With a fourth wave of COVID-19 threatening their ability to pack Tim Horton’s Field, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are trying to incentive fans to turn the tide against the virus.
TSN’s Dave Naylor tweeted that current government restrictions are presenting a less than ideal outlook for the club.
“Ontario was eligible to enter stage 4 reopening as of Aug 6th but will remain on stage 3 for now. That means CFL games with capacity capped at 15k. Ticats prepared tor 15k for Labour Day but hoping for fully open stadiums.”
In order to boost their odds of getting to that all-important full stadium, Naylor reports the Ticats are allowing fans a chance to get vaccinated and gain entry to watch a team practice.
“The Ticats will host pop-up vaccine clinics Aug 23rd and 24th. Get vaccinated and be able to watch practice. Hamilton is one of the provincial health units under 70% vaccinated. Team says big [monetary] difference between being restricted to 15k versus full stadium.”
Both Saskatchewan and Edmonton offered mobile vaccination clinics ahead of their season openers, but no shot was required for entry. Hamilton becomes the first organization to employ the practice at a practice, with a specific reward for participation.
Winnipeg is the only CFL city that requires vaccination for entry to CFL games, but early this week Ticats’ owner Bob Young expressed support for vaccination passports in Ontario. The team has not yet implemented the practice, but is incentivizing those who wish to take the immunization plunge.
