Colours will be everything but 'Grey'
Published Thursday February 4th, 2010
Jan Carinci
OK, so now we know the date of the first CFL regular season game to be played in Atlantic Canada.
We know that it will be the Edmonton Eskimos making the trek east to battle the "home squad" Toronto Argonauts and, we know that the game and corresponding events will be branded Touchdown Atlantic and that foot will meet ball Sunday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m., Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium.
What we don't know is exactly what else will be taking place leading up to the big game.
At the press conference last fall to announce that the CFL was indeed landing in Moncton, speculation on the festivities surrounding the event received almost as much hype as the game itself.
CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon mentioned the term "Mini Grey Cup."
To which Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc questioningly responded, "Mini?"
Mini Grey Cup or otherwise, there will be many events taking place in Moncton the week of Sept. 20 for fans of the game leading up to Sunday afternoon's kick-off.
Having played 10 years in the CFL I was fortunate to play in three Grey Cup championship games, but it wasn't until after I retired from playing and was part of several Grey Cup organizing committees that I came to know exactly why people from all over Canada flock to this annual November bash.
So, for those of you that have never taken in the events surrounding a Grey Cup game, here's what you might expect to see next September at Moncton's Touchdown Atlantic version.
Let's start with inclusion -- Touchdown Atlantic has the opportunity to include all local football programs in the festivities.
So look for the Moncton Football Association, local high schools and perhaps Mount A to all be part of the lead-up to the CFL contest on the 26th.
While it would be great to have all of those lead-up games played at Stade Moncton 2010 Stadium, the fact that the playing surface at the U de M venue is natural grass means that these games will be played at Rocky Stone Field.
You see, the CFL wants a pristine environment for Sunday's Argo Eskimo clash -- it has to look good on TV and a field that's hosted several lead-up games might not look good on Sunday.
In fact, it's unlikely that the two CFL teams will even practice at the Stadium.
The good news is there is talk that the city will add a significant number of temporary seats to Rocky Stone and will also dress up the artificial turf field in a similar fashion to the U de M field.
This should make for an exciting environment for the teams that will be involved and for the fans taking in the contests.
Even if you are not a football fan, there will be many opportunities for you to engage in the action.
Moncton's downtown core will undoubtedly be turned into 'party central' for both the fan and the still unconverted.
Traditionally, Grey Cup Festivals include team suites -- large conference-style meeting rooms turned into team hospitality rooms each one adorned in team colours, showing highlights from the team's season, hosting former players and of course stocked full of ice-cold beverages.
Now we don't have a conference centre that could accommodate this but another idea would be to utilize the city's downtown bars designating nine of them as official CFL team suites.
Imagine the Old Triangle as the official Saskatchewan Roughriders "Green is the colour, football is the game" hot spot.
Rouge Resto Club works nicely with the Calgary Stampeders.
The St. James Gate has got the Toronto Argonauts written all over it!
And whoever gets the Atlantic Schooner rights will definitely enjoy a good week.
Anyway you get the picture -- party central starting Sept. 23 to cheer on your favourite team(s).
Thursday will more than likely see the kick-off of some sort of Fan Festival to be housed in a large facility either downtown or on the U de M campus.
This festival will be for the whole family and could feature interactive football skills testing, autograph sessions, a mini version of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame including the opportunity for fans to have their picture taken with the Grey Cup and all things CFL.
Join me In the Huddle next week as we take a look at what Friday and Saturday might look like leading up to kick-off Sept. 26.
In the meantime, remember to register at
www.CFL.ca/moncton.
This will show the CFL our support for Touchdown Atlantic and also allow you to receive the latest breaking news on game tickets and other Touchdown Atlantic events.
* In The Huddle appears every Thursday in the sports section. Jan Carinci played for the 1983 Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts.
Very interesting......we will have a conference centre available though; the new Palladium at Casino NB. This however is about 10 km from downtown and perhaps having any events out there (at a casino) might detract from the family atmosphere that the CFL would likely be trying to promote.
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