Fans will be a part of history Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. when the B.C. Lions play the Ottawa Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in the first Lions’ regular-season home game played outside Empire Stadium, Empire Field or B.C. Place in the 70-year history of the CFL club.
Tickets from $35 to $95 go on sale March 28 at 10 a.m. at BCLions.com. The club is reporting heavy interest based on season-ticket holder requests.
“The response from our season-ticket holders has been tremendous, and we now encourage all of our fans to act quickly on the public sale,” said Lions’ president Duane Vienneau, in a statement.
Vienneau said the Thursday and Friday, ahead of the game on Saturday, will feature a free public festival with music and food at Ship Point at the Inner Harbour celebrating the Island, the team and the CFL. Lions players and coaches will take part in community activities on Thursday and Friday, including open practices and football clinics for kids.
The Lions said the City of Victoria parks department has already begun preparing the field, which will be surrounded by as many as 14,000 temporary seats for the game. That will match the capacity for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup soccer games played at RAP.
Lions owner Amar Doman was born and raised in Victoria, graduated from Oak Bay High, and grew up idolizing the Roy Dewalt and Mervyn Fernandez Lions of the 1980s.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” said Doman.
The game is dubbed Touchdown Pacific and will replace the Touchdown Atlantic CFL games that have been held recently in Halifax, Moncton, N.B., and Wolfville, N.S.
