Saskatchewan Roughriders aiming for over 10,000 fans at Saskatoon preseason game

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders are hoping to attract more than 10,000 fans to their preseason game at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, team president and CEO Craig Reynolds told The SportsCage on Tuesday.

“We’re gonna try to get as many people in there as we can, so we’re shooting for over 10,000. There’s about 6,000 permanent seats there, so that’d be 4,000 standing,” he said.

“If you’ve ever been to Griffiths, it’s a great venue. It’s gonna be a really vibrant college-style atmosphere but in that whole south end, it’s just all standing room area, so we’re gonna jam a lot of people in there. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. There’s a lot of free falling space, I’d call it. We were up there in October, took in a (Huskies) game, and we were really impressed with how the stadium flows and just the atmosphere as well, so we’re going to try to recreate that as much as we can.”

Originally constructed in 1967, Griffiths Stadium is located on campus at the University of Saskatchewan where it serves as the home of the Huskies. The Roughriders have hosted training camp in Saskatoon for several years but haven’t played a game in the city, which is located 260 kilometres northwest of Regina, since 1991.

Starting on Wednesday, season ticket members who live in the Saskatoon area will have first access to buy tickets to the team’s preseason game. By Friday, all season ticket holders will be eligible to purchase tickets.

“You think about the commitment that Saskatoon season ticket members make to come to 10 home games a year, so now that we’re up there, we’ve got a game there, we just wanted to give them an opportunity to get early access,” said Reynolds.

“We’re kind of treating it like a mini-Grey Cup, so we struck a committee and we’re working closely with the U of S and Discover Saskatoon up there. They’ve been great partners, so we’re really excited, and Saskatoon is really excited. I tell you, it’s the number one question I get is, ‘How do I get tickets to the preseason game?'”

Reynolds also shed more light on tailgating, which is coming to Mosaic Stadium for the first time in 2026. The new tailgating area will located directly south of the Brandt Centre, which is located just west of Mosaic Stadium across from Confederation Park.

The tailgating area will have a capacity of 200. All pass holders will be entitled to two parking spots: one for their vehicle and one for things like seating, tables, smokers, and barbecues. The area will be open to the public, as will the beer garden the team is planning to create adjacent to the tailgating area.

“It’s gonna be awesome. It’s gonna totally change the game day atmosphere at Mosaic,” said Reynolds.

“In Buffalo (at the Bills tailgate), they’re jumping on tables. I’m looking forward to seeing what traditions are created here because we know our fans do that — they create great traditions, and so what’s gonna be the Saskatchewan tailgating traditions?”

Fresh off a victory in the 112th Grey Cup, Reynolds indicated that team’s season ticket renewals are “really, really high,” harkening back to the renewal rate the Roughriders had before the pandemic. He also said the team is 65 percent ahead of where they were last year with acquiring new season ticket holders.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders kept most of their big names in free agency but still suffered some key losses, including quarterback Jake Maier (Ottawa Redblacks), receiver Tommy Nield (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), defensive lineman Malik Carney (Edmonton Elks), linebacker A.J. Allen (Ottawa Redblacks), and strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis (Ottawa Redblacks). Micah Johnson retired to become the team’s defensive line coach, while receiver Dohnte Meyers departed for an NFL shot with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Roughriders hold the ninth overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Saskatchewan will play its first preseason game against the Calgary Stampeders on Monday, May 18 and its first regular-season game against the B.C. Lions on Saturday, June 13.

In 2025, Saskatchewan finished first in the West Division standings with a 12-6 record. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the club’s first championship in 12 years.