Touchdown, Hamilton!
The Canadian Football League has announced that the 2021 Grey Cup will be played at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.
Commissioner Randy Ambrosie made it official Thursday evening, moments after he announced that Saskatchewan will play host to the CFL’s championship game in 2020.
Finally! It only took the league more than two decades to decide to hold its marquee event in Steeltown.
But let’s be frank: the league had some very good reasons for the nearly quarter-century delay.
As much as I loved old Ivor Wynne Stadium, primarily for its glorious history and amazing sight lines, it was not an appealing venue to host the biggest game on the CFL calendar. A lack of hotels in the city was also an issue way back when, and the recent — but now settled — litigation hovering over Tim Hortons Field was also a big factor.
All that is now a distant memory. In two years’ time, and for the first time since 1996, Hamilton will be the focal point for Canadian football fans.
The dual Grey Cup announcement does bring some pros and cons for Hamilton. With the popularity of football in Saskatchewan and the Roughriders’ incredibly large fan base, it would be tough for any team or host city to follow Regina’s week-long championship party.
The positive is that Hamilton can use the additional year to take what works best in Calgary this November and in Regina next year and apply that to 2021 to make it the best Grey Cup we’ve ever seen, as well as figure out how to increase the capacity of Tim Hortons Field (roughly 24,000) for the big game.
For now, though, Hamilton can finally celebrate.