Thank goodness this year the Grey Cup is indoors in Vancouver and not at the home of next year’s Grey Cup - Winnipeg. Expected weather in Winnipeg at kickoff time this Sunday. Temperature -23C with a windchill of -35C with winds at 25 km/hour.
I checked other cities forecasts for Sunday at kickoff time:
Edmonton - Temp. -20C, Windchill - 28C
Calgary - Temp -14C, Windchill -22C
Regina - Temp -23C, Windchill - 34C
Weather like that - which is not that unusual this late in November in places like The Peg is one of the reasons I’m with those who want to move the season ahead at least 2 weeks. I’d prefer 4 weeks. A championship game in a -35C wind chill would be a debacle IMO - for the fans at the game, the players, the half time act, for the crew working the TV production, the cameramen - everything about it - just wrong for what is supposed to be the showcase game for the league.
I say, Look for Hamilton to host the Grey Cup in 2016 on the 2nd week of Nov.
I know, people will say OTT, but they are a new franchise, they will have to bide their time.
Caretaker will push to the front of the line
Cold weather is no reason to move the season up, it already starts too early. Funny, the NFL some posters love so much plays up to the middle of January in places like Green Bay, Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Buffalo and Boston - and last year’s SB was in Jersey - but no one talks about moving the season up, no matter how cold.
As for a debacle in cold temperatures, it didn’t seem to harm attendance at recent Grey Cups in Calgary, Edmonton, or Regina. If one dresses properly, temperatures really shouldn’t be much of an issue.
My guess is Ottawa will get it for 2017 as part of the festivities surrounding Canada's 150th birthday celebration in the Nation's Capital.
With it being out west again for the third consecutive Grey Cup next year (in Winnipeg) I think it is almost a given that it should be in Hamilton in 2016.
As for the date - there is a reason the NFL (until last year) did not schedule a Super Bowl for a cold weather outdoor stadium and even the game in New Jersey was not officially a go on Super Bowl Sunday until 48 hours prior to kickoff. The NFL was prepared to postpone the game if heavy snow was forecast. One of the requirements on bidding on the Super Bowl that was waived for New York is an average temperature of at least 50F or an indoor stadium.
Temperatures below a certain level are a concern to the NFL. A play-off game in Green Bay last January was the first time they struggled to sell-out and had to get extension to the blackout deadline and a sponsor bought the last few thousand seats because of 0F (-15C) forecast high temperatures and dropping lower to -12F (-24c) or colder by late in the game with a 3:40PM local start time. The NFL almost moved the game to an earlier start because of the concern for the safety of the fans when late afternoon/early evening temperatures were forecast to be so cold that can result in frostbite in less than 30 minutes to exposed skin at those temperatures. Temperatures FYI still warmer than what are forecast for Winnipeg this Sunday by about 8:00PM Winnipeg time when the game would be in the 4th quarter.
The Bills have always had trouble selling tickets to late season games so now their late season games are offered at a lower price and they have 3 of their last 4 games scheduled for the road at the teams request.
I think there is a reason why it is cold weather cities like Edmonton and Calgary who are pushing for an earlier season. They know it only makes sense for their own players and fans and for the quality of the games being played.
Already starts too early based on what? The NFL? You make all these comparisons to NFL cities but frankly I dont give a damn what the NFL does and when they play their games in what weather. This is our league our rules our schedule.
I say move the game up 2 weeks early and have it begin right after the NHL playoffs. Have a mid November grey cup.
Based on the fact that the season is now already starting in June, right after the NHL playoffs. June is not football season by any stretch of the imagination. Even July 1st is too early, though I’ll concede that games on Canada Day can be a draw. Historically the CFL season used to begin in late July but as the season lengthened the season started earlier, so it has already been moved up. The Grey Cup has been played as late as Decmber 8th. Last Sunday in November is perfect if outdoors, and if it being played indoors, first sunday in December would be fine.
Times change. the younger demogrpahic doesn’t want to sit in -30 degree weather to watch a football game while paying $300 a ticket. Especially now when you can sit in the comforts of your home and watch the game on a 70 inch 1080P tv with surround sound and booze and food. The tv coverage has come leaps and bounds from black and white or grainy colour back in the day. Its much easier to justify staying home and watching it on TV whereas 30-40 years ago going to the game may have been the only option.
You’re an expert on what different age groups will and won’t do? At the last GC I attended in 2009, my nephew (age 26) and I sat high in the end zone temporaries, and the people around us varied in age from their 20s to their 50s. It was none too warm and no hometown team, either.
Why on earth would people want to see the last 3 weeks of football played in a much higher chance of horrible weather?
What possible reason can they have?
These are the playoff games, these would be the Division semi Finals, then the Division Finals and then the Championship!
Is it imperative to have crappy, snowy, football exploding, frostbite freezing weather to have a truly Canadian experience?
We live the Canadian winter experience!
Will People in EDM, CGY and WPG move their Televisions into the backyard to watch the Grey Cup on Sunday to have the -20C experience? Better weather means better football and better games and better game experiences.
Both the CGY and EDM executives have lobbied to move the season up 2 weeks for just this reason.
I agree with them! I can see no reason not too.
Start training camp the first weekend after the draft.
Seeing as I am 25 and like to think I have a fair amount of friends I can speak for myself and my group of friends, so yes.
We attend almost all of our CFL games in the summer months and purchase patio tix so we can socialize and watch the game in a bar type atmosphere. The chances of us doing that come november are slim to none. We can do the same while in front of a big tv in the comfort of our homes. Its one thing to pay hard earned money to go to a game 10 degree weather and enjoy a beverage. Quite another to do it when it is minus 20 degrees out and you can’t enjoy yourself. Sure the diehards may not mind. But its the fairweather younger demographic that the league must appease to stay viable in the future. There aren’t enough hardcore fans out there to keep the league afloat.
In the end football is an enterainment event and needs to compete with all other types of entertainment events that people could be spending their money on. (excluding the diehards). So the league needs to do everything in its power to ensure ppl want to attend games. And if that means moving the season up a couple weeks when the weather is 10 degrees warmer then so be it.
We have BEAUTIFUL weather in June where pepole WANT to be outside. Compare that to November, not as many ppl want to be outside. Most of our stadiums are outdoors. Play some regular season games in June where ppl want to find a reason to be outside.
I know some ppl want to paint a rough and tough picture of Canada and football and the grey cup being watched in -30 degree weather because “back in the day this is how it always was”. Things change, there are more ways to watch the game and other places to spend your $$$. That doesn’t fly anymore.
And its not just my age demographic. From the comments on this thread a fair number of people and teams would like to see the season pushed up.
How about holding a Grey Cup in Florida? A few good reasons why:
sunny/warm
500,000 Canadians own homes in Florida (that's 1 million Canadians) plus another 2 Million Canadians that are renting or visiting through the winter.
cheaper to fly from Toronto to Florida than it is to Winnipeg/Calgary/Edmonton or Vancouver
easier to drive from Ontario to Florida than trying to drive out west.
fans can combine the GC with a vacation, beach, Disney or a cruise
plenty of hotel rooms and much cheaper than in any Canadian city.
show case the game to Florida - the NFL and the NCAA have held Bowl games in Toronto so why not the CFL holding a Grey Cup in Florida. The Citrus Bowl in Orlando would be central and seats around 65,000 not sure if it can accommodate a CFL field.
Honestly at first I thought you were crazy. But the more I read your post the more I can see it working. The only point I disagree with is point 7. Because the bowl game they hosted in Toronto wasn’t the college football championship, rather a low ranked bowl game.
The risk to doing this is pretty low as well. If its a huge failure, no harm no foul. Just never do it again. Its not like US expansion where we have a team stuck down there. Its a one off event. If there are profits split them evenly among all 9 teams. Costs are also split evenly.
I know sunlife stadium is definately wide enough and should be long enough given the stands used to retract for baseball configuration. Orlando would be great, the Citrus bowl just underwent a $250 million reno, not sure if it could fit a CFL field. I mean they could always play it in the new Marlins baseball stadium.
I really like this idea. I think it could work. Have it brodcasted nationally on ESPN.