The 106th Gray Cup presented by Shaw will arrive in Edmonton in 2018, the Canadian Football League announced today.
"Our league is proud to award the Gray Cup to a city known for its great Canadian football, great hospitality and incredible volunteers," said Jim Lawson, chairman of the CFL Board of Governors.
"Our fans here in Edmonton and all of Canada know that this is a great place for the Gray Cup. When the city stayed for the last time in 2010, the game sold out in a week."
That total sale, achieved 173 days before the Gray Cup game, set a record that still stands. Today, the Edmonton Eskimos announced that fans who buy Eskimos season tickets for the 2017 CFL season, which are on sale now, will have the opportunity to buy a Gray Cup seat by 2018 ahead of the public at general.
"The Eskimos of Edmonton are delighted to host the Gray Cup in 2018, a year that will mark the 40th anniversary of Commonwealth Stadium and the 70th anniversary of the work of our team as Edmonton Eskimos," said Brad Sparrow, president of the community Board of Directors of Eskimos and Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee of the 2018 Gray Cup.
"This organization and this city share an unsurpassable legacy in sports, and we are confident that, with the support of our supporters and our public and private sector partners, we will organize a game and a celebration that will add a new and proud chapter."
Today's announcement means that the CFL's annual championship game, the Gray Cup presented by Shaw, will be played at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday, November 25, 2018. It will be preceded by the Gray Cup festival, a week of activities for fans of all ages, parties and world-class entertainment.
"Since 2015, our partnership with the Canadian Football League (CFL) has given us significant opportunities to connect our customers, employees and charities with one of Canada's most iconic and sporting events," said Chethan Lakshman, Vice President of External Affairs at Shaw Communications. "We are excited to extend this partnership to Edmonton, a city where our roots are deep, as we look forward to celebrating the 106th Gray Cup presented by Shaw in 2018."
Studies of previous Gray Cups held in several cities have linked the potential economic impact to more than $ 100 million.
Len Rhodes, president and CEO of Edmonton Eskimos and co-chair of the 2018 Cup Organizing Committee, thanked the representatives of the province of Alberta, the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Tourism, who also attended today's announcement, for their support.
He said that this news kicks off what promises to be an exciting season for the club, its partners and its fans.
"While our players and coaches in the training camp focus on the task at hand, winning the Gray Cup in 2017, we have already started working off the field towards the celebration of the best Copa Gray in 2018," said Rhodes.
He announced that Duane Vienneau, who was the quarterback of the successful 2010 Gray Cup Festival in Edmonton, will serve as Executive Director of the 2018 Gray Cup Live Stream Festival Esports Tournament.
"Gray Cup 2010 was a great success and I hope to apply the triumphs and lessons learned to the 2014 Grey Cup to make Canada's largest annual sporting event one that we can all be extremely proud of." This is a great day for the City of Edmonton, "said Vienneau.
