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The Lions have said that the matchup with Ottawa sold out in less than an hour
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Published Aug 01, 2024 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read
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Renovations on the Royal Athletic are set to begin next week for Touchdown Pacific. With temporary grandstands the Lions will bring capacity up to 14,000 for the Lions’ Aug. 31 game against the Ottawa Redblacks. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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B.C. Lions president Duane Vienneau cites Field of Dreams in regards to the team’s Touchdown Pacific game at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria later this month.
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There’s one slight alteration, though. The fans have already said they’re coming. Now it’s up to Vienneau and the Lions to build it.
Renovations on the Royal Athletic are set to begin next week, and with temporary grandstands the Lions will bring capacity up to 14,000 for the Lions’ Aug. 31 game against the Ottawa Redblacks. The city-owned facility had previously expanded to 10,500 for FIFA U-20 World Cup soccer games in 2007. The Victoria HarbourCats, who are the summer collegiate all-star baseball team that’s the park’s main tenant, list their game capacity at 5,280.
The Lions have said that the matchup with Ottawa sold out in less than an hour, but tickets are on sale for a watch party at nearby Central Park.
“We’re trying basically to bring a B.C. Lions game production from B.C. Place and put it into a stadium that we’re building from scratch,” Vienneau said. “I do like to tell everyone that it’s a little bit like Field of Dreams. We’re building something out of scratch and it’s going to be an environment that they’ve never experienced before with a football game.
“This is special for us. We do try to embrace the whole province.”
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Thank you Victoria! What a wonderful visit celebrating Touchdown Pacific presented by @westjet!
🥳 2-day festival at Ship Point Inner Harbour
🏈 Open Practice in Langford
🍿 Backyard Watch Party at Central Park
🏟️ Game at Royal Athletic Park
JOIN US ➡️ https://t.co/yYwknDOBCJ pic.twitter.com/DHNivk346t
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) July 31, 2024
Vienneau said that when the Lions approached Victoria mayor Marianne Alto and Tourism Minister Lana Popham with the idea of having a game in Victoria “we couldn’t get the question out of our mouths and they both said ‘yes.’
“It’s been like that the whole way through everywhere we turn,” Vienneau said. “I don’t think we’ve heard ‘no.’ We need to do this? Yes. We need to do this? Yes. That goes for the city employees to everybody in the community. When you feel that kind of excitement in the community, it makes you want do that much more.”
This is Vienneau’s second full season as club president. His previous jobs have included working for the CFL, where he was chief Grey Cup and events officer. He was in charge of running the Touchdown Atlantic Series. They, too, readily had to add seating to venues.
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Attendance has varied with those games over the years. The crowd for the 2011 game between the Calgary Stampeders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Moncton had an announced crowd of 20,153. The crowd for a 2023 game in Halifax between the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders was listed at 11,555.
“There’s something special here. I don’t know if it’s the added piece that it’s the Lions and this is our area,” Vienneau said. “There’s not a team in Atlantic Canada. They adopted other teams.”
B.C. Lions president Duane Vienneau says:“We’re building something out of scratch and it’s going to be an environment that they’ve never experienced before with a football game.” Photo by KAYLE NEIS /Regina Leader-Post
The Lions also unveiled this week a two-day festival at Ship Point Inner Harbour, starting on Aug. 29. There’s musical entertainment and a meet-and-greet with players from the Lions and Redblacks. On the Aug. 30, the Grey Cup will be on hand.
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As for the watch party, Vienneau says the Lions will bring over their dance team and mascots, along with their game-day promotions crew.
“You’re close enough that you’re going to be able to smell the popcorn. You’re not in the stadium, but we’re going to make you feel like you’re a part of the game,” he added.
Popham told the Victoria Times-Colonist that an estimated 25,000 people will be travelling to Victoria and spend more than $20 million during the three days Touchdown Pacific festivities are happening.
The Lions take over Royal Athletic next Thursday. That’s the day after the final regular season game for the HarbourCats. The HarbourCats, who play in the West Coast League, will have to have any playoff home games elsewhere. Managing partner Jim Swanson says they’re leaning toward Nanaimo.
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Swanson admits he’s frustrated that his team has to move out for the post-season, and believes that the city and the Lions could have found ways to get his squad a few more days at Royal Athletic. The first round starts Aug. 10. The West Coast championship game is slated for Aug. 16.
The HarbourCats went into Thursday sitting second in the North Division at 12-8, which had them 1.5. games behind the Wenatchee AppleSox (14-7). Four teams from the league’s both the North and South Division makes the playoffs.
The HarbourCats joined the West Coast League in 2013.
“Obviously this has not been a good situation for us,” Swanson said. “We think the Lions game is great but we don’t think that it should be keeping us from playing playoff games at home.”
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has seven games slated for B.C. Place, which could leave the Lions without a home field for several weeks for that season.
@SteveEwen
SEwen@postmedia.com
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/football/cfl/bc-lions/bc-lions-royal-athletic-touchdown-pacific