Saskatchewan Roughriders’ president and CEO Craig Reynolds says Grey Cup planning will continue as usual as the club faces uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grey Cup 2020 is set to take place at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Nov. 22.
“Right now, we continue to plan. Our Grey Cup office is up and running and fully functioning. We have a great volunteer committee and they continue to advance their work,” Reynolds said.
“It’s hard to speculate what a post-COVID world looks like in terms of Grey Cup, but your mind has to go there and our Grey Cup team is thinking about how that could impact the plans.”
CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie announced on Tuesday, that opening day is being pushed back to at least the beginning of July.
Reynolds is still hopeful the team will play all of its nine home games.
“That’s how you have to approach it. There’s so much uncertainty and so many unknowns. The reality is we got to continuing planning on all fronts and as we learn more we adjust,” Reynolds said.
“That’s the way we approached it since this crisis was thrust upon us.”
He said he understands the seriousness of the situation, and like everyone, is adapting to the ongoing threat.
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“The most important thing in all of this is the health and safety of all Canadians. The decisions made by the various level of governments are done in the interests of the health and safety of Canadians,” Reynolds said.
“There is a bit of perspective required. There are much bigger things in play than sports and entertainment.”
Future of Saskatchewan Roughriders’ employees
With so many professional teams having to lay off employees, Reynolds said there haven’t been any cuts as of yet.
“We want to be good stewards of the organization and we’ve taken a lot of steps right now just on general expense management,” Reynolds said.
However, he said the team has to generate revenue to keep staff employed and a lot of that money comes on game days.
“It’s just like any other business in Saskatchewan and really the country. It certainly has an economic impact on us,” Reynolds said.
“It’s no secret we are gate-driven league and certainly a gate-driven team. About 50 per cent of our revenue comes directly from the gate.”
He said a lot of the other revenue comes from sponsorship, food concessions and merchandise sales.
As for players, Reynolds admits it’s a challenging time for them and said the CFLPA is working directly with the league to deal with the situation.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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