All posts tagged with: BC Lions

Photo Credit: The Province

BC Place is the home of the 2011 Grey Cup Champions, the BC Lions, and season tickets for the 2012 season are on sale. Catch all the hard-hitting CFL action up-close; season tickets start at just $260!

Season pass holders also receive 26% off regular season ticket pricing, 10% off Lions merchandise, priority seat selection, pre-sales ticket options for the 100^th annual Grey Cup, and invitations to BC Lions events.

To purchase season tickets call 604-589-ROAR or visit the BC Lions website.

With more than two years of planning, just before noon today, the Grey Cup trophy arrived at HMCS Discovery aboard a Canadian Forces Cormorant Helicopter, in Vancouver, British Columbia, host city of the 99^th Annual Grey Cup Championship and Grey Cup Festival.

The Grey Cup was escorted by Football BC athletes and was welcomed to Vancouver by Vancouver’s Mayor, Gregor Robertson, Scott Ackles, General Manager, 2011 Grey Cup Festival, and Canadian Football League Commissioner, Mark Cohon.

“Grey Cup week promises to be one of the beiggest sporting events, and celebrations to ever hit Vancouver,” said Moray Keith, Chair of the 2011 Grey Cup Festival Committee.

The 2001 Grey Cup “Raise the Roof” Festival is a four-day festival taking place in downtown Vancouver November 24 – 27, 2011. There are free family events and ticketed concerts welcoming everyone to celebrate in Canada’s largest sporting event in 2011.

“Hosting the Grey Cup is a tremendous economic opportunity and a time for families and friends to celebrate a truly Canadian championship,” said Premier Christy Clark in an earlier statement. “The events wouldn’t be possible without the hundreds of volunteers who donate their spirit and time to the success of the Grey Cup Festival and make sure that everyone has a time to remember.”

Mayor Gregor Robertson was all smiles today as he welcomed the Grey Cup to Vancouver. “This year’s Grey Cup Festival is shaping up to be the best one yet, and we’re very excited to welcome it back to Vancouver in our 125^th Anniversary year.”

The 99^th annual Grey Cup Championship will kick off on Sunday, November 27, 2011 at BC Place in downtown Vancouver. Hosted by the BC Lions Football Club, the 2011 Grey Cup Festival is a four-day festiveal that will take place throughout downtown Vancouver from November 24 through 27, 2011. With events ranging from free family oriented entertainment to ticketed concerts, the events of the 2011 Grey Cup Festival aim to welcome Canadians to Vancouver in celebration of Canada’s largest sporting event.

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In 1954 Empire Stadium opened on the East side of the Pacific National Exhibition Grounds in Vancouver, BC. It was built for the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and would become the home of the BC Lions until 1982 when they moved to BC Place stadium in downtown Vancouver.

The BC Lions and Whitecaps FC both moved to a temporary location, Empire Field, in 2010, when BC Place began a $563 million renovation.

Empire Field is a temporary stadium that can seat over 20,000 people. It is located in the same spot as the original Empire Stadium, which is now known as Hastings Park.

Once BC Place re-opens on September 30, 2011, Empire Field will once again be demolished and revert back to a regular local playing field.

If you haven’t done it already, you only have until late September to experience the thrill of an outdoor game at Empire Field. There’s nothing like the fresh air, scenic views of the North Shore Mountains and the thunderous pounding on the steel bleachers when the home team scores a goal.

This is your final opportunity to visit this unique sporting venue in Vancouver before is becomes another part of the city’s history; be sure to be a part of it.

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The new retractable roof on BC Place nears completion (August 2, 2011)

Following the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, BC Place began a $563-million renovation. 16-months later, with less than two months left until opening day, BC Place is almost ready to re-open to the public.

The largest investment was removing the old Teflon inflatable roof and replacing it with a new cable-supported retractable roof.

The common areas, concessions, washrooms, and dressing rooms have been renovated and updated to give the building a fresh, new look.

In the playing area, there will be new sound and lighting system installed, and a four-sided electronic video-board, which will all be suspended from the centre support structure.

The playing field will be an all-weather playing surface with a concert floor cover for concerts and events.

The exterior plaza will also receive a facelift, including a new memorial for Terry Fox, replacing the previously aging monument.

The revitalization project is expected to prolong the life of BC Place Stadium for another 40 years with projected economic impacts of $100 million per year.

BC Place stadium is set to open on Friday, September 30, 2011 for the BC Lions home game vs the Edmonton Eskimos, and will host the 2011 Grey Cup on November 27, 2011.