Edmonton Eskimos donate $700K to Alberta’s amateur football scene

The Edmonton Eskimos have donated $695,000 to amateur football in northern Alberta.

The Edmonton Huskies and Edmonton Wildcats junior football clubs will each receive $225,000, the University of Alberta Golden Bears football program will receive $110,000, Football Alberta will receive $100,000 and $35,000 will go to Edmonton Eskimo Alumni Association’s Amateur Football.

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The money came from the franchise’s 50/50 game-day raffle program from last season.

“Our 50/50 program, and its link to developing amateur football across northern Alberta, has become the gold standard. We have created significant momentum among football stakeholders and are proud to help provide for athletes of all ages, at all levels access to our sport,” Eskimos President and CEO Len Rhodes said.

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The donation to Golden Bears football includes an annual $50,000 a year towards athletic scholarships, which is part of a $250,000, five-year commitment that was announced in 2015.