Elks president Chris Morris wants Labour Day rematch in Edmonton to outdraw Calgary Grey Cup

Photo: Edmonton Elks

The Edmonton Elks will take to the field on Monday for their annual Labour Day Classic clash with the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium, but team president Chris Morris is already looking ahead to the rematch.

The September 12 version of the Battle of Alberta will be the next big measuring stick for the franchise’s off-the-field revival, and ticket sales are trending in the right direction.

“We’re doing really well. We’re 22,000 now. We’re ahead of where we were with the Saskatchewan game, with as much time to go,” Morris told the media on Saturday. “We need people to fill this place and give us that advantage over these guys. This is a very good Calgary team. I think we’re going to need every possible advantage we can to get them.”

The Elks made headlines last month when they drew a crowd of 31,757 for their clash against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, which prompted the opening of the upper bowl at Commonwealth Stadium for the first time since 2023. It was viewed as a major accomplishment for an organization that had struggled at the box office in recent years amid front office dysfunction and on-field incompetence, selling just 14,664 tickets to their season-opener due to persistent fan skepticism.

Edmonton has drawn over 22,ooo for each of their subsequent home games, as they have continued to rack up victories and currently sit atop the West Division. Even in years when the team has played poorly, the Labour Day rematch has always attracted large crowds, including 28,365 last year.

Morris has his sights set on a much larger number this time around, one that would also claim major bragging rights over their provincial rivals.

“Having 30,000+ would be great. Getting to 35,000 would be awesome,” he said. “I always think the biggest crowd this year in the CFL is supposed to be the Grey Cup at 35,000, so if we had 36,000 here, that means we have more than the actual Grey Cup game, which would be something the city hasn’t shown or something that the team hasn’t shown for decades. I think that’d be really cool.”

This year’s Grey Cup is, of course, being hosted in Calgary at McMahon Stadium, which has a regular capacity of 35,400 fans. The venue has added temporary seating for Grey Cups in the past, but did not do so the last time they hosted in 2019 and have announced no plans to do so this time either. The now 66-year-old stadium is widely believed to be past its best-before date, with the city commissioning a study to evaluate its replacement.

Commonwealth Stadium, which last hosted the Grey Cup in 2018, has a capacity of 56,302. Though arguably too big for the Elks’ current needs, it would have no problem accommodating an influx of fans larger than anything the Stampeders could muster.

While out-drawing the Grey Cup would be cool any year, doing so this year would undoubtedly carry greater satisfaction because of Edmonton’s contentious relationship with the host city. For a Green and Gold lifer like Morris, winning the Battle of Alberta — on or off the field — just means more.

“This used to be the rivalry, like nothing else was close,” he said. “I think that Winnipeg/Saskatchewan game’s now got some teeth to it as far as rivalry as well, but this one used to be very, very bitter. Hopefully, we get back to that.”

The Elks’ impressive recent run should aid in returning the fire to rivalry, and the revived fan support could extend well beyond Mark Kilam’s proverbial Concrete Castle of the North. A strong contingent of Edmonton supporters are expected to make the three-hour drive to McMahon this week, bringing back fond memories for Morris.

“It’s awesome. We’d love to fill their stadium with green and gold and have a bunch of guys in the stands supporting our guys,” he said. “It’s always nice. I can remember playing in those games down there and looking across; they’d always be off to our right in the back. All our fans would be there. It was always nice to have that contingent there. It just felt like a piece of home coming with you.”

The Edmonton Elks (8-3) will visit the Calgary Stampeders (5-6) at McMahon Stadium on Monday, September 7, with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EDT. Last week, the Elks were on bye while the Stampeders beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats thanks to a late touchdown run from Dedrick Mills.

The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 20 degrees and sun. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the U.S., and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 880 CHED in Edmonton or 770 CHQR in Calgary.