to walk blocks and blocks and blocks and blocks because we couldn’t get a cab!
Ollie…if you call McMahon a dump, then you have never been there. Don’t make an ass of yourself!
White Horse – As a Rider fan living in Calgary, I will agree with your comments above – they have done a pretty decent job of keeping old McMahon in decent shape considering its age. Maybe change out some of the old seats and put some more lipstick on the pig ? Doubt Nenshi will drop a nickel on anything to do with football but you never know.
I sat in Section 8 of Ivor Wynne Stadium for 14 years (159 straight games) before moving west. McMahon IS a dump. Ivor Wynne was better. Let that sink in…
Rich. That is a ridiculous statement. Claiming Ivor Wynne was nicer than Mcmahon is like saying the earth doesn’t rotate around the sun. It’s just factually wrong.
I forgot to mention I average 3 or 4 games in Calgary every season since 2005. IWS and McMahon share the same lack of access and facilities, plus McMahon does not have fantastic sight lines compared to Hamilton’s former park.
Rich. That is factually wrong. Mcmahon has excellent site lines. Look how high up the seats were at Ivor Wynne
I have been there and it is a dump
It’s a dumb
Says the fool who can’t even spell hahahaha
Hey Yup…McMahon is owned by the University of Calgary. The provincial gov’t owns it. The City of Calgary or Calgary Sports and Ent Group will not rebuild or repair it. The Stamps lease it every year. A new Stadium would have to be built on private property owned by some private enterprise.
I’m aware of who owns it. My point was more in line with how Nenshi doesn’t support anything sports related. Not sure what the long term solution may be moving forward. I like the current location and they will need to have something in place if they continue with the Olympic bid.
He sure seems to be supporting the Olympics
I still want to see that concept I saw way back w the Flames and Stamps facility’s combines. That was cool. Looked like a Sports theme park. A sports fan’s dream.
Unfortunately the stupid management of the teams insisted on locating it on top of a toxic piece of land contaminated with creosote, which would cost millions of dollars to rectify before anythinf could be built there. It was a non-starter right from the get-go.
Sorry white horse mcmahon is a dump. Ive watched from the stands and playing in the stadium. And its a dump regardless of if you are there to watch or play
Let’s not criticize Calgary too much. Sure they need a new stadium but the CFL has held Grey Cup games in older stadiums before. Old Mosaic, where it was in 2013, wasn’t exactly a shining example either & unbiased Rider fans know that. To be fair, I think Calgary deserves this shot. They always put on a fine show & I have no doubt the stadium will be filled. This isn’t just about putting it in the best stadium etc.. If you’re going to hold a Grey Cup in November & wanted the best spot to do that it would be in Vancouver every year under the dome. Clubs want the money that comes with the Grey Cup. The City of Edmonton, I’ve read, had an $80MM injection the last Cup there & expect to exceed $100MM flow into the city this year. The 2013 GC in Regina put about $10MM into team coffers I seem to recall from their annual report.
Calgary is a sick city, and it would no doubt be a party. I think its a great idea. Hosting in somewhere like TO is a bad idea because no one gives a sh*t about the CFL there, but Calgary is just that much smaller, but big enough at the same time for there to be a great CFL-party atmosphere! Maybe the Stamps can even play at home too and pull it off this time. They were just saving it up for the home crowd! This is assuming this story is true of course.
You nailed it Green – assuming the story is true.
The stadium in Calgary may be an absolute dump, but at least it is a short drive for Sask fans. So good choice.
Ask the Mayor if he even cares if its held in Calgary. He doesn’t support pro sporting franchises in the City and seems to be convinced that there is no economic or social benefit from the clubs. I doubt council would support the Grey Cup weekend and the rest of the City would be opposed to Gang Green and their out of Province licence plates and the way they shuffle around.
A lot of Gang Green “shuffling” around Cowgary already cassin
I don’t mind Calgary’s stadium, but you are having it in Edmonton for 2018, why in Alberta again for 2019. Should go to Hamilton for 2019 and Regina for 2020.
Should have been Regina. Except for the snow management, that’s a great building.
I don’t think Hamilton or Regina bid on it for 2019.
Think you’re right envy. If I recall correctly there was a piece awhile back indicating they weren’t bidding on 2019
Wouldn’t have mattered. Calgary would have gotten it over Regina no matter what
What do you base this on ?
Stadium does suck for events with additional seating. It kind of does for regular events too. I’ve been to 2 Grey Cups there and the Heritage Classic in 2011 and it just can’t reasonably house that many patrons. It’s basically one giant line if you leave your seat.
why bother? stadium is a dump – been there.
It is a dump. Plain and simple. Some fans there deserve a lot better. Some though revel in its squalor. They are kidding only themselves when they say it’s anything other than a relic awaiting a wrecking ball.
Thats not such a bad thing… Why not just admit its a dump Stamps fans? you deserve a new stadium… Your team is sure deserving… If its a dump, – which it sounds like it is (don’t know, Ive never been) You’ll get a new one built at some point right?
You guys really have narrow ways of viewing things. Hosting a Grey cup isn’t as simple as “having a nice stadium”. This day and age it’s not the biggest concern.
The Grey cup has become a huge event with big time sponsors. That means VIPs, you need many high end hotels (dulux suite at Holiday Inn express doesn’t cut it). You need high end dining options and high end entertainment that goes beyond beer gardens. Many attending aren’t even football fans. This is why larger markets, regardless of stadium, will be prefered destinations over the smaller. That’s just business folks.
BS. I bet it’s a tiny fraction of money that comes in from the nonfootball fan VIPS. It’s the championship game for Canadian football. If you don’t cater to the loyal fans you’ve got nothing.
Calgary is a great city with an even better football club and the sh!ttiest stadium in the league. Everyone knows it including most Stamps fans. I’m a Riders season ticket holder and I was at 2013 GC. That was one hell of a game and Regina pulled of the event well but our old stadium was a terrible facility for that event.
What’s “just business folks” is taking care of your loyal customers that spend money weekly/monthly/yearly, not the ones that stroll in off the streets every few years to browse around and leave a few bucks behind.
I find it very funny that a lot of Hamilton Tiger-Cat fans treat Bob(The Caretaker)Young like some kind of Cult Figure.During the Stadium debate the CFL commissioner stated Hamilton would Host multiple Grey Cups in a very short time if the New Stadium was Built.Well The Stadium is going to turn 5 this year and the Cup is going to be played in 2019 in one of the oldest and most run down venues.Not a peep out of the Dam Caretaker.He has not bid on a single Grey Cup in the 14 years he has owned the Team despite Hamilton not have hosted the Cup since 1996.I am sure hosting the Cup would be Great for City Businesses and Exposure for the City as well ! Some Caretaker, More like Snake Oil Salesmen all Bob cares about is his Bank Account.Keep drinking the Cool Aid Folks.
Problem is the lawsuits going on around the stadium. City won’t bid until the suits are settled. I’m in agreement with you… I’d love to see a Grey Cup in Hamilton. Until then, I’ll be waiting to see if they make Calgary official for 2019.
If the Grey Cup was held in Calgary and the Eskies were playing I would be there for sure. Just eat dinner and go to the washroom before the game, lineup problem solved. If you want to drink beer and watch the game, go to the bar or stay home.
It’s not the most modern stadium but I’d MUCH rather have McMahon stadium than that $300 MILLION boat anchor in Regina that has no chance of ever paying for itself.
And going cheap on a dinkified little bandbox like Tim Hortons Dump isn’t a viable alternative either. Just keep McMahon for the 10 or 11 times a year it’ll be used instead of wasting taxpayer money on a white elephant.
Calagey’s a cute little town and although the amenities don’t come close to what Toronto has, it’s infinitely better equipped for an event on this scale than a tiny backwater village like Winnipeg or Regina.
Yeah, well that’s because yo’re a moronic douchebag, no matter what website you slither to.
look at the big tough keyboard warrior
Calgary’s a cute little town? Winnipeg and Regina are backwater villages? Where are you from, the bleeding heart central republic Trudeau -licking shathole of Toronto?
In the words of bugs bunny, what a maroon.
Your from TO aren’t you. Can tell by your arrogant, Misinformed, Holier than thou, bullshit attitude. Newsflash: TO is a concrete trash heap. The ugliest city I have ever been to. …And Ive been all over the world.
Had a good laugh at your self proclamation about being a “world traveler” – – you’re embarrassing yourself with such a foolishly naive comment that Toronto is worse than any other major city in the world.
Not sure if you have television or internet in your little hamlet, but Toronto is consistently ranked among the top cities in the world to live.
Educate yourself, my friend.
Toronto is a dump. Sorry but true.
No. Been to TO. I have educated my self “my friend.” Its a freaking dump. The city, the transportation, and the people. The worst. Broken down and smells like the inside of an ass. The only people that think TO is anything more than this are residents of TO. These are facts.
And FYI, If TO is ranked among the best places to live, assholes like you should be more welcoming and less arrogant about the city itself. Because honestly, that is why ppl hate Toronto so much. it outweighs the fact that its a dump. the ppl there are arrogant assholes.
Saw a dude from TO get his ass beat by a kid from Regina in a 7-11 parking lot in Regina a few weeks ago because he was being an arrogant, homophobic, racist, “big city” asshole. Me and another guy pulled him off the guy from TO, but when the guy from TO kept spouting racist, homophobic shit at him, I wished we hadn’t. Cannot stand TO guys coming to SK for jobs, thinking they’re better than us. Nothing gets under my skin more when i walk onto a construction site and meet a DB from TO.
Last comment from me on this. You say TO is “infinitely better equipped for an event on this scale”. Um. TO hosted the GC and it went over terribly. Remember that? It was a joke. So all your “amenities” don’t really seem to matter.
Regina deserves another cup, but they will be less frequent than Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton.
Just not enough hotels or good eating places or other entertainment options
This is true. Regina just isn’t big enough. Even S’toon could handle more. Love Saskatoon.
What the hell are you talking about… Regina hosted one in 2013… All I heard about that was it was well hosted and a good time was had by all… No whining or crying about good accommodations or hospitality and as fast as Saskatoon being the better place… That’s why the team stays in Regina and when talk of another team in Saskatchewan… There was no interest so don’t say Regina isn’t able to accommodate
I didn’t mean they cant accommodate! I just meant not as frequently as Vancouver or Calgary. We can definitely put on a party for our CFL brethren.
Don’t forget to mention the laughable “airport” that only gets a handful of flights each day.
Remember the laughable pizza pizza tickets for the Grey Cup game in the center of the universe 51 ?…..ya TO couldn’t organize turds in a toilet bowl.
Ticket pricing and marketing for the 2016 Grey Cup was an absolute debacle and an abject failure.
The accommodations, the airport, the restaurants and the nightlife in Toronto was all top notch as per usual.
The laughable airport that welcomes alot of passengers arriving from Ontario looking for work because your economy is in the shitter? Is that the one you mean?
Yes, we’re always happy to see the down-and-outs leaving. They can congregate in little towns like Regina and Saskatoon where they’ll fit right in with the locals. Much better to have them out there than panhandling on street corners in Toronto.
Hamilton Football Club Was formed in 1869- 2019 will be its 150 Birthday. It would be truly fitting for Hamilton to Have the Grey Cup.It was the humble beginnings Of What would become today the Canadian Football League.Was formed AT George Lee’s Fruit store.November 3, 1869. Played its first Game vs The 13th Infantry Battalion December 18,1869.Now Royal Light Infantry (Reilly’s )This would be a great Event and Base for the Grey Cup In Hamilton. Doesn’t Anyone Know This.???
I’m eagerly awaiting Hamilton to make a bid and host. But good for Calgary. It will have been a decade since they hosted, and I’m sure it will be a blast.
I’m tired of those calling Mcmahon a dump. Yes it’s old, it was built in time where the phrase “game day experience” has never been said. That does not make it a dump. It’s very well maintained. Nothing leaks, nothing is crumbling. Quite frankly it puts any of the last generation of CFL stadiums to shame.
Hahahaha you keep telling yourself that
So what’s wrong with it?????
I have some coffee you should smell.
The Coupe de Grey 2019 should be held at Gordie Howe Bowl in Saskatoon. Charge $10,000 per seat and good to go. The place has the old Mosaic seats and are super comfy. Its real easy to sneak over the back fence too, done it a few times. teeeheeee
And you can stay at the super 7 on circle drive haha
It would be awesome to have a grey cup in saskatoon… Riders have always played in the wrong city!
Too Far Green. Lol. I love S’toon but thats too far. BTW where is the Gordie Howe Bowl?
Gordie Howe bowl is in an old neighbourhood bordering an Industraul area in SW part of city. Great facility for Hilltops football, has just been completely redone and has an awesome clubhouse.
Obviously, there’s nowhere in Saskatoon to hold the GC, and the Riders have been treated well by the city of Regina. But as a 42 year old resident of Saskatoon and a die hard fan of the SASKATCHEWAN Roughriders, I can dream of one day not driving for 5 hours (return trip) to see my team play.
It would be interesting to know how many fans at an average rider game are from Regina and how many from the rest of the province or elsewhere.
Is that at the end of 8th St? The one you can see from Circle? I get that there is not a place for a GC in Saskatoon, but for aguments sake, would the U of S have a nicer football facility? …I’ve also wondered that about the fans. I live in Regina but do alot of wk in Stoon, and driving home on a game day, the #11 is all Rider fans coming from S’toon area.
There is actually a fan that comes up from ND for every home game! No joke.
Playing another Grey cup in that outhouse called McMahon is like putting lipstick on a pig.
This makes zero sense.
Makes all the sense in the world. Unless one is bitter and jealous about it.
Haha wtf? Swing and a miss there Tinhead. I get what you’re saying, but your comment makes zero sense.
What do you do with some millionaire/ billionaire sponsors on a Friday night in Regina???
In winter?? ooooh. Um. Drive em to Calgary or Pegger? Lol. Summer is Great here. Winter, just crawl into a sleeping bag and sew it shut.
I’m sure the 2 billionaires that come to the game can find some fun slumming it with the rest of us.
Point is, who cares about the very few who attend the GC for the sale of being there? It’s an event for the fans!
And if you’re worried about millionaires don’t be. There’s plenty of millionaires happy to be at an average cfl game. 4
*Sake of being there
Ahh. Didn’t understand the question… If its for the GC, make em pay for a suite… Also the GC is on a Sunday.
hamilton will be a logistical nightmare, no parking, poor transit, homes surrounding that small stadium, will need tons of temporary seating to get to league minimum, still have electrical problems, lawsuits going on, city crying poverty, just don’t see it!
Won the surprises to see historic Mcmahon host one of the semifinal games in world cup 2026
What I meant to say was don’t be surprised to see historic Mcmahon host one of the semifinals in world cup 2026
bleeding green: What do you mean by a swing and a miss? You can dress it up all you want, but underneath it is still a piece of garbage. Pretty self explanatory. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.
The expression is: You can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig. Your comment doesn’t really translate to this expression. But I get what you meant. I didn’t mean to offend.
Huh ???
in the 1980’s to early 90’s, the CFL tended to stick with BC/ Toronto. In 1993 the CFL sold the rights to the Calgary Stampeders. For the 2nd time Calgary re-invented Grey Cup week.
It’d be cool to have a grey cup in the states
How do you figure?
Yeah cuz they don’t already have a wildly successful Football championship down there.
Calgary should wait until they get a new stadium. It should go to Hamilton.
Hamilton needs to have their problems fixed before they host one too… Get that lawsuit taken care of
I think Calgary will get aGC before they get a new stadium, unless they are willing to wait 10 or 12 years.It takes that long to get thru all that red tape. Sask doesn’t want it until they move the season up 2 or 3 weeks….Go Canada’s Team…
Calgary is a good party town, nothing beats Stampede Week. But the stadium does suck. If I head down it will be for the week of festivities, not the game in the dump.
The only people who want to see a Grey Cup in Hamilton are those who live there and those who have never been there. It needs to be stated again. There are NOT ENOUGH HOTELS to support Grey Cup week. People who live there can just go home every night. It’s not a city for out of towners. The infrastructure is terrible, with no central area to host the various events, no cabs, no nightlife and a boarded up downtown.
Unless you’re willing to take a sleeping bag and stay in the stadium all week, forget the notion of Hamilton hosting the Grey Cup.
Calgary won’t get a new stadium until all the so-called movers and shakers find someone else to pay for it…cheapos…161