OSEG seeks to recapture buzz from Ottawa Redblacks early years

Photo courtesy: Ottawa Tourism

Adrian Sciarra, president of OSEG Sports, knows the Ottawa Redblacks have work to do to win fans back to TD Place Stadium.

“Until we’re selling out games like we were our first few seasons, we haven’t accomplished our objectives,” he recently told 3DownNation. “We’re working really hard in all areas to recreate the energy we had in the stadium — and around the team in general — those first few years.”

The Redblacks’ lack of on-field success has slowly taken a toll. After making the Grey Cup three times between 2014 and 2018, the organization has earned just one playoff berth since their trip to the 2018 Grey Cup: a 58-38 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in the East Semi-Final in 2024.

All that came to a head last year as Ottawa finished 4-14 and averaged 18,136 fans per game, ahead only of Toronto’s 15,054.

Following the conclusion of last year, it was clear the Redblacks needed to make significant changes and the organization didn’t hesitate to do so, even if it was tough at times.

“There’s definitely room to grow and that’s why we’re being deliberate with everything we’re doing,” said Sciarra.

“We’ve approached this offseason with a desire to be aggressive in every area, and I think we accomplished that. From the hiring of Ryan Dinwiddie as our new head coach and general manager, to turning over the majority of the coaching staff, to making some hard decisions on returning players and the roster in general, everything we’ve done has been with the aim of being better.”

“We spent a lot of time planning training camp and reviewing best practices to manage players and travel throughout the season. Obviously, we hope our efforts bear fruit. We’re all working our butts off to not only build a team fans can be proud of, but to ‘have’ a team that wins and competes for championships.”

Sciarra and his colleagues know that winning is ultimately the best way to fuel enthusiasm around the team, but a lot of planning has also gone into improving the game-day experience.

“First and foremost, we want people coming out to see winning football, but we also want it to be a great night (or afternoon) when people come down to experience Lansdowne with their family and friends.”

As has been the case in recent seasons, every home game has a theme. For 2026, the Redblacks have tried to ensure there’s something for everyone, and many of themes will be brand new.

The regular-season kicks off in Week 1 against the Edmonton Elks and will feature fireworks post-game and the view from the field promises to be special. As always, R-Nation will be allowed on the field after the game.

When the Redblacks released the full list of themes last month, sharp-eyed fans might have noted the Week 3 ‘Whiteout’ theme and raised an eyebrow.

For a team that wears black at home (and occasionally red), asking R-Nation to show up wearing white is a little bizarre. Unless that were to be the game when long-teased new road uniforms were to be debuted. When asked directly if that were the case, Sciarra smiled and replied, “Next question.”

If you’re big into dancing, Week 5’s ‘Friday Night Lights’ theme will feature a post-game silent disco with a DJ in the Log Cabin. For those (like yours truly) who have no idea what that means, a silent disco has a bunch of headphones set up, and everyone jams out individually, unless they’re tuned into the same frequency.

Week 7’s game will fall a couple of hours after the World Cup Final, and will feature a crossover on the ‘Football vs Futebol’ night. Players from both soccer teams that call TD Place home — Atlético Ottawa and Ottawa Rapid FC — will be on-hand and there will be plenty of fan activations throughout the game, like soccer players trying football drills.

R-Nation should also expect to see members from organizations like the Capital City Supporters Group and Bytown Boys on hand. While they won’t be allowed to use the flares they typically have at soccer games, drums and flags will likely make an appearance.

2026 is also a big year for football anniversaries, and Week 9’s ‘Legacy Game’ will honour that history. This year marks 10 years since the Redblacks’ first Grey Cup win, the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Rough Riders Grey Cup win sealed by Tony Gabriel’s late-game heroics, and the 150th anniversary of Ottawa football.

In coordination with the CFL Ottawa Alumni Association, alumni from all three pro teams — the Rough Riders, Renegades, and Redblacks — will be in town for a full weekend event. There will be a golf tournament, a luncheon, and fans will have a chance to take pictures and get autographs during the game. Invitations have already gone out and OSEG is expecting a good turnout.

Speaking of history, Week 13’s theme is ‘Bytown Bicentennial’ and the team plans on working with the City of Ottawa to highlight the 200th anniversary of the city. The story of Lansdowne will naturally feature prominently.

Week 17’s ‘Family Day’ will have a petting zoo and face painters, while Week 18 will be the ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ game, featuring orange warm up jerseys, an Indigenous logo/helmet decal, and local Indigenous culture highlighted through performances. Special merch will be available for purchase with proceeds going to local groups.

Finally, in Week 20, ‘Lumberjack Night’ will give the team a chance to emphasize their saw blade logo and the black and red-checkered pattern that fans have come to associate with the team. R-Nation will also have the drone show it should’ve gotten in 2025, but was cancelled due to heavy winds.

On top of the themes, every home game will have pregame street parties in front of the Aberdeen Pavilion. Unfortunately with Lansdowne 2.0 in full swing and construction underway on the arena on the east end of the site, the tailgating that proved popular on the Great Lawn in 2025 won’t be occurring for the foreseeable future.

There will also be live music via a Battle of the Bands competition, with the winning local band invited back at the end of the season. The ‘Fan First’ menu will offer things like hot dogs, popcorn, and corn dogs for $5, while pregame beer will cost $6 before kickoff on Fridays.

Beyond game day the Redblacks will continue to hold Quarterback Clubs before every home game. It’s a tradition that dates back to the 1940s and in its current iteration, players and coaches or front office staff go to a restaurant where TSN1200 does a Redblacks’ radio broadcast. There are plans in 2026 to do shows from Gatineau, downtown, and the south, west, and east ends.

Sciarra understands that recent years haven’t met fan expectations, but hopes R-Nation will stick with the organization.

“We have work to do and we’re not afraid of that, but our commitment to winning and being something that fans enjoy has never been stronger than it is right now,” he said. “Our fans deserve the best and we’re striving to give it to them.”