CFL launches season ticket drive for new Halifax-based team

The Canadian Football League and the organization hoping to bring a franchise to Atlantic Canada have launched a season ticket drive and name-the-team contest, despite the uncertainty of where the team will play.

Canadian Football League commissioner Randy Ambrosie and the Maritime Football Limited Partnership made the announcement in Halifax Wednesday afternoon.

Fans will now be able to purchase season ticket deposits for an Atlantic CFL team, as part of the ongoing process of bringing a CFL franchise to the East Coast.

“This is a big day for Halifax and Atlantic Canada,” Anthony LeBlanc, founding partner of Maritime Football Ltd., said in a statement.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This is a big day for Halifax and Atlantic Canada," Anthony LeBlanc, founding partner of Maritime Football Ltd., said in a statement.

“It’s a day football fans have been waiting for and an important step towards bringing another professional sports team to the region.”

READ MORE: CFL commissioner, group behind franchise bid set to make ‘special announcement’ in Halifax

Maritime Football, made up of former Arizona Coyotes co-owners Anthony LeBlanc and Gary Drummond and AMJ Campbell Van Lines president Bruce Bowser, is looking to secure a conditional expansion franchise to begin play in Halifax in 2021.

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Available for purchase immediately, season ticket deposits are $50 per package with a deposit placing fans on a priority list for season ticket membership and seat selection on a first come, first served basis.

Fans who make a deposit will be able to participate in an exclusive name-the-team contest where they will be asked to vote on name options and submit their own name choices.

The team name will be announced during an event during Grey Cup weekend later this month.

WATCH: Questions surround future of potential Halifax CFL stadium

2:02 Questions surround future of potential Halifax CFL stadium

The announcement comes on the heels of a unanimous vote by Halifax Regional Council to direct staff to conduct a “thorough” business case analysis on a 24,000-seat proposed stadium by Maritime Football.

Staff members with the Halifax Regional Municipality revealed last week that they expect the CFL to award a conditional franchise to Maritime Football within the next month.

The report voted on by council last week indicated that Maritime Football Ltd. has proposed Shannon Park, a 38-hectare swath of land on the east side of Halifax harbour formerly used by the Department of Defence for housing, as the preferred location for the multi-purpose stadium.

–With files from Alexander Quon and The Canadian Press