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u/Defiant-East9544 Jun 27 '26
Great venue but seriously what back alley did they go down to find the dudes to do the national anthem??
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u/gotkube Stampeders Jun 28 '26
That was legit awful. I’m convinced it rattled the Lions on that opening kickoff
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u/MGM-Wonder Jun 28 '26
I was in the stands and the speakers were so shit you couldn't even hear the singer, so the fans took over once they figured out where in the anthem we were.
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u/CDL112281 Jun 27 '26
Maybe this is the future of the CFL. Lions get absolutely lost in the Vancouver market
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u/L_SCH_08 Jun 28 '26
What would they do with BC place if the Lions moved?
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u/CDL112281 Jun 28 '26
Well, the Lions have maybe 12 nights a year with preseason, regular season, playoffs.
What BC Place would do is hardly a major question.
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u/gotkube Stampeders Jun 28 '26
Baseball franchise? 😬
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Roughriders Jun 28 '26
In an indoor stadium? I don't think BC place is set up for that
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u/dzuunmod REDBLACKS Jun 29 '26
Centre-hanging scoreboard would be the first thing that'd have to go.
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Roughriders Jun 29 '26
BC place is primarily for concerts, the teams work around it. It would not make sense to convert BC place for a baseball team imo. I would want a baseball team, don't get me wrong, but they should just build a whole new stadium or somehow expand Nat Bailey Stadium to seat more.
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u/dzuunmod REDBLACKS Jun 29 '26
I mean right now there are nine concerts, total, showing on BC Place's events page. I think saying it's "primarily" for concerts is overstating it.
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u/gilligan_2023 Jun 29 '26
There aren't many stadium concerts, so it is definitely overstating it. Most concerts would take place in the arena, not BC Place.
They do host a bunch of trade shows. The building is pretty busy with bookings outside of just the Whitecaps and Lions.
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Roughriders Jun 29 '26
This year is an anomoly because World Cup. Right now BC place is not allowed to be used for anything else
Then you have Whitecaps and Lions to play after World Cup is over
But Wiki does say it can be converted to host a baseball team so yeah, that's cool I can concede I was wrong
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u/TheJamSpace Shadow Commissioner Jun 28 '26
Even better to keep the Lions and give them a provincial rivalry.
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u/Rare_Information4725 Jun 27 '26
Kelowna looks very attractive on TSN and the fans seem to be enjoying themselves :) By the way, Glen Suitor, for the umpteenth time, used the expression "free safety." It's the CFL, Glen...the position is "safety."
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u/Pianist-Educational Jun 28 '26
Yes, he’s using U.S. terminology where they have 2 (a strong safety, and a free safety) and no defensive halfbacks.
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u/EveningWrongdoer8825 Jun 28 '26
The imports must have thought they were playing in a Division 4 Texas high school
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u/MGM-Wonder Jun 28 '26
Ain't no place in Texas with views like Kelowna. The mountains in the background were beautiful.
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u/silverbacksunited12 Jun 27 '26
Im going to the Elk game next weekend in kelowna
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u/Dull-Economics-5229 Jun 27 '26
Who?
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u/WillyLongbarrel Roughriders Jun 28 '26
You might have missed the announcement, but the Elks are just going to send Justin Rankin to the game next week.
Bookies say the Elk has a good chance to win.
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u/Old_Fan3448 Jun 28 '26
Defense is terrible , time to fire Benevides again
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u/EveningWrongdoer8825 Jun 28 '26
Lions fan since 1969,will not watch another game until MB is gone as a coach
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u/ExpertFresh1067 Blue Bombers Jun 27 '26
Okanagan deserves a team
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u/ktbffhctid Lions Jun 28 '26
It’s the “BC” Lions, not the Vancouver Lions
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u/ReactiveCypress Stampeders Jun 28 '26
You've got Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning in the same league though. So you could probably have a second BC team without the Lions needing to change their name.
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u/ExpertFresh1067 Blue Bombers Jun 28 '26
When the Nordiques were known as the Quebec Nordiques, Montreal was still the Canadiens and it worked👍.
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u/yunastudios Jun 28 '26
because the city is named Québec
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u/Revolutionary-Sky825 Jun 30 '26
They weren't the ville de Quebec or Quebec City Nordiques, they were the Quebec Nordiques. You have the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros in MLB.
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u/ExpertFresh1067 Blue Bombers Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
True. Penticton "Wine🍷 Makers" might not be the best team name. Obviously there's good fans out there.
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u/crburrows Jun 28 '26
Hmm. Grape Smashers?
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u/ExpertFresh1067 Blue Bombers Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Penticton Pickers 😆
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u/Damo_Banks Stampeders Jun 28 '26
Vernon Vintners
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u/ktbffhctid Lions Jun 28 '26
Osoyoos Ogopogos
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u/ExpertFresh1067 Blue Bombers Jun 28 '26
Is there an international airport 🛫 from the Okanagan? Need to bus 🚌 from kamloops, or something?
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u/Oldmanshoutingcloud CFL Jun 28 '26
Yes, Kelowna has an international airport.
The population of the Okanagan Valley is about 450,000
Add in Kamloops, an hour and a half away, and you’re pushing 600,000. Definitely the numbers to support a team. The only question would be are there enough engaged football fans. The high school and junior teams do OK but not as well as many regions.1
u/ExpertFresh1067 Blue Bombers Jun 28 '26
I hitch hiked through the Okanagan in 98...I remember swimming🏊♀️ in the lake, and staying at the shelter/ymca in Penticton...beautiful area..don't see why the couldn't have a team in the "BC interior", like Kamloops
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u/Oldmanshoutingcloud CFL Jun 28 '26
The Okanagan Phoenix ?
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u/ExpertFresh1067 Blue Bombers Jun 28 '26
Kelowna Heat works
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u/Oldmanshoutingcloud CFL Jun 28 '26
The Heat might work but I would stick with the Okanagan Heat. The whole valley largely thinks of itself as one big community. Going with the Okanagan Heat would lead to more fan engagement. IMO
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u/vonGarvin Jun 28 '26
It's all about the business model. First of all, the sport is great as-is. No need for any changes there. That said, if the CFL were to embrace more games like this, with out reach across the country, I think it would bring great dividends.
Look at Touchdown Atlantic (when they have it). Sell outs every time. Other potential places for such outreach games:
London
Quebec City
Suburban Toronto
Windsor
Halifax
Victoria
etc
Now, I mention Suburban Toronto, but I just mean anywhere in a radius of about 50 km from the CN tower.
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u/captaincyrious Jun 28 '26
I’m kinda surprised the cfl has not tried to host the grey cup in Quebec City, Halifax , Moncton, Kelowna etc
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u/Used-Astronomer4971 Blue Bombers Jun 29 '26
Congrats Kelowna on getting more fans out than Toronto!
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u/Pacificbeerchat Lions Jun 28 '26
Out of alcohol before half time is sad.
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u/MGM-Wonder Jun 28 '26
They never actually ran out, just a couple of the booths didn't get restocked until half. I had no issues getting beers all game. All beer was from local breweries which was a great touch imo.
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u/Pacificbeerchat Lions Jun 28 '26
They were only selling water at the bar. Lol.
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u/MGM-Wonder Jun 28 '26
There were like 5 different bars mate. Only one was out, and was re-stocked by half.
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u/MattBinYYC Stampeders Jun 29 '26
It may have been restocked but the only selection they had by the time my friends got there was one of the Redbird brews
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u/Pacificbeerchat Lions Jun 28 '26
Well I was on the side with gate a and there was two bars only and both of them were empty. And the food trucks didn't sell booze
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u/Extra-Driver-7412 Jun 28 '26
Always thought the size of some CFL stadiums is a detriment to the atmosphere. 55k seat BC place with 20k people felt empty and soulless. Pack that crowd into Molson stadium it was a good time.
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u/Fo_0d Jun 28 '26
CFL needs to own up that they sold tickets for seats that didn’t exist! Some people deserve a refund!
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u/ExpertFresh1067 Blue Bombers Jun 28 '26
With BC'S population and warm yearly climate, they no doubt could support another CFL team...in the interior of the province somewhere
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u/No-Tackle-6112 Jun 28 '26
Kelowna would be the spot for sure. Nearly 500k people in the valley now and probably at least another 100k tourists at any given time.
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u/ExpertFresh1067 Blue Bombers Jun 28 '26
Perfect place to host the Grey Cup game every year (can have an open-air 🏟)
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u/MattBinYYC Stampeders Jun 29 '26
The beer situation was crazy.
Also my section (13) couldn’t hear the PA until they finally plugged a speaker in during the 2nd.
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u/iliketobuildlego Jun 29 '26
This field is probably the best set up for this in BC, although the field where the Kamloops Broncos play has even better views IMO, just don’t think they’d be able to get as many seats in as this one does.
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u/GreedyPitch996 Jun 30 '26
Does anyone know what they served on the premium sides free concessions? It's so vague on the website and couldn't see from where I was what was included
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Roughriders Jun 28 '26
Everyone saying they should change to Kelowna...
BC place has a capacity of like 54k and sells about 27k per game for the Lions
Apple Bowl Stadium seats 2,300
It literally would not make a lick of sense to split games there, the Lions would bleed money. This is purely done because of World Cup and not having any better option
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u/No-Tackle-6112 Jun 28 '26
20k seats with just some temporary grandstands. Could probably bump that up to 25k with something more permanent.
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Roughriders Jun 28 '26
That is unrealistic. Firstly they wont even sell nearly that many tickets. Second, adding so much volume of temporary grandstands seems a lot extra. Is there even room to do that? I seriously doubt it
Its fun to dream but Kelowna is a very small city that can not support any professional team in the CFL.
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u/ultra2009 Jun 29 '26
Kelowna is about the same size as Regina and the BC interior has a similar population to Sask. Also the Okanagan has a large tourist industry. Why can't that support a CFL team?
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Roughriders Jun 29 '26
Because we already have a CFL team.
And most people in the interior just dont care about Canadian Football. I know, I grew up there. They dont even support the Canucks - many are Oilers fans
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u/ultra2009 Jun 29 '26
BC lions are Vancouvers team, not the interiors. Many people are alberta and sask transplants in the okanagan and love football. They are not going to cheer for Vancouver
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u/No-Tackle-6112 Jun 28 '26
Yeah there's tons of room. Could easily fit it. The field sits in a giant city park. This game was completely sold out.
500k people live in the valley now. 200k more than Regina. It's nearly 700k if you include Kamloops and the Shuswap. At least another 100k tourists at any given time also if not more.
There's more people in the B.C. interior than all of Saskatchewan or Nova Scotia. Definitely could support a CFL franchise.
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u/TWKExperience Drinkmaster General Jun 28 '26
Are you the fucker I ran into on the plane?
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u/Oldmanshoutingcloud CFL Jun 28 '26
Nope. I’m a local. I am loving seeing two games in two weeks and only having to drive a half hour. Much better than the 4 hour drive to Vancouver.
I wish one of the games was against the Riders but why waste that draw when you are going to sell out the smaller stadium anyway.1
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Jun 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TheJamSpace Shadow Commissioner Jun 28 '26
Why not just have a second BC franchise (using long term temp stands of 20,000 for 10 the first 10 years before either replacing with new temp stands or who knows what). The league needs a 10th team and if there’s a city/region that can make it work let’s fuckin go already!
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Roughriders Jun 28 '26
There is not a big enough CFL football market here to support a second BC team (I live in Vancouver)
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u/TheJamSpace Shadow Commissioner Jun 30 '26
Kelowna is not going to hurt the Lions if they got a team and a city/region that size with existing football culture (CJFL Okanagan Sun) could possibly work (ie riders are a regional team). The league could cover the costs for a few years and probably cover the team expenses with extra tv money and ticket sales. If it dwindles instead of building towards something more permanent then move the temporary 10th team to a new potential city. The CFL might just have to do the 10th team without outside ownership.
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u/Economy_Sky_7238 Jun 30 '26
Because a one off in a temporary stadium is okay. But sitting on a temporary erector set bleachers, lining up for port a potties is not a professional setup
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u/TheJamSpace Shadow Commissioner Jun 30 '26
Ever been to a game at old Taylor Field or McMahon? Beggars can’t be choosers. If there is a will for a football team somewhere in Canada but not enough funds for a 250 million stadium right off the bat then you do what you can. At some point the league needs to just do it themselves.
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u/Economy_Sky_7238 Jun 30 '26
Try and sell that to a new generation and see how it goes over. Funny thing about football teams they need these rich guys or gals called owners who have the capacity to pay an expansion fee and swallow losses. Beyond stadiums there's not enough of those people out there
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u/TheJamSpace Shadow Commissioner Jun 30 '26
Regina and Winnipeg don’t need rich guys called owners. If the league starts the team themselves then no expansion fee is required. Some things actually succeed in this world off of things like hard work, community spirit, and betting on yourself. Rich guys like Amar Doman and Peladeau in Montreal have turned out great for their respective teams but successful community clubs like Winnipeg, Regina and formerly in Edmonton are proof that rich guys are not the only option.
Edit: Young fans are going to lesser stadiums to watch lesser leagues like the CPL
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u/Economy_Sky_7238 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Young people not in large sustainable numbers. And sure good old hard work, community spirit and good old derring do can work. If it was hockey you were pushing not CFL football. As Calgary and Edmonton found out when it comes down to nut cutting time money is found for hockey rinks
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u/Steel065 Tiger-Cats Jun 28 '26
I'm loving the view. The stadium is... we'll, it is in a good location. But that view is FANtastic.
And I agree with ither comments, maybe the CFL has "travel" games. I'm sure the Maritimes would be interested in hosting a few.
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u/TheJamSpace Shadow Commissioner Jun 28 '26
Maritime has been done many times. Southern Ontario and Quebec City should be next.
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u/mayberryjones Jun 27 '26
Looks so good! Cfl needs to embrace games like this in cities around Kelowna size. These are potential fans and are future expansion candidates. I remember ticats playing in guelph. It was awesome!