VICTORIA — The British Columbia Lions will host the Ottawa Redblacks in a CFL regular season game in Victoria next season.
The game, dubbed “Touchdown Pacific” by the league, will be played on Saturday August. 31 at Royal Athletic Park.
The league says the venue will be expanded to accommodate between 10,000 and 14,000 fans, including standing room.
“We have long said that the Lions are British Columbia’s team and having been born and raised in Victoria, I am honored to have the opportunity to see our team play in the provincial capital,” said the owner of the Lions, Amar Doman, in a press release.
This game will mark the sixth edition of the CFL’s “Touchdown Series”, which aims to grow the game by hosting a regular season game at a neutral site, but the first in Victoria.
The previous five releases, all dubbed “Touchdown Atlantic,” were all hosted in Atlantic Canadian cities.
The Toronto Argonauts defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 29 in Halifax in the final “Touchdown Atlantic” game.
“Through this series of neutral site games, we are building bridges and helping to secure the future of our game,” said CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie.
British Columbia will also host the Gray Cup next season at BC Place in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in November. 29, 2023.
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